Singapore Combat Engineers

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= Singapore Combat Engineers


caption= Singapore Combat Engineers insignia
country= Singapore
allegiance=
branch= Army
type=Combat Engineering
dates= April 1967 - Present
specialization=Combat Engineering, EOD, counter-NBC
command_structure= HQ Singapore Combat Engineer
size=Five battalions
current_commander= COL Ng Kin Yi
garrison= Jurong Camp III (30SCE) Seletar Camp (35SCE, 39SCE & HQ ARMCEG) Nee Soon Camp (HQ SCE)
Sungei Gedong Camp (38SCE/AETC)
ceremonial_chief=
nickname=
motto= "Advance and Overcome"
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=
notable_commanders= MAJ George Mitchell, MAJ Ang Hong Lam
anniversaries=
decorations=

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.

History

When the Singapore Armed Forces 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 [Ministry of Defence (Singapore), [http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/about_us/history/birth_of_saf/v08n01_history.html 1977 - Singapore Combat Engineers] , History Snippets, Vol 8 Issue 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.

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.

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.

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.

Combat Engineers Units

The Combat Engineers formation consists of the headquarters, a training institute and 5 active units.

Headquarter Singapore Combat Engineers (HQSCE)

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). AETC was removed from ETI as of 1997 and re-established as an active unit, now unofficially known as the 38th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers(38SCE).

Currently it is made up of Basic Training Centre and Advance Training Centre. The motto for ETI is Seek, Strive Excel

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. Its motto is "Overcome with speed, fortify with strength".

Field Engineers clear obstacles so as to open up the Main and Alternate Supply Routes for the Manouvere forces (ie. Armour and Infantry troops). They also construct obstacles in order to obstruct and delay enemy forces during Retrograde Operations.

A field engineer section consists of 8 men, unlike the usual infantry sections of 7 men. There are 2 specialists in a section, one being appointed section commander, and the other being the section 2IC.

In the past, many Field Engineers suffered backbone problems due to the need to carry heavy equipment.Fact|date=February 2007 Though the use of machinery has alleviated this problem, Field Engineers are nevertheless still required to carry a substantial amount of equipment in war and in training. Typical Field Engineer tasks include demolition, fortification, building of wire obstacles and minefields.

Plant Engineers are equipped with heavy machinery that facilitates this and helps in the maintenance of the Army's supply routes.

Field Engineers are considered to be the backbone of the Engineers.

The mascot for the men of 30SCE is the polar bear.

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 known to be a training company whilst 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 Candace 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.

Candace Bridging equipment provides an expedient rafting and bridging capability. It forms a Class 22 raft or bridge.

Both these bridging equipment require a lot of bank preparation before they can be launched.

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.

38th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers (38SCE)/Armoured Engineers Training Centre (AETC)

The only engineers with armoured capabilities was re-established on 2nd May 1997 and based at Sungei Gedong. The unit's main role is to support armour units in overcoming enemy obstacles.

Its motto is "Today's training, tomorrow's mission".Its mascot is the Elephant.

39th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers (39SCE)

Inaugurated in 2003, the 39th Singapore Combat Engineers is the chemical, biological and Radiological defence unit, (CBRD) 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.

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.

ee also

*Singapore Army
*Combat engineer

References