Singapore Combat Engineers
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The Singapore Combat Engineers (SCE) is one of the combat arms of the Singapore Armed Forces. Combat engineers are highly versatile and skilled professionals capable of employing state-of-the-art machinery to provide the Army with mobility, counter-mobility and survivability.
Combat Engineers provides mobility by bridging gaps and clearing minefields to facilitate speedy advance of troops into the enemy's depth, and counter-mobility by constructing obstacles such as anti-tank ditches to impede the enemy's movement. The Combat Engineers also constructs trenches, drainage systems and other related infrastructure to enhance the survivability of troops during operations.
[edit] History
When the SAF Training Institute (SAFTI) was set up in 1967 as the first military training institute to train officers and non-commissioned officers (now Specialists) to lead the embryonic SAF, an Engineer Training Wing was incorporated into the set-up. Two young officers, 2LT Gurcharan Singh and 2LT Chng Teow Hua, were selected to attend a basic engineer officer's course in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, USA. Upon completion of their course, these two officers, with the Commanding Officer, MAJ George Mitchell, conducted the first Engineer Commanders' Course from April to August 1968. The graduate officers and NCOs from the course formed the nucleus of the SCE [1]
As her role became more defined and her responsibilities expanded, the Engineer Wing was renamed the School of Field Engineers and moved from SAFTI (now Pasir Laba Camp) to new premises on Pulau Blakang Mati (now Sentosa) that same year and subsequently branching out to other camps which have come and gone like Gillman Camp and Loyang Camp. In April 1970, the Engineer Headquarters (EHQ) was established with MAJ Mitchell as the Senior Engineer Officer. The EHQ was renamed HQ Singapore Combat Engineer in 1974 and the commander's designation was changed to Chief Engineer Officer.
[edit] Motto
The Formation's motto, "Advance and Overcome" is derived from the Combat Engineers' fundamental role in providing mobility for advancing troops by overcoming all obstacles. The Combat Engineers believe they are advancing in terms of technology and techniques, overcoming adversities along the way - all part of their efforts to better fulfill missions of providing mobility, counter-mobility and ensuring survivability for the Army.
[edit] Insignia
The gold color stands for the sterling qualities of the Combat Engineers - their steadfast spirit and durable nature. The black is for their ability to provide continuous support throughout hours of darkness.
The castle is a symbol of the construction power of the Combat Engineers as seen in the bridges, fortifications, roads and obstacles often built by them. The interlocking bricks show the strength, endurance and high degree of teamwork required to accomplish engineer tasks. The bayonet represents the offensive spirit of the Engineers in piercing the enemy defences, while the twin bolts of lighting stand for the destructive demolition power of the Combat Engineers.
[edit] Combat Engineers Colours
On 22 January 1977, the first Combat Engineers Colours were presented to the Combat Engineers formation by the late President Benjamin Sheares at Jurong Town Stadium. The presentation of Colours signifies esprit de corps, pride and identity. "The brown base colour represented the harsh terrain which Engineers must always advance through and overcome. The sword, wings and anchor depicted the support given to the land, airborne and amphibious forces while the laurel and words formed a golden circle representing unity."
It was replaced with a different design in October 1991.
[edit] Combat Engineers Units
The Combat Engineers formation consists of the headquarters, a training institute and 4 active units.
[edit] Headquarter Singapore Combat Engineers (HQSCE)
[edit] Engineers Training Institute (ETI)
The Engineers Training Institute is the combination of three former Combat Engineers training schools, namely School of Combat Engineers (SOCE), Division Engineers Training Centre (DETC) and Armoured Engineers Training Centre (AETC).
[edit] 30th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers (30SCE)
As one of the combined arms of 3rd Singapore Division, it is home to the Plant Engineers and Field Engineers.
Field Engineers clear obstacles in the paths of advancing forces to ensure mobility, construct obstacles in the paths of the enemy forces to counter their mobility and erect field fortifications to ensure the survivability of our forces. Plant Engineers are equipped with heavy machinery that facilitates this and help in the maintenance of the Army's supply routes. Plant Engineers are considered by the Singapore Army to be the backbone of the Engineers; they are irreplaceable in all Engineer operations as they battle to turn terrain to friendly forces' advantage.
[edit] 35th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers (35SCE)
Also known as the bridging engineers, they are specialised in military bridging, a tedious operation which involves assembling precision engineered bridging parts and then launching it to facilitate troop movement.
Established in 1969, the 35th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers was first called 35 CEB, based at Loyang Camp. It started off with 10 Officers and 30 NCOs. In 1971, the bridging engineers relocated to their current base at Seletar Camp.
Consisting of 3 companies, Alpha, Bravo and Boat, with their motto "Power Projection" they project forces over water obstacles swiftly and professionally.
The battalion is known to use a variety of bridging equipment. One Company is know to be a training company whist the other is an operational company. The company is split up into 2 platoons that is dedicated to be the Almond bridging platoon while the other is the comet platoon
Almond Bridging equipment. This is bridging equipment that is mounted on German made 7 ton MAN trucks and a platoon would consists of two of these rafts. Each raft would consist of 2 tug boats and 4 sections of the raft and when coupled together would form a Class 60 raft.
Comet Bridging vehicle provides an expedient rafting and bridging capability. It is crewed by 6 men and it is a self propelled rig that when coupled together forms a Class 60 raft or bridge.
Both these bridging equipment require a lot of bank preparation before they can be launched.
[edit] 36th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers (36SCE)
The 36th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers is the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit specialising in defusing explosive devices. In peacetime, 36SCE handles security sweeps and attends to finds of war relics.
Its motto is "Towards Perfection". Its mascot is the German Shepherd dog.
[edit] 39th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers (39SCE)
Inaugurated in 2003, the 39th Singapore Combat Engineers is the chemical and biological defence unit. It decontaminates incident sites that contain chemical or biological hazards and provides a sustained, multi-incident response capability. 39SCE also work closely with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) in the event of a chemical attack.
Together with 36SCE and the Medical Response Force (MRF) from the SAF Medical Corps, which provides on-scene medical treatment for casualties of chemical and biological agents, they form the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive Defence Group, which deals with terrorist threats.
[edit] Headquarter Army Combat Engineers Group (HQ ARMCEG)
HQ ARMCEG was formed on 31 March 1993, as an operational command for bridging engineers in the SAF. HQ ARMCEG, whose history, dates back to 1972, is a highly versatile group that delivers responsive engineering support to the Army. They ensure that the SAF is equipped with the necessary mobility and counter-mobility capabilities so that troops are able to remain mobile and overcome obstacles in their missions.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Ministry of Defence (Singapore), 1977 - Singapore Combat Engineers, History Snippets, Vol 8 Issue 1.
