NDP 2010 Mobile Column: Achieving Mission Success

The guy wearing civvies (above) at the last Mobile Column command brief on National Day wasn’t what he seemed.

His tee shirt - one of thousands made for the National Day Parade 2010 – and blue jeans made him blend in with NDP spectators on the streets. But there was good reason why he listened intently to the staff officers giving the briefing.

Lam Pei Sien. Colonel, Singapore Army. Passport Number: 70xxxxx X. He commanded them all.

As chairman of the Mobile Column and Celebrations Committee, COL Lam was a picture of studied calm hours before the 210-vehicle Mobile Column advanced into Singapore’s heartlands on 9 August 2010.

The manoeuvre was last practised at the 2005 National Day Parade. Many of the staff officers from NDP 2005 who helmed the event have moved on to senior appointments or left the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

To put things in perspective, many of the teenage full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) who drove or commanded SAF war machines at NDP 2010 were only in Secondary Two (Eight Grade or Form Two equivalent) or Sec 3 the last time the Mobile Column was seen during National Day.

To casual observers, the NDP 2010 Mobile Column team made up of more than 900 SAF and Home Team personnel was about as raw, untested and inexperienced as you could assemble.

But what they lacked in experience, they more than made up in enthusiasm, creativity and hard training.

Months before H Hour, the NDP 2010 Executive Committee (EXCO) built a 1:1 scale driving route that replicated every street corner, turn and the length of the Padang. Markers placed on the road indicated the points where Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks would swivel their turrets and dip their 120mm guns to salute the President. There was even a mock saluting platform for the tank commanders to salute. The Padang, an open field in Singapore's city centre, was the parade venue for Singapore's 45th birthday.

It was fortuitous that the first rehearsals were conducted on Sundays in Tuas, an industrial area in western Singapore, out of sight from the public. The first sessions bordered on organised mayhem, with vehicle alignments haywire and out-of-shape formations. Drivers moved in fit and starts as they eyeballed one another and attempted to drive in a straight row in close order without hitting one another. As the parade was months downstream, there were morale issues to tackle as some servicemen – admittedly just a handful of NSFs - found it a bloody waste of time practicing so hard for the 15-minute drive past Mr President.

These internal rehearsals soon gained traction. As vehicle alignments and formations were slowly perfected and drivers gained confidence, things fell into place smoothly.

As part of the planning process, SAF staff officers gathered satellite images of Singapore and used these to brief drivers of their driving route to the heartlands, which are housing estates in the west, north and north eastern parts of the island.

Experiments were conducted using SAF vehicles in the dead of the night, when traffic was light, to ensure that armoured and outsized military vehicles could negotiate neighbourhood roads safely without damaging civilian property. The vast majority of the drivers, however, had to wait till 9 August itself for their heartlands adventure.

Fast forward to 9 August 2010 and 26,000 people packed spectator stands built at the Padang and along St Andrew’s Road to cheer on the Mobile Column. Abour 100,00 others stood around Marina Bay. By then, the 210 vehicles had rehearsed in front of a live audience at least five times – CR 3 in front of family members of NDP participants, at the three National Education shows and the Parade Preview.

They could see for themselves that crowds of Singaporeans and tourists would pack the roadside for hours just for a sneak peak of the Mobile Column – a moving display that appears once every five years.

COL Lam’s attitude on National Day is one indicator of an effective planning staff. The concept plans, strategies, operational and tactical details had been hammered out way before H Hour over many burnt weekends and late nights. So there was little for him to do that morning but order his staff officers to move plans into action.

On National Day, staff officers who briefed Mobile Column participants for the last time made an all-out effort to coax everyone to give their all. They went beyond the scope of their briefings on issues such as engine start times and the scheduling of toilet breaks to rally everyone.

It was the crowning moment of a sustained hearts and minds effort to boost the morale of Mobile Column participants and make sure they were fully committed to the event.

From what I observed, they were preaching to the converted.

Mobile Column rehearsals consumed many weekends and nights. Thousands of mosquitoes have Mobile Column participants to thank for the blood feast over the past months. And who likes to be yelled at for not getting the timing of that blasted vehicle salute spot on?

But on National Day, months of practice paid off. SAF and Home Team officers and men were confident the show would come together, that Singapore would see the best-ever Mobile Column fly the flag proudly.

COL Lam did address his men. Twice in fact: once to Formation Liaison Officers and the second time at a massed briefing for drivers and vehicle commanders. Predictably, the battle cry was for them to give their all. Do their best. That after months of rehearsals, today was the big day. Be safe, look out for one another.

It is one thing to second guess what a commander might say. It is quite another to hear him say it. And when timed at the right moment, delivered to the right audience at the right forum, the effect can be electrifying. See their group hug here.

To those who know, the way in which the SAF trained and conditioned supposedly raw and inexperienced city boy warfighters for the Mobile Column mirrors its approach to defending Singapore.

Insightful defence observers would realise that land warfare manoeuvres practised over the vastness of the American plains, Australian outback, Indian desert or South African veldt replicate - almost kilometre for kilometre – the distances the SAF is prepared to travel to strike and kill a hostile army.

You only have to look at the hand-drawn markings on map overlays to realise that towns, bridges, plantations and obstacles that an aggressor may throw in the path of SAF manoeuvre units are replicated in these war games. Some obstacles are simulated with the help of award-winning innovations. Please turn to page two after you click here.

Thanks to friends overseas prepared to host Singapore's citizen army, these division-size exercises give the SAF’s air and land forces full freedom of action unavailable in the city state. Full-troop exercises are complemented by classified computerised war games that replicate the SAF's likely battlespace in frightening detail.

Another takeaway from the Mobile Column is the hearts and minds effort showcased by COL Lam’s team. This can be seen in the way Singapore reaches out to friends in the region to explain its deterrent posture by building partnerships for peace. At the same time, the defence eco-system reaches out to inform, educate and reassure Singaporeans that force will be met with force.

Friendships are forged through mutual respect and understanding, a spirit of give and take, a commitment to give diplomacy a chance and a willingness to live with national quirks that every society has.

Good sense and good neighbourliness ensures that the war machines Singapore has invested heavily in will serve only as crowd-pleasers once every five years at National Day.

May the SAF's war machines remain clean and polished for years to come.

NDP 2010 Mobile Column: Command and Control

With 14* successful drivepast rehearsals on the score sheet, one would think the National Day Parade (NDP) 2010 Mobile Column Committee has said everything there is to say about the drivepast.

But the last group briefings held this morning took more than an hour to complete because they sprung last minute route changes as surprises.

Hours before the show hit the road on Singapore's 45th Birthday today, Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and Home Team participants were updated on changes to the Mobile Column's route.

A night reconnaissance last Saturday (7 Aug'10) erased parts of the looks-good-on-paper driving route through the city and the route to the western part of the island. This meant that drivers, vehicle commanders and safety officers had to change their mindmap of the route they would ply. And they had mere hours to rehearse this in the minds because no rehearsal was possible.

So this morning's sitrep was a blend of safety brief, rah-rah session (to get participants in the mood to perform) and a don't-say-I-didn't-tell-you session all rolled into one that kept drivers and vehicles commanders in rapt attention.

As is typical when the SAF rolls out its action plan, the centralised planning process was reassuringly thorough and gave fresh meaning to the phrase "left no stone unturned".

Recce teams from Headquarters Armour had counted the number of road junctions the vehicles would have to pass (total: 136 junctions), scrutinised road widths and made sure vehicles could safely pass under overhead bridges and flyovers without snapping off whip antennae or other expensive bits that adorn SAF war machines and Home Team vehicles. Turning radii of the vehicles were committed to memory and tested out on Singapore's streets - sometimes in the dead of the night when traffic was light.

Primary and secondary locations for loading the vehicles onto low loaders at the end point were charted and timetables drawn up for sending these vehicles back to camp. A dry weather plan, wet weather plan, flash flood plan and other drawer plans that factored in nasty situations like terror attacks were also part of HQ Armour's planning process. Indeed, short of an asteroid hitting Singapore, the Mobile Column would get its job done. Yup.

Paper wall charts of Singapore's road network traced the routes that the Mobile Column vehicles would take after the 210 tracked and wheeled vehicles split up into three separate convoys to visit the heartlands - housing estates in the west, north and northeastern parts of Singapore island. The 42-km long by 24-km wide city state is so tiny that a map the size of a ping pong table (above) was all that was needed to show a bird's eye view of all arterial roads and expressways.

Backing up the paper charts were powerpoint presentations that used overhead imagery to illustrate the driving routes.

For all that forward planning, Mobile Column participants had to adapt to changes. And they didn't have the luxury of time to slowly ease into their comfort zone as the 7 Aug'10 recce uncovered a better way of doing things and a command decision was made to change things. And adapt they did - from seasoned regulars to teenage full-time National Servicemen.

And while planning was centralised and thorough, the execution of the Mobile Column's war plan was largely decentralised. This is a line inspired by Field Manual 100-5 "Operations".

Sitting through the briefings before H Hour, it was apparent that the SAF ran the Mobile Column as a military operation and the success of this operation depended heavily upon smooth, decentralised execution of orders. The initiative rested with the drivers and vehicle commanders and ground commanders. Each vehicle was a self-contained, self-aware unit that had to take the initiative to make snap decisions as events unfolded.

Captain Jay Chan sketched out scenarios where impatient (and foolhardy) pedestrians were seen dashing in between gaps in vehicles during prior rehearsals, risking an encounter with an SAF armoured vehicle whose end result did not require a rocket scientist to figure out.

Major Lim Han Yong reminded formation liaison officers, who were tasked to cascade the message to participants under their care:"Drivers should focus on the task at hand and watch out for pedestrians."

Scene setter: Major Lim Han Yong from the Singapore Army's Armour Formation addresses drivers and vehicle commanders from the SAF and Home Team. Sessions like these establish the commander's intent and strengthen rapport with the troops, which is vitally important as face-to-face briefings augment the instantaneous and wide reach of plasma devices. The briefing was held in a disused car park at Kallang after the Mobile Column committee recognised that it needed a weather-proof area as a command post for the weekly rehearsals.

Taking the initiative, it seemed, did not include blundering into housing estates after dark in armoured vehicles when drivers came across an unfamiliar road junction and the lead vehicle had shot out of sight.

So drivers were urged by Major Lim Kah Keng to stick to the 30km/h speed limit and leave a gap between vehicles lest a pedestrian flirted with the idea of becoming a traffic statistic.

"Speed and distance are the only assurances we have,'' said MAJ Lim, the deputy chairman of the Mobile Column and Celebrations Committee. He noted that the convoy's movement out of the Padang would push the Mobile Column into terra incognito.

As time was short, MAJ Lim crunched down his talking points into the four "S"

Standards: "Your alignment, spacing and actions on the move must be sharp." (They were, from what I saw on TV)

Serviceability: The emphasis was on 100% readiness. "The maintenance officer must be the most free guy today." (Last seen merrily shopping at Kallang Leisure Park)

The last two points covered the security sweeps and safety.

That nightmare scenarios weren't played out tonight is a credit to the 600-plus SAF road marshals mobilised to shepherd the thundering convoys on their assigned routes. Some 200 traffic police motorcycle outriders kept the three convoys moving with progressive closures of road junctions, which is by no means an easy feat in a city state with Singapore's urban density. Executed at dinnertime on a public holiday, these road closures could potentially result in traffic chaos if ineptly planned, clumsily executed and blithely ignored by road users. Alas, everyone played their part.

That nothing of that sort has occurred at time of writing is a credit to the SAF tankees, clerks, storemen and personnel from other assorted roles whose job descriptions do not include traffic marshal duty. These traffic marshals literally had to think on their feet as the convoys to the heartlands were not something the SAF had rehearsed.

To be sure, technology in the form of vehicle navigation systems probably played a part in keeping the Mobile Column on track, if you excuse the pun. The new generation of SAF and Home Team vehicles are known to have moving map displays and GPS way finders that help the vehicle crew find their way around unfamiliar territory.

Thankfully, today's route was on friendly ground and the only shots the vehicles attracted during their adventure to the heartlands came from untold number of camera flashes that went off as the vehicles came within camera range.

The NDP 2010 Mobile Column that Colonel Lam Pei Sien, chairman of the parade's Mobile Column and Celebrations Committee, had earlier pledged would showcase the Lion City's "Ready and Relevant" defence and security muscle had evidently impressed the citizens.

* Practice sessions count Combined Rehearsal 1 on 19 Jun'10, CR2 26 Jun'10, CR3 3 Jul'10, the 1st National Education show 10 Jul'10, NE2 17 Jul'10, NE3 24 Jul'10 and the Parade Preview 31 Jul'10. The Mobile Column made two runs during each rehearsal for a total of 14 runs on National Day morning. With the exception of CR1 and CR2, all other rehearsals were done in front of a live audience.

Acknowledgements: The NDP 2010 Executive Committee kindly granted access to the briefings this morning and I found these sessions very educational. I thank all Mobile Column participants for their courtesy. I guess showing up this morning finally let you put a face to a name. :-)

The group shots - Armour, AIs, Combat Engineers, Guards, Infantry and Peacekeepers - taken today will be handed to HQ Armour.

I'd like to record my appreciation to CPT Clarence from HQ Armour, who was the liaison officer assigned to this blog project from CR1.

NDP 2005 Mobile Column poster

The Mobile Column was last seen during the National Day Parade in 2005.

This poster shows the type and number of vehicles that took part in NDP 2005's Mobile Column.

Back in 2005, motorised infantry meant infantry carried on 5-tonners. This year, their transport has been vastly improved.

To all Mobile Column personnel: I'm posting this for reference to show how it was done five years ago. Please do not confuse your formations with the ones shown here or it will mess up the show! : ) 

NDP 2010 Flypast

While the National Day Parade (NDP) 2010 Mobile Column rehearsals have been closely followed, plane spotters have been busy tracking Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) rehearsals in the western part of Singapore.

This photo essay shows RSAF Air Combat Command fast jets waiting for their curtain call on 31 July 2010. Many thanks to plane spotter Vincent Ng for the contribution.

Check Six! This is not the view hostile pilots would like to see in their rear view mirrors. Seen here on 31 July 2010, five Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) single-seat F-16Cs caught tracing race track patterns over Singapore. The Vipers were waiting for their datum call for the Parade Preview.

The RSAF is armed with the largest fleet of F-16s in Southeast Asia. These fly into battle with the advantage of the largest force of AEW elements in the region, plus other national assets which are best left unmentioned. :-) 

High Fives: RSAF F-5S Tiger IIs, which are the most lethal F-5s in the world, hold position on either wing of a Gulfstream G550 airborne early warning aircraft. The G550s main "weapon" is superior air sense and they fly into battle armed with a keen sense of the battlespace. Both types fly with the RSAF's Air Combat Command.

Peeling off: The spare F-5S peels off from the G550-led formation. Minutes later, the formation is seen flying past Singapore's City Centre (below). The National Day Parade 2010 Flypast comprises fixed and rotary-wing elements with spare aircraft ready to step in should the need arise.

Eagles high: RSAF F-15SG Strike Eagles seen in the race track pattern in loose formation. Two batches of F-15SGs have returned to Singapore and are based at Paya Lebar Airbase. The operational masterplan for RSAF airbases drawn up in the 1970s saw hardened shelters built for F-15-sized fighter aircraft, though the wing tip clearance for the Strike Eagles is said to be pretty close!

NDP 2010 Mobile Column: Ready, Aye Ready!

Maritime Security Task Force

With faces camouflaged, you will hardly recognise the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) warfighters who man the National Day Parade 2010 Mobile Column vehicles.

This photo essay shows you some of the sailors, soldiers and airmen who formed the Mobile Column during the Parade Preview last Saturday.

All of them put in many hours of planning, test runs and full dress rehearsals to get the Mobile Column looking the way it is today.

They're all eager to put on a great show on Singapore's 45th birthday.

Ground-based Air Defence

C4ISTAR

Infantry

Singapore Artillery

Acknowledgements: I thank all Mobile Column participants for being such gracious hosts during the combined rehearsals and to the NDP 2010 EXCO for the access. I cherish the opportunity to learn more about how the Mobile Column is put together and I hope some of the curiosity shows in the blog entries. Special thanks to Captain Clarence from HQ Armour for being here, there and everywhere.

NDP 2010 at Resorts World Sentosa

Five blimps done up in national colours at my workplace. :-)

Please catch our NDP video tribute here.

Behind the scenes: NDP 2010 Mobile Column Traffic Marshals

If you put Singapore Army Captain Jason Lee and his tankees on traffic marshal duty, they instantly become stealth soldiers - present but unnoticed.

Station them in their Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and they'll be feted like superstars by an adoring public.

That's the reality of traffic marshal duty: It is one of the least appreciated of National Day Parade (NDP) 2010 Mobile Column duties. But it's also the most vital.

Without the traffic marshals, the 210 tracked and wheeled vehicles that make up this year’s Mobile Column will be nothing more than car park residents.

These duties are shared between officers and men from the 41st Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (41 SAR) and the 48th Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (48 SAR). Traffic marshal operations in the stadium area are led by Captain Jimmy Goh and his team from 41 SAR. CPT Lee and the tankees from 1st Company 48 SAR shoulder traffic marshal duties from Nicoll Highway onwards.

Week after week, the Armour Formation's traffic marshals transform the mass of tracked and wheeled vehicles into an orderly, parade-worthy display that has dazzled spectators lucky enough to catch NDP rehearsals.

People who have seen traffic marshals in action would realise their duties go beyond simply fanning vehicles along while standing by the roadside.

These traffic marshals are on duty day and night, whatever the weather. The blazing afternoon sun is the bane of traffic marshals. And when they pray for cooler weather, down comes a torrential downpour of such intensity that part of car park Foxtrot was flooded on 17 July.

The tankees ensure Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) war machines and Home Team hardware leave their form-up point/holding area in the right sequence, on time, and reach the Padang safely.

This grand sounding job description belies the tedium and mind-numbing monotony of traffic marshal duty.

When it's time to close public roads and highways for NDP rehearsals, traffic marshals will push plastic barriers to block certain lanes to motorists. They will also roll out miles of white tape and plastic netting to screen the car park at Kallang Leisure Park. They do this to maintain a safe distance between curious members of the public and the Mobile Column vehicles.

And while the job can be boring, not all duty stations are created equal. Some duty stations, like the roads close to Suntec City shopping mall, are sought-after because the high pedestrian traffic gives traffic marshals a steady flow of eye candy to look at.

Thus pre-positioned, traffic marshals must steel themselves to the reality that the public hardly notices or cares about them. The traffic marshals who stand there for hours during each NDP rehearsal would be lucky if the man in the street even removes the lens cap from his camera when traffic marshals are within visual range, let alone take a photo of the men at work. They are part of the streetscape, anonymous stealth soldiers whom nobody sees.

To their credit, the traffic marshals know they’re there to support the real “stars” and do their utmost to make sure the Mobile Column puts on a good show. Never mind if even the Combat Service Support field toilets are photographed more often than all the traffic marshals combined. These tankees know they serve a key role getting the show on the road.

Their job includes being part-time tour guide too. It’s quite common for curious tourists to ask why on earth the Singaporean military has war machines on the street. Though there’s scope for rather imaginative replies, traffic marshals are professionals who don’t take tourists for a ride or smoke them by saying there’s a war in progress... at least that's what they tell me. :-)

Less sought-after are isolated duty stations where traffic marshals have only lamp posts for company. Here’s where resourceful tankees make full use of their solitude. They turn themselves into mobile entertainment kiosks/canteens by packing every pocket on their Number 4 camouflage uniform with snacks, a PlayStation/electronic game, book/magazine and sweets of all types for good measure. Some may even have iPod headphones dripping out of their ears when the officers aren’t looking.

If they’re lucky, they may get to practice their people management skills on drivers who, blur like fark and obviously in a hurry, try to argue their way past the roadblocks after failing to see the huge road closure signs.

It’s an exercise in futility because traffic marshals are trained to stand their ground. Nothing gets through without the proper passes and no amount of “do you know who I am?” will make them give ground.

Still, such arguments can spice up an otherwise boring afternoon.

Roadblock duty demands the utmost vigilance by traffic marshals. They have to look out for unauthorised vehicles and look out for one another.

On 4 June 1995, full-time National Serviceman Private Choy Ying Keong, 19, was killed at 4am in the morning by a speeding car at Fort Road. PTE Choy, who served with 40 SAR, was on traffic marshal duty for the first Army Half Marathon.

HQ Armour has never forgotten PTE Choy's loss. This explains the large number of Ford Everest safety vehicles and other security precautions that screen the Mobile Column from harm.

As we approach NDP 2010, the tankees in the picture below will once again help the Mobile Column form up safely and punctually.

CPT Lee said: "They're the unsung heroes who make things happen. Things have finally settled down and we're looking forward to NDP itself."

Road runners: Captain Jason Lee (squatting, sixth from right) with his fellow officers and tankees from 1st Company, 48th Singapore Armoured Regiment (48 SAR). This Singapore Army tank battalion operates Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks, one of which is seen in the background.

Acknowledgements: Many thanks to the NDP 2010 EXCO for providing the opportunity for Milnuts to learn about the Mobile Column, and to Captain Clarence from HQ Armour who served as our liaison officer, day and night, one rehearsal after another.