NDP 2010: Letter to all 12,000 NDP participants

Gunners, Take Post! Corporal Louis (extreme right) and the crew for Gun Six, manned by gunners from Charlie Battery, 20th Battalion, Singapore Artillery, await their orders to fire the Presidential Gun Salute (PGS). Six 25-pounders were deployed as part of the PGS battery on 31 July 2010 at the War Memorial Park.

Singapore Artillery gunners had fired the last round for the Presidential Gun Salute and were getting ready to stand down for the day.

As they got ready to move out from the War Memorial Park, envelopes were handed out to the gunners. A single, crisp sheet of paper was extracted from each envelope and smiles broke out all round.

Officers and men from Charlie Battery, 20 Battalion Singapore Artillery (20 SA), had just read the letter from Colonel Benedict Lim, the chairman of the National Day Parade 2010 Executive Committee (NDP 2010 EXCO).

Each letter was unique, addressed to each serviceman by COL Benedict and signed off individually. Not a computer-generated facsimile.

"Wow, looks like he signed 12,000 letters," said a 20 SA gunner as the gunners compared letters like students comparing exam results.

Here's Corporal Louis with his letter.

The letter brought a heart-warming touch to the 20 SA gunners, who had been perfecting the Presidential Gun Salute these past months - just as all NDP participants have been doing their part too.

To see C Battery at Combined Rehearsal 2, please click here.

Compare their performance at the NDP Preview, where the 25-pounders are fired. Please click here.[The battery RSM seems to have done away with the clipboard recording the rounds fired.]

It must have been quite a feat for COL Benedict to ink more than 12,000 letters AND address each NDP participant by name. His personal touch was made at a time when there was no let up in the Armour Formation's work schedule. Even with NDP on the horizon, large-scale war games are planned for later this year and Armour battalions have been busy operationalising Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks.

Issuing the letter in the days leading up to Singapore's 45th Birthday will no doubt bolster morale of all participants. Every NDP participant should receive his or her letter this week.

It is instructive to see that as the NDP 2010 machinery moves from raw concepts to rehearsals to the actual event, attention has been given to strengthening the resolve of participants to give their best.

Having seen them perform from CR1, I've little doubt the NDP 2010 team will deliver - and deliver with style.

Here's what COL Benedict said to all NDP participants:


Dear (hand-written name of participant),

12,000 STARS, BUT EVERY STAR COUNTS

I hope that this letter finds you and your family well.

Participating in the National Day Parade is an emotionally uplifting experience for many because once a year, we celebrate our achievements and reinforce social cohesion in a meaningful and fun way.

This year’s NDP will be put together by a 12,000-strong contingent of organisers, participants and support staff. We have toiled for months on end to perfect our moves, our steps, our songs, our drills, our positions, just so that we can deliver the best NDP the nation has ever experienced. The electrifying mood that is created at each combined rehearsal grows in strength. Each combined rehearsal also sees us becoming more confident.

On 9th August, our 12,000-strong team will work to bring the most spectacular parade and show to the nation. I urge all to give of our best so that we will all be proud to be part of this NDP 2010 journey.

On behalf of NDP 2010 EXCO, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation for your commitment and attitude. Because of everyone’s quest to do our best, there will be 12,000 stars on show.

So get ready for THE NDP 2010 – brought to you by 12,000 stars!

“Live Our Dreams, Fly Our Flag”.

Yours Sincerely,

(Signed)
COL BENEDICT LIM
Chief Armour Officer/Comd 25 Div/
Chairman EXCO NDP 2010

Behind the scenes: National Day Parade 2010 Mobile Column

Now hear this: What looks like a street protest is actually tankees from 48 SAR showing off their hand-made signs which they use to cue Mobile Column drivers and vehicle commanders. Leading the team is full-time National Serviceman, Second Lieutenant David Wong, 21 (extreme left).

The Singapore Army soldiers you see above have the lives of some 900 Mobile Column participants and the safety of millions of dollars worth of defence and security equipment literally in their hands.

These 15 tankees from the 1st Company, 48th Singapore Armoured Regiment (48 SAR) are the secret behind the tight formations that thrilled spectators who have seen the 210-vehicle Mobile Column drivepast during National Day Parade rehearsals over the past few weekends.

They cue drivers and vehicle commanders on their road speed and help get the formations aligned as the war machines rumble towards City Hall. Singapore Armed Forces and Home Team vehicles, some weighing as much as 60 tonnes, drive in close order with vehicles driving side by side within touching distance. Drivers following behind are trained to keep just enough space between vehicles to execute a safe emergency stop.

For an Army which can observe, hunt and kill its opponents day and night using a battle management system which allows secure voice, data and video communications in realtime, having its soldiers use plywood signs to signal one another seems a quaint step back to pre-computer days.

It's reassuring that the SAF hasn't over-invented simple processes. The signboard party is backed by a team which monitor's the Mobile Column's progress using stopwatches, paper timesheets and the good old Mark 1 eyeball.

Flash the wrong sign - say "Speed Up" when you mean "Slow Down" - and one could cause a vehicle pile up on national television. A late alert could result in a yawning gap in the 2-kilometre long vehicle column and mess up the NDP timesheet.

The responsibilities that rest with 1st Company 48 SAR are tremendous. The stakes are high. And thus far, public recognition has been zero.

At each NDP rehearsal, Second Lieutenant David Wong, 21, and his men gather their hand-made signs and plant themselves at strategic locations along the drivepast route.

As the heavy metal approaches, 1st COY will signal the drivers and vehicle commanders using yellow signs with extra large, block letters.

Is xxxxx MID coming along too fast? Up comes the "Slow Down" sign, held with outstretched arms high above the head and the driver should ease off on his speed.

It takes about 15 minutes for the 2-km Mobile Column to pass City Hall. This quarter of an hour demands the highest concentration and coordination between the men from 1st COY. No toilet breaks, no SMS-ing girlfriends, no daydreaming about ORD, no idle chit chat.

Every sign they need must be within arm's reach. The sign must be flashed the right way up, at the correct moment, and to the correct driver/vehicle commander.

The payoff - if signals are flashed and complied with - is a tight, picture perfect Mobile Column formation.

Once done, men from 1st COY pack up, tuck their precious signs under their arms and file silently out of the Padang as yet another NDP rehearsal unfolds. Most spectators will not notice the line of men as they move along St Andrew's Road, stride purposefully across the War Memorial Park to catch their ride back to the vehicle form-up point.

And while the Mobile Column personnel soak up cheers from spectators and trigger a blizzard of camera flashes, hardly anyone notices the anonymous signboard party making its exit. They don't even get to watch the fireworks.

The tankees from 1st COY work behind the scenes and away from the limelight, but they do feel a sense of achievement when the show thrills spectators.

Catch their handiwork in action on the NDP 2010 live webcast.

Behind the scenes Part 2: The Mobile Column Traffic Marshals.

NDP 2010 Mobile Column: Best wishes from Bok Seng Logistics

"Bok Seng Logistics is proud to support the National Day Parade 2010.

In the run-up to our nation's 45th birthday celebrations, Bok Seng has played an active role in transporting Mobile Column vehicles for the NDP rehearsals. Our involvement in NDP 2010 stretches back to the earlier rehearsals at Tuas.

Many of these logistics operations take place at night or very early in the morning. We have worked closely with the Singapore Armed Forces to ensure safe and desired deliveries to required destinations.

Week after week, we've been heartened by the steady progress Mobile Column participants have made in their vehicle alignment, timing and showmanship.

We wish them all the best for NDP 2010.

I'm sure Bok Seng Logistics’ staff and their families will look forward to their display at NDP 2010, knowing that we played a humble part in making it happen.

Have a successful NDP 2010 show."

Dave Ng
Executive Director
Bok Seng Logistics

"Once again, Bok Seng Logistics is proud to be a steadfast partner in support of the National Day Parade.
 
Every four to five years, the parade is held at the Padang. Without fail, there is great excitement and expectation in anticipation of this coming parade. This feeling of high expectation and excitement could only be quenched and fulfilled by an equally impressive show of might and precision by our Mobile Column backed by her skilled and disciplined personnel manning them.

My daughter, Debbie Tan is 11 years old. After viewing NE 1, she remarked that the 'Mobile Column was impressive'.

So guys press on, do your part! It’s your show and help make all Singaporeans proud, because it’s our National Day.

Cheers! And Have A Happy National Day!”

Richard Tan
Assistant General Manager
Bok Seng Logistics Pte Ltd

NDP 2010 Mobile Column: Best wishes from ST Engineering

To All NDP 2010 Mobile Column participants,
Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd (ST Engineering) is delighted that many examples of our defence equipment and solutions will form part of the NDP 2010 Mobile Column.

We are indeed proud that some of our weapon platforms such as the Bionix 2, Terrex infantry fighting vehicle, Trailblazer mine-clearing vehicle, Bronco, Primus and Pegasus will be participating in the NDP 2010 Mobile Column.

ST Engineering partners with the Singapore Armed Forces to support its specific operational requirements. Our close collaboration often results in the design and development of world class weapon platforms and systems that are market leaders. We are happy to have grown in tandem with Singapore, in ensuring national security.

I wish the Mobile Column participants as well as all other participants success with the show.

I am certain that all my ST Engineering colleagues, particularly those who have contributed to the products and solutions, will look forward to your showcase and performance on 9 August 2010.

Have a Great NDP 2010!

Tan Pheng Hock
President & Chief Executive Officer
Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd

Malaysian firepower demo: China Press stories

Malaysia's China Press published two stories from the 22 July 2010 firepower demonstration at Kem Gemas.

The full page article on 27 July 2010 shows the air and land elements that pounded the target area. Interesting to see how the Su-30MKM was turned into a bomb truck.

Please click on the images to see the pictures in hi res.

Many thanks to my friend in Malaysia for this contribution. Gagah Setia!

Defence information management flop

There's been a massive failure of defence information management in the United States after 91,000 Secret documents were posted on the Internet.

Fallout from this incident has international repercussions.


Leaks create fresh doubt about Afghan war, secrets

By ROBERT BURNS, Associated Press Writer Robert Burns, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – The monumental leak of classified Afghan war documents threatened Monday to create deeper doubts about the war at home, cause new friction with Pakistan over allegations about its spy agency and raise questions around the world about Washington's own ability to protect military secrets.

The White House called the disclosures "alarming."

The torrent of more than 91,000 secret documents, one of the largest unauthorized disclosures in military history, sent the Obama administration scrambling to assess and repair any damage to the war effort, either abroad or in the U.S. The material could reinforce the view put forth by the war's opponents in Congress that one of the nation's longest conflicts is hopelessly stalemated.

The leaks come at a time when President Barack Obama's Afghanistan war strategy is under congressional scrutiny and with polls finding that a majority of Americans no longer think the war there is worth fighting. Still, the leaks are not expected to prevent passage of a US$60 billion war funding bill. Despite strong opposition among liberals who see Afghanistan as an unwinnable quagmire, House Democrats must either approve the bill before leaving at the end of this week for a six-week vacation, or commit political suicide by leaving troops in the lurch in war zones overseas.

The Pentagon also was looking at possible damage on the ground in Afghanistan.

"Someone inadvertently or on purpose gave the Taliban its new 'enemies list,'" declared Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif., who said the White House indicated the disclosures compromised a number of Afghan sources.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs emphasized that the documents covered the period before Obama ordered a major increase in U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan, and the administration denied they would cause any policy shift in the fight against Taliban insurgents.

Indeed, despite the furor over the publication of the reports on the WikiLeaks whistleblower website, the information did not reveal any fundamentally new problems in the war effort. Military officers, current and former, described the documents as mostly tactical spot reports, including hunches about possible suspects and bomb plots that couldn't be verified. Some of the reports contain errors; others appear to be based on flimsy evidence.

Still, much of the material is anything but encouraging.

Underscoring the difficulties the U.S. faces, the documents include the first publicly released indication that the Taliban has used portable surface-to-air missiles against U.S. helicopters. One report on a June 2005 incident said a Black Hawk helicopter used evasive measures to avoid getting hit east of Kandahar by what its crew chief identified as a portable missile.

The documents also report potential Iranian support of an Afghan terrorist group.

They said that on Jan. 30, 2005, Iranian intelligence agencies brought the equivalent of US$212,800 in Afghan currency across the Iranian border and transferred it to a 1990s-model white Toyota Corolla station wagon occupied by members of Hizb-i-Islami, a Taliban-allied insurgent group led by former Afghan Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. The money trail was lost.

Col. Dave Lapan, a Defense Department spokesman, said the military would probably need "days, if not weeks" to determine "the potential damage to the lives of our service members and coalition partners."

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said the release of documents was just the beginning. He told reporters in London that some 15,000 more files on Afghanistan were still being vetted by his organization.

The documents are described as battlefield reports compiled by various military units that provide an unflinching view of combat operations between 2004 and 2009, including U.S. frustration over reports that Pakistan secretly aided insurgents fighting U.S. and Afghan forces.

The material portrays Pakistan as playing a double game when it came to the struggle against Afghan militants, with security officials secretly providing insurgents with aid. Both the U.S. and Pakistan say that view is outdated, but one American analyst said it probably is correct.

"The Pakistan government gave up claiming that it could control its intelligence agencies around the time they invented them. I don't think they even try," said Paula R. Newberg, director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University.

In Islamabad, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the leaked documents "misplaced, skewed and contrary to the factual position on the ground." And it said that U.S.-Pakistani counterterrorism cooperation against "our common enemies" will continue.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley argued that there is a "new dynamic" in the U.S. relationship with Afghanistan and Pakistan since the period covered by the leaked documents. He acknowledged, however, that the U.S. remains concerned about weaknesses in the relationship, including the problem of corruption in the Afghan government.

"These documents highlight issues we've long known about," Crowley said.

WikiLeaks, a self-described whistleblower organization, posted the reports to its website Sunday night. It did not say who provided the documents.

Crowley said it was unclear whether the leak was related to a U.S. military intelligence analyst who is being held in Kuwait, on charges of mishandling classified information on military computers in Baghdad.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., said the documents released so far "reflect the reality, recognized by everyone, that the insurgency was gaining momentum during these years while our coalition was losing ground."

The Taliban's resurgence led Obama to announce in December 2009 a major increase of forces to Afghanistan as part of a new civil-military strategy, Lieberman pointed out.

Shortly after the documents were posted on the Internet, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said they raised questions about whether the U.S. was pursuing a realistic policy with Afghanistan and Pakistan. He said they showed the urgency of making the "calibrations" necessary "to get the policy right."

Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri, the ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, called the leak disturbing.

"The damage to our national security caused by leaks like this won't stop until we see more perpetrators in orange jump suits," Bond said.

The military has detained Bradley Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst in Baghdad, for allegedly transmitting classified information. But the latest documents could have come from anyone with a secret-level clearance, Lapan said.

Associated Press writers Kimberly Dozier, Anne Flaherty and Andrew Taylor in Washington, Raphael Satter in London, and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.

National Day Parade 2010: 3rd National Education Show

Senang Diri joined the Mobile Column's night duty crew for a firsthand look at how they assemble the 210 vehicles that make up NDP 2010's Mobile Column. The short, 15-minute drive past City Hall gives no hint of hours of practice, briefings and preparations that help things fall into place smoothly.   

Big Cat: A Singapore Army Leopard 2A4 main battle tank arrives at the Mobile Column form-up point after midnight on Saturday 24 July 2010. The tanks were escorted by Military Police from their camp in the western part of Singapore island, about 20km from the FUP.

23:50 hours Hotel, 23 July 2010: Friday night slips closer to Saturday morning and it looks like the whole of Singapore has descended upon the Kallang Leisure Park.

The car park is huge.

It is also full at close to midnight. This is a challenge the Mobile Column and Ceremony Committee had forecast because they knew the concert dates. Officers and men from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) eye the traffic jam with keen interest as they track the accuracy of their traffic projections.

If things go as planned and civilian vehicles disappear according to what is stated on their plans, all's well. Within the next seven hours, they will pack the car park with more than 210 tracked and wheeled vehicles as preparations for the 3rd National Education show at the Padang get into full swing.

Problems will arise if civilian vehicles hang around - because low loaders are en route and will need somewhere to unload their cargo.

I find out belatedly that the Jay Chou Concert 2010 at the nearby Singapore Indoor Stadium is the crowd magnet. The night is young and it will be interesting seeing how the Mobile Column marshallers bring in the low loaders.

Even before midnight, some war machines have already been delivered. A row of Bionix 2 infantry fighting vehicles (BX2MT) sit in a quiet corner of the car park, back lit by street lighting with chemical light sticks hanging from their hulls as a safety measure.

A Republic of Singapore Air Force V-200 armoured personnel carrier circles the car park, frustrated that its usual parking spot is taken by the civilian vehicles. The V-200 crew are prepared to wait and park the four-wheeled APC somewhere else as they watch the bumper to bumper traffic slowly clear the parking lanes.

00:01 hrs Hotel, 24 July 2010: We're into Saturday morning and rush hour has started. A steady stream of low loaders carrying Singapore Army armoured vehicles arrive at the form-up point. As the low loaders stop by the roadside, paperwork is settled as Army personnel - many of them teenage full-time National Servicemen (NSFs), sign off the forms that indicates their war horses were delivered as per contract.

The heavy metal that arrives shows a cross section of the Armour Formation's combat and combat service support capabilities. These include Bionix IFVs of two variants (BX2MT and BX40/50), Bronco all-terrain tracked carriers fitted for assorted battlefield roles, and Bv206 tracked carriers.

Ramps are manhandled into place on low loaders. Newer trucks have hydraulic ramps that fold into place at the press of a button. Older trucks rely on muscle power and the clang of steel ramps, throb of prime mover diesel engines on idle and the clatter of chains as war machines are unshackled brings Sungei Gedong's MT line to Kallang.

00:50 hrs Hotel: Nine low loaders burdened with Terrex infantry fighting vehicles arrive in convoy. In a by-now familiar routine, monkey wrenches snap into action to free chain restraints and chocks are taken off. Army drivers strap on the eight-wheeled IFVs and get ready to gun the engines into life.

Terrex drivers can use TV cameras to see the IFV's six o'clock position but front and rear guides are still mandatory. Two sharp toots of the horn indicate "Engine Start". The powerful Caterpillar diesels purr to life and front and rear guides swing into action, flash lights and hand signals coordinating a mime act that guides Terrex IFVs onto the road.

01:40 hrs Hotel: The first MaxxPro MPTVs arrive. Because of their height, they use a different kind of low loader which allows the MPTVs to pass under 4.5m overhead bridges safely. Compared to the Singapore-made Terrex IFVs, the MaxxPro diesel engines are noisy.

02:00 hrs Hotel: The Singapore Combat Engineers arrive on scene - lots of them. The specialised vehicles that stream into the car park show how Combat Engineer battalions will carry out their mission of survivability, mobility and counter mobility.

It is a noisy affair as vehicle bridges are pulled onto tracked Bionix Launched Bridges (BLBs), mine-clearing trailers are hitched to Armoured Engineer M-113s and the Trailblazer mine-clearing vehicles - in my opinion the noisest of the SAF's tracked vehicles - trundle into place amid the rumble of their diesel engines and the squeal of tracks.

Throughout the night, marshallers track the movement of vehicles from the time they are loaded in SAF camps around the island till they are safely delivered to the FUP.

The online weather report of showers with thunder in many areas in the pre-dawn hours proves mercifully inaccurate. (While preparing for NE2, a heavy downpour flooded part of the FUP and at least four civilian cars were drowned in the flash flood.)

The convoy of low loaders and self-driven machines arrive under a clear, moonlit night. It is, however, a humid night as SAF duty personnel go about their work.

02:45 hrs Hotel: The big cats arrive. The Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks are unloading quickly, much to the surprise of onlookers. Armour personnel explain that wide tracks on these MBT allow tank drivers to coax the tanks off low loaders with relative ease.

03:10 hrs Hotel: More challenging to unload are the Pegasus 155mm air-mobile guns. Draped with tarpaulin to protect them against rain, the guns look like camels as they rest on four skinny wheel axles. Artillery gunners fire up the puttering farm tractor engines and the quartet of Pegasus guns move about in a cacophony of engine noises that sound like mechanised grass cutters in action.

04:00 hrs Hotel: There's a lull in activity as most of the Armour has gone to bed. Sentries posted around the vehicle FUP maintain a vigilant watch. Some off duty personnel choose not to sleep, flipping through inches-thick novels or SMSing insomniac friends as dawn creeps nearer.

We take a break at the deserted Starbucks coffee joint and the escort officer regales us with tales of his attachment to HQ Lancer in Brunei. Time passes quickly as we talk cock and wait for more big cats.

05:45 hrs Hotel: Low loaders that delivered the Leo 2s have made the round trip back to camp and show up with another set of big cats.

Across the darkness at Car Park F, the Combat Engineers continue their racket as military vehicles are arranged in march order in the empty civilian car park. It sounds like a construction site in full swing with engine noises and metal banging away and goodness knows what the Combat Engineers are up to as vehicle marshallers rearrange the vehicles.

06:45 hrs. Dawn breaks. The promised pre-dawn showers never came and wet weather parkas remain stuffed in their carrier bags.

The morning calm finally reigns over the car park. First light reveals several hundred SAF vehicles, parked in  neat rows at their FUP.

The near chaos seen as Jay Chou Concert fans streamed out of the car park has been replaced by what can only be described as military precision.

Soon, the Mobile Column participants will arrive. These are the ones who will actually crew the vehicles. They have been spared the night's exertions as they must be well-rested to give off their best showmanship.

Duties will be handed over as the night crew stands down - for the moment.

Thanks to the concert, the full 24-hour duty has been extended some. Traffic marshals for NE3 will be on duty from 23:00hrs Hotel on Friday till 05:00hrs Hotel on Sunday. Some of them are still there, as this blog posting is written.

In a couple of hours, they will reverse the process and load, tie-down and send the SAF war machines back to their MT lines. They will repeat the process only twice more - at the Parade Preview and on 9 August'10 at the parade to mark Singapore's 45th birthday.

Once they're done, this nightime buzz will not be repeated till NDP 2015.

Acknowledgements: Many thanks to the NDP 2010 EXCO for facilitating the opportunity to watch how the Mobile Column forms up, especially to Captain Clarence who stayed from midnight till dawn and the SAF personnel who kept me company in the wee hours of the morning.