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The Singapore Armed Forces Best Unit Competition is an annual competition which confers awards of recognition to the most outstanding units of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in combat readiness, operational proficiency and administrative excellence. Besides encouraging the above, the award also seeks to promote esprit-de-corps and camaraderie among participating Army, Air Force and Navy units through friendly competition.
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The assessment factors of the competition are:
The competition was started for active SAF units in 1969, before being extended to the reservist units (now known as NS units) in 1993. These units are conferred their awards at the annual Singapore Armed Forces Day parade.
The types of units that participate include:
(See also Camps and bases of the Singapore Armed Forces for acronyms used.)
Active Army units
The 1st Commando Battalion has won the Best Combat Unit for an unprecedented 28 times since the award was launched in 1969, and for 12 consecutive years since 2004.
Active Navy units
Two new awards in maritime security and in naval engineering and logistics were introduced in 2015.
Active Air Force units
The Best Helicopter Squadron award was introduced in 2010 to recognise the contributions of the RSAF helicopter squadrons. In 2014, two new awards in Control and Air Engineering were introduced. A new award in air logistics was introduced in 2015.
NS Navy units
A new Best NS Naval unit award was introduced from 2015.
Controversies
In 2009, three regulars from the 24th Battalion Singapore Artillery were convicted of falsifying their unit's test scores. Soldiers' results for the standard obstacle were doctored. As a result, the unit was disqualified that year and the trio were convicted and fined by the General Court Martial.