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This system that Israel uses to intercept rockets is called Iron Dome. Fun-fact: Israel helped Singapore set up a similar defense system due to the potential th

This system that Israel uses to intercept rockets is called Iron Dome. Fun-fact: Israel helped Singapore set up a similar defense system due to the potential threat of surrounding nations, notably Malaysia.

wahern 5y ago
Has Singapore actually deployed anything? All I've ever seen over the past 20 years is an endless series of rumors and announcements concerning collaboration. I know Singapore has extensive relations with Israel regarding more mundane activities--training, arms, etc. And they both have good reasons to nurture rumors that their collaboration is more sophisticated than it really is. Israel because the mythos helps them sell more traditional weapons systems; Singapore because to the extent they can appear as militarily superior as Israel in the Middle East, Singapore's neighbors are less likely to attempt a serious arms race. I think for similar reasons Singapore likes to train extensively with the U.S. and Australia, where they station several of their own air wings. Both those nations have top-notch professional armies, and Singapore rightly has a good reputation AFAIU, but I suspect the image is at least as important.
- csomar 5y ago
  This guy on Youtube did a comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-hrbdsOP-E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-hrbdsOP-E Singapore comes out on top, but I'm not sure how credible he is.
heraclius 5y ago
The report mentioned in Haaretz (https://www.haaretz.com/1.5053685 https://www.haaretz.com/1.5053685) was plausible but by no means incontrovertible. Malaysia is not necessarily more threatening than Indonesia so it’s rather unclear why you mention it in particular. Indeed, Indonesia bombed various things in Singapore during the Konfrontasi period, whereas Malaysia has never done anything like that. (Well, I’ve heard rumours of actual hostilities about some islands supposedly from a relative in the army, but either way both sides have kept it very quiet if that did happen.) I don’t really see the point of an iron dome system for SG: Singapore can hit KL or Jakarta in a matter of hours (if that), their relatives shop and children go to school at international schools in Singapore, there’s a big American base, if Singapore gets hit they’ll immediately end up in a terrible recession, etc.
- notadev 5y ago
  There's not a big US base. I used to be stationed there. There is a logistics command, CTF-73, and more recently (past decade) some LCS rotational crews call Sembawang/Chagi Naval Base home. Singapore owns the wharf where the logistics command resides, as well as the old black and whites used by the US military. To your point of it being intended for Indonesia over Malaysia, that could be the case. I was going off of heresay about Malaysia being the threat . It seemed plausible since some sensitive positions are still off-limits to Singaporean-Malays during their NS.
  - heraclius 5y ago
    It’s not that Malaysia isn’t a threat (there has been sabre-rattling too, e.g. in 1991 when the army was mobilised in response to a Malaysian exercise)—just that it’s not only or most important one. Merely geographically Indonesia is probably in a broadly comparable position to try to blockade Singapore to that of Malaysia. There are fewer e.g. Javanese citizens of Singapore, and many Indonesians assimilated to a Malay community principally associated with Malaysia and not Indonesia if anything, so fears of dual loyalty do not tend to focus on Indonesia; for example many Malays will have Javanese ancestry. Changi is not, as you point out, really a big US base, but I imagine that putting strategically important thingums for the US Navy at risk would not be regarded well in DC which, (inter alia!), would deter Malaysia and Indonesia. It would also hurt US economic interests regardless because of the port and various investments, so I suppose the US Navy might not even be terribly important.

wahern 5y ago

Has Singapore actually deployed anything? All I've ever seen over the past 20 years is an endless series of rumors and announcements concerning collaboration. I know Singapore has extensive relations with Israel regarding more mundane activities--training, arms, etc. And they both have good reasons to nurture rumors that their collaboration is more sophisticated than it really is. Israel because the mythos helps them sell more traditional weapons systems; Singapore because to the extent they can appear as militarily superior as Israel in the Middle East, Singapore's neighbors are less likely to attempt a serious arms race. I think for similar reasons Singapore likes to train extensively with the U.S. and Australia, where they station several of their own air wings. Both those nations have top-notch professional armies, and Singapore rightly has a good reputation AFAIU, but I suspect the image is at least as important.

csomar 5y ago
This guy on Youtube did a comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-hrbdsOP-E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-hrbdsOP-E Singapore comes out on top, but I'm not sure how credible he is.

heraclius 5y ago

The report mentioned in Haaretz (https://www.haaretz.com/1.5053685 https://www.haaretz.com/1.5053685) was plausible but by no means incontrovertible. Malaysia is not necessarily more threatening than Indonesia so it’s rather unclear why you mention it in particular. Indeed, Indonesia bombed various things in Singapore during the Konfrontasi period, whereas Malaysia has never done anything like that. (Well, I’ve heard rumours of actual hostilities about some islands supposedly from a relative in the army, but either way both sides have kept it very quiet if that did happen.) I don’t really see the point of an iron dome system for SG: Singapore can hit KL or Jakarta in a matter of hours (if that), their relatives shop and children go to school at international schools in Singapore, there’s a big American base, if Singapore gets hit they’ll immediately end up in a terrible recession, etc.

notadev 5y ago
There's not a big US base. I used to be stationed there. There is a logistics command, CTF-73, and more recently (past decade) some LCS rotational crews call Sembawang/Chagi Naval Base home. Singapore owns the wharf where the logistics command resides, as well as the old black and whites used by the US military. To your point of it being intended for Indonesia over Malaysia, that could be the case. I was going off of heresay about Malaysia being the threat . It seemed plausible since some sensitive positions are still off-limits to Singaporean-Malays during their NS.
- heraclius 5y ago
  It’s not that Malaysia isn’t a threat (there has been sabre-rattling too, e.g. in 1991 when the army was mobilised in response to a Malaysian exercise)—just that it’s not only or most important one. Merely geographically Indonesia is probably in a broadly comparable position to try to blockade Singapore to that of Malaysia. There are fewer e.g. Javanese citizens of Singapore, and many Indonesians assimilated to a Malay community principally associated with Malaysia and not Indonesia if anything, so fears of dual loyalty do not tend to focus on Indonesia; for example many Malays will have Javanese ancestry. Changi is not, as you point out, really a big US base, but I imagine that putting strategically important thingums for the US Navy at risk would not be regarded well in DC which, (inter alia!), would deter Malaysia and Indonesia. It would also hurt US economic interests regardless because of the port and various investments, so I suppose the US Navy might not even be terribly important.