NEWLY-APPOINTED GPC-DFA MEMBERS EXPERIENCE REALISTIC FIRING TRAINING

The newly-appointed members of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs (GPC-DFA) and its Resource Panel marked the start of their term with a visit to the Multi-Mission Range Complex (MMRC).

Hosted by Senior Minister of State for Defence, Dr Mohamad Maliki bin Osman, and Commander 9th Singapore Division and Chief Infantry Officer, Colonel (COL) Ng Ying Thong, this was also the GPC-DFA's very first visit to a Singapore Armed Force (SAF) training facility with the new members appointed in November 2015.

Leading the new GPC-DFA and Resource Panel members was Mr Vikram Nair, Chairman for GPA-DFA and Member of Parliament for Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (GRC).

On his hopes for the new committee, Mr Nair said, "This committee has many experienced members from the previous committee. My hope is to continue to keep an eye on the defence policies and initiatives and to see that we are headed in the right direction. The SAF still needs to remain a strong and respected force in the region while at the same time dealing with our challenges, which include shortages of manpower and land constraints."

As part of the visit, members were introduced to the history and capabilities of the MMRC, which houses seven ranges within three stories. They also viewed the Multi-Tiered Range and walked through one of the training chambers at the Urban Operations Range. The chambers are soundproof rooms built to simulate the tight spaces found in an urban environment, and members were provided an understanding of how servicemen train for urban warfare.

Later, the GPC-DFA members visited the MMRC Range Ops Wing, where they had the opportunity to fire the Singapore Assault Rifle 21 (SAR-21) at the 50-metre Video Targetry System (VTS) Range. At the VTS Range, combat scenarios are projected on the screen and the shots fired are recorded on actual target boards located behind the screen.

After viewing the different types of training available at the MMRC, Mr Nair noted that the SAF had made vast improvements in training efficiency: "Back when I was doing National Service, this (the MMRC) wasn't around, and going to the range meant taking a whole day and a half out, spending time waiting to shoot and so on. But with this, the shooting takes place much more quickly (and) there are many more scenarios that can be played out.

"And in the space of what used to be only one range, we now have seven ranges. This is a wonderful way to work with land constraints but at the same time come up with something that is much better and provides more realistic training as well."

Mr Nair added that it was important to provide a wide range of scenarios in training: "The reality is that if we are in a combat situation, it's not going to be clean-cut (or) predictable. So we've got to deal with different scenarios."

GPC-DFA Deputy Chairman and Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC Amrin Amin agreed: "The best part about it was that it was realistic. It registers the point that nowadays, the battle is not just in the jungles - the battle is everywhere around us. It s important for us to be ready and have that mindset."

Having scenarios that included both civilians and assailants also added realism to the training: "It (Training) should, as far as possible, mirror what's happening in real life and prepare our servicemen to train under safe conditions where they can improve their competency and at the same time not harm other people in the course of training," said Mr Amrin.