Evil and Injustice has to run its course

Evil and Injustice has to run its course, before Good can prevail ?

How much Blood is needed to sanctify the earth ? In this time and age post 1 AD. I thought it has been done and over with ...

Religion cannot save us from ourselves. It will only 越描越黑 .

It takes a collective action from all of us, peoples of different faith, under the banner of humanity, to stop this madness.

And only for a while. A while is still better than nothing. Stop the madness. Stop the slaughter. Stop the killing a la old testament way.

19 August 2014

SAF volunteer corp - just in time for NDP 2015 ?

Success factors for SAF Volunteer corp need better clarity [Link]

Comment: " ... The thing could happen if SAF just chin chye do a watered down version of BMT, get em to put on the no. 4 combat fatigue, slap on a SAR-21 assault rifle for good measure and get them to march in our NDP 2015 to celebrate Singapore's 50th independence day! Our born and bred NS boys and men whom have gave their lives throughout all these years will get up from their graves ! ..."

How to conduct a no nonsense SAF Army Volunteer Corp training programme [Link]. If you are not thorough, you are just waiting for accidents to happen, especially these volunteers will be handled assault rifles / personal arms in their line of duty. Not enough training contact time with live firing at the range, these trainees will start going around pointing their rifles in all directions and at people, it just doesn't cross their mind because the training contact time is just not enough to inculcate in them the safety habits of weapon handling, plus as they are "adult" volunteers, you are not suppose to scold them or tekan them, the element of shock is then missing - use ones helmet to knock their head with their helmets on! To wake up their idea and focus when they are handling weapon(s). With not enough training contact time, they don't acquire the habit of clearing the chamber and double confirm the chamber is clear (see, even i write it twice). 

I hope when the SAF conduct these volunteer BMT courses, in obedience to their political masters. In training the new citizen / first generation PR ( first generation PR SHOULD NOT BE INDUCTED INTO OUR SECURITY APPARATUS ! ) recruits. Members of the SAF, i implore you, to find it in your hearts, to remind your political masters, with courage, in whatever they implement, whether or not for their own political expedience, to do it in remembrance of our born and bred Singaporean sons whom has gone before us ...

In memory of our brothers whom i know personally that has gone before us serving compulsory conscription, not volunteering (can back out one without getting charge and going to DB - army prison).

Private L
1970 - 1990 (1993)
From ITD (Pulau Tekong) to SAFINCOS [Link]

Recruit P
1973 - 1992 Spring
Armour BMT Mono-intake [Link]

3SG B N
1973 - 1992 Summer / Autumn
From Armour BMT Mono-intake to SISPEC back to unit Combat Team [Link]

3SG W Y
1970 - 1992 Autumn / Winter
From SAFINCOS to Combat Engineers
i remember we were at your house in circuit road, 
the two of us kena punished to draw maps of training area from 50k to 25k grid.
Burnt our weekend, how time flies when we were concentrating on transposing the terrain and features from the map to our drawings ... i remember your mom was at home and your elder brother just came home from work ...

18 August 2014

Hobby - Navy 2040 ( Singapore Light Aircraft Carrier Air-Sea Defence Task Force)

Okay, let's give it another  try if we still want to have our light aircraft carrier despite real world constrains of : budget, manpower, geopolitical development and domestic considerations  ...

Introducing the Air-Sea Defence Task Force (ASD TF) - a naval battle group centered around the light aircraft carrier. But first, an over all view of the force structure of the Navy of 2040.

A defensive Air-Sea battle doctrine

As oppose to the Air-Sea Battle concept, the Air-Sea Defence formation is build around a defensive posture. Thus it negates the need for a large battle fleet as required for an aggressive attack formation  in the order of 3-to-1 "golden ratio".

The primary objective of the ASD TF is to secure our Sea Lines Of Communication (SLOC) and protecting merchant fleets, ensuring a safe passage for peaceful civilian merchant activities, keeping trade routes open and not beholden to pressures from large continental powers.

The ASD TF will deploy forward beyond our strategic aerial strike envelope (i.e. without air refueling). The presence of the RSN ASD TF at such forward deployed position beyond the near seas give added reassurance to merchant fleets plying the trade routes in a possible future of a multi-polar world.

The ASD TF will bring to bear a detachment of up to 12 F-35B Joint Strike Fighters. These STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) air assets, in addition to their stealthy features, are embedded with electronic warfare suite and counter measures, rendering their detection at best sporadic, a form of deliberate aerial warfare tactic and deception. They will greatly enhance maritime patrol operating in concert with the naval combatants on attachments to the ASD TF as well as the future long-range-high-endurance integrated maritime patrol and ISR (Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance) platforms.

Remote unmanned and/or autonomous air, surface and under-sea platforms will have a greater role in the future approaching 2040, augmenting the manned assets, easing the perennial manpower constrain imposed upon our forces.

ASD TF possible deployment roster

Air - Sea Defence formation do not need a large battle fleet. As such, a Multi-Mission surface combatant in the order of 6000T with all round capability of Anti-Air Warfare (AAW), Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) plus incorporating the future Multi-Mission Digital Signal Processor (MMDSP) system that will make this combatant Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) capable.

BMD defensive posture is augmented by the second asset on attachment to the ASD TF. The RSN submarine, a diesel powered, air-independent propulsion platform. It will have submerged launch capability of AAW/BMD missiles, taking initial command guidance from the integrated sensor fused combat picture of all task force assets. The silent service patrols the under sea domain securing the SLOC and the ASD TF. The future TypeXXXSG II is also Land Attack capable, but it is not armed for that role. Purely defensive for now and into the foreseeable future.

The Light Aircraft Carrier is build to be Enhance Defence Capable. In addition to its air combat assets in the form of the STOVL JSF, attack helicopters, anti-submarine and anti-ship helicopter platforms, it also possess an organic defensive arsenal of naval guns, directed energy LASER weapons, missiles and active/passive decoys. As such, it has a full suite of radar systems capable of the type multi-mission combatant able to engage AAW/BMD functions. 

By 2040, the Electro-Magnetic (EM) rail gun will become a reality. The EM rail gun will come to fulfill the roles of short range anti-air / anti-surface / anti-missile. The kinetic energy (KE) rounds of the EM gun are not armed with explosive charges thereby reducing the inherent danger of magazine explosion in the event of accident and/or direct hit in combat. There will be a variety of EM rounds capable of engaging different threats. Apart from the KE rounds, punching the target by sheer force with a velocity of Mach 7 of a 100mm equivalent projectile, the EM gun will also launch missiles, albeit at a much reduce velocity to protect the hardened electro-mechanical devices packaged into the missiles. These intelligent projectiles will activate upon reaching operational velocity, deploying stabilized fins and canards, driven by miniature rocket motors, terminal guided by its on-board sensors onto the target, in a swamp attack fashion. The latter EM launch missiles will somewhat take over the roles of the current Aster 15 missiles, offering a short to medium range point defence envelope. It is expected that an EM launch missile round will be cheaper to procure than an equivalent VLS launch missile.

The Light Aircraft Carrier will also carry vertical launch systems (VLS). In keeping with the commonality throughout the force, it is assumed that the Aster family or equivalent of missile system will still be employed. Sylver A50 VLS launch tubes or its equivalent will be housed on-board the carrier in multiples of 8 per module. A much capable medium range missile in the form of the future MBDA Sea Ceptor with an operational distance in excess of 25km will replace the Aster 15 missile. Four Sea Ceptors can be housed in a single A50 VLS launch tube, thereby giving a total of 32 anti-missile missiles with the employment of just a single module of 8 VLS tubes. The remaining VLS A50s can use to house the longer range Aster 30 with an operational range of 120km, defending against air threats and also the evolved Aster 30 BMD missile systems coming on line (currently it is designed to be housed in the longer A70 tubes). A naval combatant typically carries 32 VLS launch tubes and some more. Super sonic anti-ship cruise missiles will also proliferate by then, the Sea Ceptors are capable in engaging the former. However, it is foreseeable that it will become a numbers games, thus the EM rail gun launch missile will augment the Sea Ceptors in the area of point defence even to defeat a possible scenario of an anti-ship cruise missile swamp attack.

A non through deck variable directed energy LASER gun weapon may be installed to augment the EM rail gun. It carries a much lighter weight as compared to the EM rail gun system, thus not imposing a limitation on its possible emplacement on the carrier. When engaging super sonic anti ship cruise missiles, time is of the essence. At the speed of light, the LASER weapon will inflict the remaining in-coming missile first, with partial damage rending it unstable, by then the sea ceptors and/or the EM missiles will arrived to finish the job.

With the deployment of the EM rail gun and the directed energy LASER weapon systems, of which both requires large quantity of electrical energy to function, the light aircraft carrier will generate a maximum output of no less than 30MW of electrical power to drive the ship (entertaining the possibility of an all or partial electrical drive system) as well as powering the weapon systems. With this power generating capacity, what is the possibility of the Light Aircraft Carrier moored along CNB, plugged into the island electrical power grid in times of civil emergencies, powering essential services in the eastern region of the island? A mobile power station.

There will be ample bunks allotted to mount an amphibious operation ferrying three companies of reinforce infantry guardsmen and special forces. In the event of a Humanitarian Assistant and Disaster Relief (HADR) operation, these quarters are enough to bunk up to 500 evacuees. A medical/surgical facility that provides Operating Theatres, Intensive Care Units, recovery bunks, essential bio-clinical laboratory, x-rays and a CT scanner, etc. 

In the event of a high probability of combat action, the ASD TF can call upon one of the Multi-Mission Combatants out on maritime patrol. These combat ships are armed with Long Range Anti-Ship missiles (LRASM) in place of the BMD missiles, augmenting the total number of anti-ship missiles in the ASD TF, carried by the attached multi-mission BMD combatant and also anti-ship missiles aerial launch by the F-35B JSF and multi-mission capable naval helicopters. Pending qualifications of the Sylver series of VLS tubes able to fire the American evolved Harpoon derivatives and the matured LRASM by 2040.

10 August 2014

Up-dated Version [Link]

Hobby - Navy 2040 (An Alternative)

A RSN universe without the light carrier

Or alternatively, do away with the light carrier* [Link] [Link], beef up the fighting fleet by adding two more Combatants (of approx. 6000T, BMD capable) making a total of ten.

And rebuilt two new generation Endurance 140 LST to complement the two JMMS. The former can serve as an advance party for any Humanitarian Disaster and Relieve missions, ready to go at quicker notice due to its relatively smaller size compared to the 160. Render immediate aid and giving situational report to the JMMS to better equipped, tailor for the mission.

05 August 2014
* After removing the light carrier from the naval ORBAT, the heart felt lighter, relieved ! Somehow it just doesn't belong within the matrix construct, unless one expand the matrix just to accommodate the light carrier. However, this will cause a corresponding increase in the overall assets and manpower resource requirement as well. One can't help but feel a bit sayang without the light carrier ... maybe someday, we will have it, i don't mind at all ;-) [Link]

07 August 2014
If you want to build, build more of the same type, it benefits the user in term of Training, Logistics, Manpower deployment and operations. It also bring benefit to the Total Defence effort by having building labour who has acquired the learning curve to do fast turn-around for repair and maintenance and modification on the fly during times of contingency. [Link]

Hobby - Navy 2040 and beyond

In transition from 2035 ... to ... 2040

Navy in transition to 2040 and beyond.
Expanded role for the Police Coast Guard patrol gun vessel

04 August 2014

Hobby - Navy 2035

Navy by 2035

Steel is cheap and even if we still have the money, manpower will always be an issue.

Then why do we still want a light carrier [Link], can we not have the floating air base in exchange for more naval combatants? Valid.

Contrary to popular Hollywood depiction, even with today's satellite technology, it is not easy locating a carrier battle group out at sea let alone a lone enhance defence capable light carrier. In a near catastrophic scenario of a ballistic missile saturation attack on our 20+ runways (Airbases and alternate public roads) and in the event that our ballistic missile defence system [Link] is overwhelm, it's not like we can unplug the whole island of Singapore and move it from harms way... 

Or indulging in the realm of science fiction (now we are talking Hollywood) of a major seismic event of Noah's proportion inflicting upon the island republic...

Or in the apocalyptic doomsday nightmare of an Ebola type of bio-hazard level IV contagion mutating and spread uncontrollably round the globe...

Only if we fail to imagine? The Institute of Mental Health (Singapore) has reserved bed spaces for our kind...

Is it not prudent to have a secondary - our version of a "NORAD", just in case the one at Gombak (is it?) is rendered combat ineffective ?

The light carrier and the two joint multi-mission ships (JMMS) constitute three relatively large and stable survival platforms equipped with medical/surgical hospital facilities, which will at least do some good if in an otherwise horrible misfortune befalling on the nation.

Equipped when we still have the means.

Crazy ?

31 July 2014                

Reservist IPPT - The elephant in the room II

Is a continuation of blog post about the IPPT [Link]

Let's take a look at some modern day real conscripts that actually go to fight real war ...

IDF reservist ah pui (fatty) tankee

Bear in mind the bulk of our combat force - 300,000 NSmen to be exact, are Part-Time conscripts. Down here we call them Operationally Ready NSmen a.k.a Conscript, a.k.a part-time soldier.

Now there is nothing special about sinkies, just like every citizen soldiers around the world, we come in all shapes and sizes, tall and short, fat and thin, scholar and farmer, rich man son and poor man son, straight and not so straight, etc...

Sure we would love to have ALL our NSman keep fighting fit from 18 to 48. Anyway what is the meaning of fighting fit?

Me think modern day soldiering defers quite differently from days of yore like say for example, Conan the barbarian, or from the Gladiator circa 1AD. Where one actually need to do 99% of the fighting in close quarters exerting brute force wielding a sword or x-calibre, up close and very personal as you slash and drive the knife into the flash and guts of your enemy, one after another, until you kill them all or you kena kill or you drop dead from exhaustion, whichever comes first.

In modern day combat, granted one is trained in the rudiments of bayonet fighting but most of the time, battles are of short duration, high intensity fire fight is more of a norm, and the bulk of such action will most likely be encountered by the infantry rifle companies. In modern army, crew served weapon systems make up a large part of the combat support arms. So modern day soldiering is really about physical fitness + skill at arms.

In the days of yore if you happen to see Conan the barbarian, he will tell you that he demand 70% or more of his soldiers to be very physically strong and those not so are trained and deployed as maybe archers and ... catapult crew. Nowadays in the modern day order of battle, crew served weapon systems are utilized even more extensively compared to Conan's time.

Of course, i say again, in an ideal situation all of our soldiers should be physically very fit base on a set of test. We have our set of test, the IDF also got a set of test, the US Army also got their own set of test and so does the Aussie forces. But are they so obsessed about this IPPT test so much so that they validate their soldiering worthiness base solely on it alone?

Like the above chubby IDF tankee, looking at his "pattern" i think he can barely pass the IDF's version of IPPT i.e. Push-up, Sit-Up and 2km run, do you think he stand a chance passing our SAF current IPPT?

IDF reservist chao ah beng reporting for In-Camp-Training

These are real world conscripts living in their part of the world which really demand that they go fight real wars. Do they look any different from us sinkies? Sama sama leh. 

Remember soldiering is about physical fitness and skill at arms, more so today than before. I would rather go to battle with my ah pui gunner in my MBT even though he may barely pass his IPPT but working as a tank crew in our NSF days and knowing his skill at arms of laying the smooth bore 120mm unto the target lasing the distant, ID'ing through the thermal imager that it is indeed an enemy tank in the fog and dust cloud and other tanks and IFV are also moving in around the vicinity after countless drills in the armour training centre tank simulator differentiating between friendlies or foe, instinctively call out the target in well rehearse after rehearse drills and exercises during our full-time NSF conscript days. Do you want to lose a tank crew just because he cannot pass his IPPT? Make him go for RTs and RTs and sapping his self esteem just because he has aged and put on a few pounds and becoming a full time father and worker also a part time conscript MBT gunner, a damn good gunner and make him fuck the SAF and make him tu lan about defending this country. All because of a freaking IPPT test ! 

Conscripts come in all shapes and sizes, it is their life style which they are fully entitled to lead (thank you and fuck you) and also their genes that some will revert to "fatty" status post full-time national service. What do you want!? Ass hole!

Lean and fit 20 year old doing full-time national service

What do you want? What do you want from me? Oh, BMI = 27.3

     Calm down. In recent times and barring very real geopolitical ramifications around our Asia Pacific region. There is ever so slightly a chance that the 300,000 of us, fit and not so fit, skinny chow ah beng and ah pui fattie tankee and did i mention my PC was a Jack Black look-a-like which i have grown to live and let live from NSF days to reservist ICTs over those years... might be activated when some big cuntries go ballistic, touch wood.

My PC look like this, but he knows his job.

Freaking hell, my PC was a Jack Black look-a-like, don't laugh, really its all about life style and genes lah, even more so now after we MR eons ago. But he knows his job. After all those years of working together as a platoon, growing fat together KNN, growing old together. i don't care he pass his IPPT or not. 

Speaking about my PC, in the beginning of our NSF (Full-time) he strike me as - "What the ..." (face palm). Only very late into our reservist i began to see him differently. The thing is that he is consistently the same i.e. since NSF to reserves, rather, i have changed. His "philosophy" of doing the bare minimum and generally try to have a good time for himself and his kakis make me see the light of day and that is when i learnt to live and let live LOL. When you compared him with other more garang PCs you like - wah lao eh , but actually he is quite street smart which i only appreciate later, nearing the end of our reservist. Different people, different character but still get the job done. The last i heard, he is doing well in his family business, he knows when to "switch on" and when to "switch off" in life ;-)

Kopi Tiam uncle kena activated to do IPPT and In-Camp-Training

 Circa 1990's chio IDF adviser

Circa 1990's chio IDF adviser taking ice cream break

30 July 2014