Active 30 June 2009 - present Branch Singapore Armed Forces Size Classified | Country Singapore Type Special forces | |
Role Domestic and International Counter-Terrorism, Specialised Homeland Security Operations | ||
The Special Operations Task Force (Abbreviation: SOTF; Chinese: 特别行动队; Malay: Operasi Khas Pasukan Khas) is a Special operations Force created by the Singapore Armed Forces to better combat terrorists threats that would harm Singaporean interests at home and overseas. According to Colonel Benedict Lim, then Assistant Chief of General Staff (Operations), the SOTF is responsible at the national level for conducting counter-terrorist operations.
Contents
History
On 30 June 2009, it was officially announced to the media that the Government of Singapore was planning to create the Special Operations Task Force to counter all terrorist threats from land, sea and air. According to Teo Chee Hean, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence at that time, he stated that the unit's establishment was needed because Singapore is not "dealing only with people with guns. They may be dealing with people who have very powerful explosives and various kinds of other substances, chemical, radiological and so on, so you need to develop capabilities to deal with these things. You have to deal with them at sea, at shore, buildings, aeroplanes, ships, coastlines and so on, so you do need to bring together these capabilities, develop them in a much more complete, coherent and integrated way." In addition, Colonel Lam commented on the 2008 Mumbai attacks "where terrorists are getting smarter as well. They are getting more organised - they learnt from what the special and security forces are doing."
The SOTF saw its inaugural monograph Key Perspectives on Special Forces (2009) published in the same year the integrated unit was formed. The monograph was edited and developed by Captain Kwong Weng Yap, a Commando Officer who served as its leadership development head. The monograph was published by Pointer (journal) the Journal of the Singapore Armed Forces. The publication introduces the first comprehensive monograph involving Singapore’s Special Forces from the Army and Navy; it offers a critical examination of the history, evolution and theory of Special forces. Professor Denis Fischbacher-Smith of the University of Glasgow commented that the monograph "provided the reader a stimulating insight into the working and thought processes that underpin the selection, training, and deployment of these elite troops. Moreover, it is rare for such a collection to be made available from serving and recent members of elite forces, and for that reason, the book is an important contribution to the literature."
The SOTF is a command rather than an actual unit, combining the Commando's Special Operations Force and the Navy's Naval Diving Unit - both already well-established special force units, as an integrated force and operational command. Furthermore, the task force would be able to tackle and adapt to various threats according to the various specialties of Singapore's special forces units.
The SOTF had recently participated in the Exercise Northstar VII drills, neutralising several "terrorists" after they have infiltrated Sentosa.
On 11 March 2011, Colonel Chiang Hock Woon was appointed to serve as Commander of SOTF, replacing then-Colonel, Brigadier-General Lam Shiu Tong, who will be appointed Commander of 2PDF.
Formation
The following units are to be placed under SOTF command:
Headquarters
The SOTF formation includes personnel from the Air Force and Navy, who are in charge of mobilising resources for SOTF missions based on their Service-specific knowledge.
Colonel Tan Tai Tiong said in a statement that SOTF operators "are not losing our individual identities as Divers and Commandos, but gaining a valuable partner in each other's skill sets."