Chapter 4: Operations Other Than War
(OOTW)
Introduction
You have seen in the television many scenes
of people suffering due to natural/unnatural
calamities like for example, typhoon,
tornados, cyclones, tsunami, mudslides,
volcanic eruptions, civil riots, breakout of
war, extremism, terrorism and many more.
Of concern here is the suffering that these
people (men, women, children) undergo to
have the basic necessities of survival like
food, shelter, and protection.
Singapore being a member of the United
Nations has always played a responsible role
in helping countries that call out for help. In
this respect, Singapore and SAF have supported Human Assistance and Disaster Relief
Operations (HADR) and Peacekeeping Operations(PK) to showcase its international
responsibilities.
Definitions
Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)
General: Missions to promote human welfare, to reduce pain and suffering, to prevent loss of
life or destruction of property from the aftermath of natural or man-made disasters. It also
includes refugee problems.

Humanitarian Assistance Definition: Programs conducted to relieve or
reduce the results of natural or manmade disasters or other endemic conditions
such as human pain, disease, hunger, or privation that might present a serious
threat to life or that can result in great damage to or loss of property. In those
operations in which governmental structures have broken down, the military
may provide local authority through the Civil-Military Operations Centre
(CMOC) to provide essential humanitarian and technical expertise with the
goal to contain the situation and transition to another lead agency.

Disaster Relief Definition: Disaster relief falls within the overall context of
humanitarian assistance but is conducted in emergency situations to prevent
loss of life and property.
Peace Operations
General: Military operations to support diplomatic efforts to reach a long-term political
settlement.

Peacekeeping Operations (PK):
Military operations undertaken with the consent
of all major parties to a dispute, designed to monitor and facilitate implementation of
an agreement and support diplomatic efforts to reach a long-term political settlement.
Often involves ambiguous situations requiring the peacekeeping force to deal with
extreme tension and violence without becoming a participant.
SAF HADR and PK Operations
Singapore has conducted many of such HADR and PK operations
even in the midst of building up its military capability, as early as
1970. Below are some excerpts of some of these operations.
1970 - Medical Mission to East Pakistan (Bangladesh)
21 November 1970 to 22 December 1970
"The mission was
happy to receive good
co-operation from the
Pakistan military
authorities which was
Scale of the Disaster
in control of the
affected areas,"
On 12 and 13 Nov 1970, a cyclone and tidal waves hit Eastern
Pakistan (now Bangladesh) resulting in colossal damages to both
human lives and properties. Some 10,000 square miles, covering a
CPT (Dr) Peter Chua,
number of off-shore islands in the Bay of Bengal were affected.
second-in-command of
Total population affected was approximately 6.4 million and
estimated death
the mission
toll was in the
region of 2 million.
SAF Medical Aid Team
On 1 Dec 1970, a forty-five member
Singapore Armed Forces Medical
Mission, led by CPT (Dr) Seet Lip Chai
as Commanding Officer, left for
Bangladesh and arrived at Patenga
Airfield near Chittagong by RAF
Hercules Aircraft.
Providing Relief in East Pakistan
They established their base camp at the Airstrip and set up wireless communications for
direct communication between the mission base headquarters and MINDEF. The main means
of transport for the relief teams to the flood devastated areas were by bicycles, boats and
helicopters.
The mission was split into four teams and deployed to the island of Sandwip, 35 miles west
of Chittagong and started vaccinating the inhabitants against smallpox. A medical care clinic
was also opened at Sandwip on 4 Dec 1970. The medical teams moved from house to house
and by 6 Dec 1970, they had vaccinated 3,700 people. During their three weeks there, the
medical mission treated 26,786 people, including preventive and curative cases.
"Despite our lack of
experience in these
matters, I am glad to
note that the response
was, on the whole,
speedy and adequate.
This was largely due
to the willingness of
personnel on the
job... to forget about
normal working hours
and to improvise
where necessary."
Dr Goh Keng Swee,
Minister of Defence
stopover in Singapore waters before
proceeding to Subic Bay, Guam and
Australia. Some, however, returned to
Saigon. By 14 May 1975, the last of
the refugee ships sailed out of
Singapore waters.
During the thirteen days the refugees
were here, MINDEF and the SAF
started an emergency operation,
Medical supplies worth about $50,000 were handed
over to the local medical authorities, while 15 tons of
canned food was forwarded to local relief centres for
distribution to the victims.
1975 - Operation Thunderstorm
2 May 1975 to 14 May 1975
In 1975, Cambodia and South Vietnam fell to the
communist, leading to an exodus of refugees from
these countries to regions around them.
On 2nd May 1975, the first ship, the Truong Hai,
carrying 300 refugees entered Singapore waters. More
arrivals continued until late 11 May 1975. In all, a total
of 8,355 refugees from South Vietnam made a
codenamed "Operation
Thunderstorm", to look after
the refugees. The Republic
of Singapore Navy (RSN)
was tasked to intercept all
refugee vessels.
The RSN intended to
account for all refugees,
identify them, know their
intentions and destinations.
2 SIB was tasked to set up a
refugee camp at Bedok to
receive and control
refugees. The refugees regarded Singapore as a transit point from which they intended to
proceed to other countries. They needed supplies and repairs to some of their ships. The
refugee ships were anchored at Bedok, Stapa or Johore Shoal Bay.
"Operation Thunderstorm" was the first operation involving all three Services - the Navy, the
Airforce and the Army.
The RSN technicians and engineers were called in to see to the repairs of the refugee boats.
The engineers taught the refugees proper ship handling techniques to ensure a safe journey.
The RSN also helped transfer some refugees to seaworthy and less crowded refugee ships.
The logistics departments moved quickly to provide food. Some 90 tons of rice, 75,000 tins
of sardines, 20,000 tins of condensed milk and 293 tons of water were given to the refugees.
Logistics personnel worked round the clock to ensure an equal distribution of food for the
weak and sickly.
Above all, "Operation Thunderstorm" tested MINDEF and the SAF for the first time in
handling such a
situation. The
lessons learnt in
managing such
problems were
quickly
incorporated into
SAF's doctrines
and operating
procedures.
1990 - Earthquake in Philippines-Operation Lion Heart
21st July 1990 – 4th Aug 1990
An earthquake
measuring 7.7 on the
open-ended Richter
scale struck Baguio
City Philippines on 16
July 1990. Over 1,600
people were killed and
nearly 5000 injured.
The Singapore Armed
Force (SAF), together
with the Singapore
Joint Civil Defence
Force (SCDF) was asked to assist the Philippine authorities in evacuating the victims.
By 21 Jul, the SAF medical team consisting of a resuscitation team and a preventive medicine
team had arrived to attend to the victims. Within the first two hours, the team had treated up
to 150 victims of the earthquake. Some of the causalities had sustained injuries from the
earthquake itself, but many were suffering from malnutrition and diarrhoea due to the
breakdown in food distribution and utilities.
Two Primary Health Care teams, each comprising a doctor, a nursing officer and a senior
medical orderly, went to the villages and refugee camps outside Baguio City to give much
needed general health care. One Public Health team helped in disease control and advised the
locals on proper sanitation and refuse disposal. The teams were also responsible for assisting
the Philippines Health Authority in the immunisation of children against measles. In all, the
teams treated 5,500 patients during the 12day relief operation.
“Without our asking for it, you gave. That was the time when we needed help most. And
without our being related to each other, you consoled and commiserated with us. We know
that no amount of words of whatever language would measure up to what you have
actually done”.
Mayor Bagio City
1991 – Medical Support for Gulf War- Operation Nightingale
20 January 1991
Singapore sent a
medical team on 20
January 1991 to
provide medical
support to the
Allied forces
fighting in the Gulf.
This was carried
out at the request of
the British
government. It was
part of Singapore’s contribution to the United Nations’ effort during the Gulf crisis.
The medical mission comprised 30 men including doctors, surgeons, an anaesthetist, an
ophthalmologist, nursing officers, medical orderlies, communication specialists, an
administrative officer and a mechanic. The team was headed by MAJ (Dr) Tan Chi Chiu.
They were all attached to the 205th General Hospital. The team treated more than 200
casualties at the hospital during their 54 days there. They helped to develop and improve
medical and nursing procedures in the wards and operating theatres. The team also conducted
a series of in-house lectures on topics such as the management of respiratory problems. The
team even scored a first when the surgical team performed the very first surgery in the
operating theatre suite since the deployment of the hospital.
The team was at risk to SCUD missile attacks at all times. There were frequent Air Raid
sirens and the team needed to adjust themselves to the hostile situation quickly. Their efforts
were recognised when the team members and leader were awarded medals by Saudi Arabia
and British Defence Ministry
"They (the team) kept the Singapore
.
flag flying high and showed the world
that we are a responsible and
responsive member of the international
community."
2nd Minister for Defence
Dr Yeo Ning Hong
at the SAF medal presentation
ceremony on 16 Jul 91.
1997 - Evacuation Mission-Leaving Phnom Penh
9 July 1997
There were many
Singaporeans stranded in
war-torn Cambodia
when trouble broke out
in Phnom Penh. Badly
affected by the
deterioration of the
situation there, the
civilians requested help
from home. On 9 July
1997, the Singapore
Armed Forces (SAF)
sent six flights of C-130
aircraft to fly about 450 Singaporeans and foreigners out of the chaotic country.
In March 1997, the SAF had developed emergency plans for Singaporeans living in
Cambodia in case of unrest there. They were told, among other things, to gather at designated
places like the Sofitel Cambodian Hotel in Phnom Penh.
The SAF co-ordinated with authorities in Cambodia, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(MFA), for an available time-window to fly out Singaporeans and others requiring
emergency airlift in a fast deteriorating situation.
Paya Lebar Airbase was a scene of tear-filled faces and sheer joy when the first plane landed
with about 80 people around noon on 9 July 1997. By evening, the whole operation was
successfully completed.
1999 - The Taiwan Earthquake- Operations Flying Eagle
23rd September 1999-2nd Oct 1999
On 21 Sep 1999, an earthquake measuring
7.2 on the Richter scale hit Taiwan. This
disaster brought down more than 6,071
buildings, killed over 2,100 people and
injured over 7,800. About 100,000 people
were displaced. The Singapore Armed
Forces (SAF) responded promptly by
sending a medical team consisting of five
doctors and 12 combat medics to Taiwan.
The SAF medical team arrived in Taiwan on
23 Sep 1999. The team brought with them
tents, ground sheets and medical supplies - a gift from the people of Singapore to Taiwan's
earthquake victims.
During the 11 days of the mission, the SAF team provided medical support not only to the
people in the urban districts of Taili and Tong She but also the mountainous district of Xin
She and its surrounding villages. Relief from other areas could not reach these villages as the
earthquake destroyed some of the roads leading to Xin She. Access was regained only after
the Taiwanese rebuilt some of the roads.
The SAF's quick response is testimony to its readiness at all times, and such operations
overseas have contributed to the enhanced international profile of Singapore, and given a
human face to the SAF.
2004 – Tsunami Disaster- Operations Flying Eagle
29 December 2004- 21 January 2005
26 December 2004. It was on this day that several
countries in Asia experienced the devastating effects of a
massive tsunami. Within days of this disaster,
Singapore, and SAF, was to embark on its largest
humanitarian mission to date.
The disaster was the result of a massive earthquake,
measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, striking about 160
kilometres off the western coast of Sumatra. This
triggered off a tsunami that radiated from the epicentre
where upon reaching the coast, reached heights of up
to 20 metres before bearing its fury down at speeds of
45-60 km/h. Many
unsuspecting
coastal cities and
“We share a
towns in countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka,
common humanity
Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and the Maldives were hit
and thousands died instantly.
with those who have
been hit. We had to
act and try to make
a difference to
them.”
Operation Flying Eagle, SAF's blueprint for humanitarian
aid, was activated. Within three days, the first C-130 with
relief supplies had flown out to Medan. The humanitarian
efforts of the SAF were to focus on Banda Aceh, Medan
and Meulaboh in Indonesia, with a RSAF helicopter
Prime Minister Lee Hsien
detachment
Loong
to Phuket,
Thailand.
The Indonesian Government had asked the
SAF to concentrate specially on Meulaboh, as
it was one of the worst hit towns and was very
much inaccessible. On New Year's Eve, the
first Landing Ship Tank (LST), RSS
Endurance, laden with the first batch of
Humanitarian Assistance Support Group
(HASG) personnel and relief supplies, left for
Meulaboh. Over the next three weeks, the
Singapore public became well acquainted with the scale of the humanitarian efforts of the
SAF in helping the people of Meulaboh. Such was the skill and professionalism of the
humanitarian effort delivered that many Singaporeans witnessed, for the first time, some of
the SAF's unique capabilities.
By the time the HASG left Meulaboh on 21 January 2005, it had achieved what it set out to
do - to give aid to the people of Meulaboh and help in the relief efforts.
The success of Operation Flying Eagle bears testament to the ability of the SAF to work as an
integrated force and the professionalism of its servicemen and women. It has shown that the
rigorous training for our soldiers has made them professionally competent, highly adaptable
and dedicated. In performing their duties, the men and women of SAF had made a difference
to the lives of the tsunami victims.
2005 – Earthquake at Nias, Sumatra
30 March -11 April 2005
On 29 March 2005, an earthquake measuring
8.7 on the Richter scale shook the island of
Nias, Sumatra. Although the casualties from
this earthquake were nowhere near that of the
tsunami, it still required urgent humanitarian
assistance for the people who were injured or
displaced. The Singapore government offered
assistance and the offer was accepted by
Indonesia.
A SAF medical team, under the command of
LTC (Dr) Steven Thng, along with a Disaster
Assistance and Relief Team from the Singapore Civil
Defence Force (SCDF), had been assembled and flown
to Sumatra on board three RSAF Chinook helicopters
from 127 Squadron. On 30 and 31 March, C-130
aircraft took off from Singapore carrying even more
personnel and supplies.
For the next two weeks, the SAF and SCDF teams,
working closely together with the Indonesian and other
foreign disaster relief teams, tended to the injured and
displaced. The RSAF Chinooks helped to airlift supplies from Medan to Nias and Pulau
Simeulue, ferrying equipment such as water purification units as well as personnel. All in all,
over a hundred SAF personnel, which included medical doctors, medical orderlies,
logisticians and aircrew, worked hand in hand to ensure that the entire mission was carried
out smoothly.
SAF is not only a force capable of fighting, but it is also a force capable of saving.
Peacekeeping Operations
1993 - Operation Blue Angel
20th May 1993-20th Jun 1993
On 20 May 1993, 4 Super Puma helicopters and a group of 65 SAF servicemen were
dispatched to Cambodia under an operation codenamed “Blue Angel". This was in response
to an urgent UN request for assistance
to the United Nations Transitional
Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). The
SAF’s contribution of aircraft and
personnel was in addition to a
contingent from the Singapore Police
Force.
After years of internal strife, the
Vietnamese-installed regime and the
three main Cambodian factions agreed
to a UN-sponsored initiative to end the
13-year civil war. The so-called Paris agreement, reached in Oct 1991, included the setting up
of UNTAC, the conduct of elections in May 1993 and the establishment of a 12-member
Supreme National Council (SNC) comprising representatives from the various factions.
The purpose of Operation Blue Angel was to assist UNTAC in overseeing the UN-sponsored
elections held in Cambodia from 23 to 28 May 1993. This was the first election after decades
of war. The tasks undertaken by the SAF contingent included ferrying election officials to
polling sites and transporting ballot boxes to counting centres. The helicopter detachment
also provided transport for medical
casualties as well as conducted aerial
policing for UNTAC. While in Cambodia,
the Super Pumas were placed under the
UNTAC military command and based at
Stung Treng airbase, in Northeast
Cambodia. Upon completing their mission
in Cambodia, the SAF team returned to
Singapore on 20 Jun 1993.
Singapore had responded positively and
promptly to this request by the UN in
recognition of the important role played by the UN in safeguarding international law and
order through its peacekeeping efforts.
1999 - United Nations Mission in East Timor
INTERFET/UNTAET/UNMISET
Singapore’s decision to participate in INTERFET (International Force East Timor) was in
response to calls by Indonesia, Australia and the UN. Our contribution of an approximately
370-strong SAF contingent took the form
of a medical detachment and logistics
support, which included a C-130
transport plane and three LSTs - the RSS
Excellence, RSS Perseverance and RSS
Intrepid. The RSN ships handled a major
portion of the sealifts - ferrying
INTERFET personnel, equipment,
vehicles and humanitarian stores between
Darwin and Dili.
The RSS Excellence was the first
ASEAN ship to enter the tense area of
operations around East Timor. In her
crew were 15 Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) who had volunteered for the mission.
Also included in our contingent were the first female SAF personnel to participate in a
peacekeeping mission. The eight women, an officer and seven specialists, formed part of the
crew serving on board the RSS
Perseverance.
On 23 Feb 2000, the phased pullout of
INTERFET was completed. The
responsibility for the security of East
Timor was transferred to the UN
Transitional Administration in East
Timor (UNTAET) Peacekeeping Force.
“Every day you are here, every minute that you’re working at your
job, you are helping some people by your presence and by your
professional skills.” - MAJ-GEN Peter Cosgrove, Commander,
INTERFET, on the SAF in East Timor.
Singapore continued to take part in the
next phase - UNTAET. About 330 SAF
personnel in all were sent, including
medical personnel, staff officers and
armed peacekeepers. The SAF Platoon
of peacekeepers was sent in May 01 –
the first ever deployment of SAF
soldiers as combat peacekeepers in a
UN mission. The duties of these 60 SAF
soldiers included patrolling, manning
checkpoints, protecting vital
installations and maintaining peace and security in their designated sector. In addition, the
Singapore Police Force sent 145 police officers over the term of UNTAET as part of the UN
civilian police contingent.
Our commitments to the UN’s efforts in East Timor marked a new dimension in Singapore’s
contribution to international peace and security.
Today, SAF combat peacekeepers continue to
serve under the UN Mission of Support in
East Timor (UNMISET), the successor
mission to UNTAET, following the
independence of the country. In Oct 02,
Singapore took on an expanded role in
UNMISET by sending a 160-strong company
of peacekeepers. This was the first time NSFs
and operationally ready National Servicemen
(NSmen) are taking part as armed
peacekeepers. Also for the first time, an SAF
officer was appointed the Force Commander of a UN peacekeeping force. Major-General Tan
Huck Gim, former Commander of the 9th
Singapore Division, who was in command of
the military components of UNMISET.
Since 1989, more than 1,200 SAF and other
Singaporean personnel have participated in
UN missions. Currently, the SAF is also
involved in the UN Iraq-Kuwait
Observation Mission (UNIKOM) and UN
Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE).
SAF has developed from the infant citizen’s
army of 1967 to an operationally ready-armed force, capable of meeting any challenge facing
Singapore.
Conclusion
Hence, Singapore has been actively building up a web of cooperative relationships with
partners in various parts of the world to combat terrorism and piracy, as well as to save lives
and livelihoods through peace support and humanitarian operations. The ability and
willingness of the SAF in being able to work with partner nations and their military forces in
these Operations Other Than War (OOTW) operations both within and beyond its region
underscores the commitment by SAF to play a useful role in the international community. As
a small Military Force, SAF have taken the approach to collaborate in these operations with
like-minded partners to make a useful and significant contribution to peace and security in
various parts of the world. SAF’s participation reflects its moral and political support to the
international efforts. SAF is glad that despite its small size, they have been useful to its
partners in these operations.
Reflection Questions
Think about this reflective question and try and develop a possible response to it:
Q1. In your view what do you think the SAF did right in making the largest
Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations, Operations Flying Eagle
(OFE) [Tsunami that struck Aceh in Sumatra] a success?


Integrated Planning and Decision Making
o
Availability of information was sketchy due to the unstable and changing ground
situation, especially during the early days of the operation.
o
It was vital to have a tight policy-operations interface.
o
This was particularly important in the areas of conducting operations
effectively, close Joint-Services co-ordination, and a short, effective command
chain.
o
A policy-operations interface at the SAF Headquarters (HQ) level was set up to
guide integrated operations planning effectively.
o
There were also many informal meetings, phone calls, SMS and emails. The wide
range of interactions facilitated agile information sharing and decision-making,
thereby enabling the SAF to respond more quickly on the ground.
o
Joint Staff assumed the role of the Campaign HQ i.e. a centralised management
under a Joint command and control structure.
o
There was also leverage on Service HQs- for specialist support, especially in the
areas of administration and logistics and in providing specialist advice on force
employment.
o
CDF held daily video teleconferences with Commander of the SAF contingent
and other commanders on the ground.
o
Ground commanders provided daily reports through the chain of command, so
that everyone was in touch with the ground situation.
o
Communications were made possible by new technologies
Operational Readiness
o
o
Operational readiness of the SAF units ensured that the appropriate people and
tools were available for successful execution.
Joint capability was due to the result of joint training and operations that had
been conducted between the Services over the past decade.


o
Our people, who were well trained and groomed, proved that they could operate
in a dynamic and uncertain environment, one that was not rehearsed.
o
SAF personnel were able to balance the needs of the disaster victims, the desires
of the Indonesian authorities, strategic objectives of higher HQ and the
expectations of the public.
Strong SAF Relationship with TNI
o
Strong SAF Relationship with Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI) - mutual trust
and understanding had been established
o
Knowledge of Indonesian culture and language were essential to facilitating the
SAF’s relief effort.
o
Singapore’s standing as the crossroads of the East and West has imbued
Singaporeans with the ability to operate in both worlds.
o
The SAF was able to help establish co-ordination frameworks in the three
locations they operated in.
Effective Information Operations (IO)
o
IO was identified as a key operation in OFE, focused on:

Facilitating the media,

Keeping stakeholders informed, and

Assisting the wider communities to understand the situation facing the
populace in the affected areas.
o
Arrangements had to be improvised on an ad hoc basis to meet the demands of
the dynamic and unfamiliar environment.
o
Personnel from MINDEF Public Affairs and Army Information Centre were
deployed in-theatre to assist the commanders.
o
There was also the attachment of media personnel to ground units.