Singapore to build new multi-mission range in Bedok by 2031

to refresh its maritime security capabilities.

Together, both aircraft types will support the SAF’s mission of safeguarding the Republic’s sea lines of communication, said Mr Chan.

The SAF will also continue to use unmanned platforms for new concepts of operation, pairing them with manned systems. On this note, the navy is on track to launch the second of its six Victory-class multi-role combat vessels (MRCVs) in the third quarter of 2026, he added.

The MRCVs have the combat capability of modern frigates, but are also designed to function as “motherships” for unmanned aerial, surface and underwater systems. They replace the missile corvettes that have been in service since 1989.

Beyond physical hardware, Mr Chan said the SAF must also continue to build capabilities in the cyber domain, as cyber and digital tools are increasingly used by opponents to exert pressure “just short of full-scale war”.

“As a highly digitally integrated country, we have a larger surface area of attack as our systems are tightly coupled,” he said.

“This deep integration also means that the lines between civilian and military targets are blurred, and we are no strangers to such tactics being deployed against us.”

Therefore, the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) will upgrade its Cyber Defence Test and Evaluation Centre to a Cyber Defence Test and Experimentation Centre that can simulate more sophisticated cyber defence scenarios.

The DIS will also better organise its national servicemen with relevant cyber expertise into sectoral cyber defence teams aligned with the nation’s critical information infrastructure (CII) sectors to strengthen the resilience of these sectors, said Mr Chan.

CII sectors here include energy, water, transport and infocommunications.

The new indoor range in Bedok follows the one in Pasir Laba that was inaugurated in 2013.

MINDEF said that while the current MMRC has reduced the time needed for unit-level live firing from a full day to half a day, MMRC 2 will allow individual soldiers to complete their shooting requirements in under two hours, or a time savings of about 75 per cent.

Once it is operational, national servicemen will be able to book range slots through the OneNS app, similar to how they can currently book slots for their individual physical proficiency tests.

Speaking to the media on Feb 25, the army’s head of training development branch, Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Liu, said that the SAF continuously strives to optimise its use of land, and to train with “as efficient a footprint as possible”.

The new facility will have an annual throughput of about 120,000 personnel, and will allow four live-firing ranges at Safti Military Institute and two in Nee Soon to be repurposed for other training.

The SAF will then have six remaining outdoor ranges at its disposal: two in Nee Soon, two on Pulau Tekong and two in Poyan. These are needed to facilitate training with SAF platforms and for soldiers who need to consistently train in an outdoor environment, said SLTC Liu.

SLTC Liu said MMRC 2, which will have six 100m ranges, will be able to simulate a range of operational environments. These include peacetime contingency operations where the SAF supports the Ministry of Home Affairs in homeland security, in locations such as Changi Airport.

The facility will also be able to capture marksmanship performance data to provide personalised feedback for individual firers, helping them improve.

Concluding his speech on Feb 27, Mr Chan said that MINDEF and the SAF will continue to transform to defend Singapore against tomorrow’s threats, but this has to be coupled with the whole of society staying vigilant.

He noted that recent conflicts showed many examples of advanced militaries failing to respond even when presented with clear intelligence of threats because they convinced themselves that attacks would not happen to them.

“These are all warning lessons for us,” Mr Chan said.

“Every day of peace is another day where the dangers of complacency heighten, (and) we must never let this happen under our watch.”