I am a Singaporean reserve soldier. One of the thousands of former conscripts who maintain our combat-readiness by attending annual training sessions lasting 1-2 weeks. While initially framed as a video about the history of the SAF's uniform, I was pleasantly surprised to find the video covering so many other important notes of Singapore's military history, from its training doctrine, to types of equipment, down to the intricacy of political considerations and decisions. Thank you for your wonderful work. Truly an understated masterpiece! *oh yes, the near-perfect pronunciation of local terms was impressive. Cheers!
I hated most of my life in the military, even despite the fact that I'm a military enthusiast. But you know that's just one of those things that's unique about being a Singaporean son. As the song goes, 'Can't forget, Days in army, with my rifle and my buddy and me'. This video brought back so many things about that time to me. I really appreciated this video too.
Worked w/the RSAF in the early 90s. Their uniform for day to day work (aircraft maintenance) were a set of blue coveralls. OD green tshirts. Great guys to work with.
@@kwpf Actually... I was at Clark AB, Philippines. You guys would come in for Cope Thunder. You'd hadn't got the F16s yet. You all were flying F5s and A4s.
@@spacedredd I hope RSAF can train in the Philippines again. Any form of realistic training with competent partners and big airspace is beneficial to RSAF.
I met a Singaporean armor officer when I was studying in Germany. Interesting guy. Had some great stories of training in Australia. Wasn't a huge beer drinker. Great content as always.
He could be there due to Ex Panzer Strike where our Leo2A4 (stationed in Germany) and sometimes other armoured vehicles participated in. Alcoholic drinks here in Singapore is ridiculously expensive due to high duties. Maybe that is why most of us don't drink as much as the rest of the world. 😁 th-cam.com/video/CzHdZRpbDpc/w-d-xo.html
Singaporean military personnel are held to very rigid standards. Even in civilian clothing, getting drunk while on an overseas detachment would be grounds for court martial. Even within its own country, military personnel are expected not to loiter around in public view while in military attire.
For a country that hasn't been in many wars, Singapore has a great understanding what they need for an effective military. I've been sceptical on air forces and navies having their own so called camouflage, but Singapore seems to make a good argument for it. I'm also really impressed in their jungle camouflage... Military like over here in Britain, seem to just take woodland camouflage and just basically make it brighter... This idea doesn't seem to be effective to my mind. This is definitely one of my favourite videos you've made so far. Also, can you please do a video on DPM 😃
Camo is meant to enhance your survivability by making it difficult to spot you. Which is why i never understood navy camo in blue. Who are you hiding from? The ocean? Lol! If anything if you go overboard its tougher for people to locate you since you blend so well with the ocean! Another hilarious one is firefighters in camo shades of red & orange. Like, are you planning to hide amongst the flames? 😂
@@P53eud0nym05 The Australians sewed reflective stripes into their naval camo for man overboard! The idea of gray-dominant to blend with ships' gray paint makes sense; it should also stand out a bit better if the person goes over the side.
@@P53eud0nym05 The USN's NWU I made sesne though, the camo pattern wasn't intended to hide or conceal the wearer but to hid pinat, dirtl, oil, & grease stains so that the wearer could wear the uniform for lonber between washings because stains wouldn't show as well, at least in theory. The big problem with the uniform wasn't its camo pattern, it was that it was made from, for some odd reason, highly flammable materials that would light up like a torch as well as drip and melt when it caught on fire. As for making being harder to see if knocked overbaard, it's not the like the previous USN shipboard working uniforms made in glourescent colors to be more visible in the water. Since at least WW II US saliors wore dungarees, which were bluie. Then boefore the NWU I and fater, dark blue coveralls became standard, so not exatly stand out colors for falling into ocean with.
@@petesheppard1709 Fair enough but trying to blend in with the ocean still doesn’t make sense to me though. Probably why the US Navy changed it but imagine all the wasted money. Sheesh! Or was there some undertable shit going on? 😂
I was a conscript in the SAF from 1994-96. When the latest Camouflage Patterns was release, I was skeptical about its effectiveness until I went back to camp for physical fitness test. The sun is going down and it was getting dark. I saw two conscripts soldiers walking across a football field at around 200-300 meters away. For a few minutes, I only saw two human heads "floating" across the football field. I was surprise to see the new Camouflage Patterns can blend into the color of the football field. The older Camouflage Patterns are not able to do that. Can you do a series on the combat webbing for each country ?
fun fact, the 2nd gen pattern is still used by a formation in the SAF called the OPFOR, their job is to act as the enemy for other units to train against Still effective if you try to engage enemies in dawn or dusk lighting
One uniform not mentioned is the Safari Suit, a short sleeved version of the jacket. It was used before the No 5 with Jacket was introduced. Many other neighbouring countries like Malaysia adopted the same design due to the hot weather. And Israel wasn't the only one capable of assisting us, but it was the only one willing to do so.
In response to some criticism of Singapore collaborating with Israel (besides consulting them for military advice we've also bought their drones) due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (especially as we have a native Muslim population too) I remember a government official/minister once boldly blasted: "Don't you know no one else was willing to help us?"
Thanks to everyone who pointed out the error with the No. 1 Dress, an edit has been added to the description along with a link where you can find a current detailed illustrated breakdown of every Dress type for each branch of The SAF.
Singapore' official naming of military uniforms follows that of the UK I believe, the former colonial power here. No. 1 ~ full dress uniform for formal parades e.g. National Day (the country's anniversary), military weddings (for officers), state funerals (e.g. for the country's 1st PM Lee Kwan Yew), officer commissioning, welcoming parade for foreign dignitaries No. 2 ~ mess uniform for formal dinners e.g. graduation from a course No. 3 ~ service uniform for office wear No. 4 ~ camouflage combat/utility uniform/fatigues for physical activity that also includes less formal parades e.g. military funerals where the deceased is of more junior rank e.g. Corporal 1st Class, graduation from enlistee training (Basic Military Training (BMT)) & specialist cadet courses (until recently when they switched to the No. 1) No. 5 ~ dress uniform i.e. the long-sleeved version of No. 3 plus tie (for men; females wear a ribbon instead I remember) e.g. for conferences, ceremony for new military scholars No. 5J ~ No. 5 plus blazer Admin tee ~ black shorts plus single colour T-shirt (green for army, grey for navy, purple for air force, though some airmen working with SAMs wear green instead for more appropriate camouflage) often worn under No.4 or can be work by itself e.g. during night time in barracks when sleeping PT (physical training) kit - singlet with black shorts
Never thought that such a small country would make such an effort on camouflage patterns. The more I learn about Singapore, the more I want to visit the country one day
Jeezus, I spilled my beverage when the guys I used to serve under and with popped up in this video lol. Great stuff man. Also awesome to see Alvin's collection as part of this vid. Lots of knowledge and a great dude.
Love to see Singapore here. I always remember NS day and I lived near an active military camp so seeing our men in colour on the channel makes me happy. Would love to see another south-east Asian country be included next.
There was a reddish skinny Tiger stripe pattern trialed in 1983 and worn for the National Day Parade by an OCS cadet contingent. At the time, it was thought to be similar to the Commando one. But it was found too cottony and thin and did not pass muster. Hence the big patch one was preferred and adopted. It was tougher and had an insulating layer sprayed on inside. Warmer to wear (soldiers were punished if found to wear a tee-shirt inside (to absorb sweat)). But it afforded better protection against the cold at night and also to the elbows and knees when falling prone to the ground. Btw, the task of designing new uniforms for the tri-forces in the 80s fell to a Col Patrick Choy at SCSC, Seletar Camp. And a subordinate there (who could draw very well) a Francis Wong drew them. Col Choy then picked what he liked and had them commissioned . The NCOs there were then asked to 'model' the prototypes when they came out.
Buck are you Singaporean? I was in probably the first units (84-86) to be issued the new camouflage uniforms with the plastic insulating layer and we hated it. We wished we could have the camouflage on the old temasek green cotton uniforms. Many more servicemen had heat stroke as the new uniforms were harder to "season" or breakin. They also made us stink as the sweat could not escape and dry out. In those days, we stroute marched in public places like Changi Beach and East Coast Park, and we were very embarassed as we knew we must have let off a stink as we passed, but we just held our heads high and kept singing and strutting our stuff with the heavy full battle order. Thanks for making this video. Its scary how someone can know so much about a segment of Singapore military history when we were not even allowed to take photos when we were training. Kudos and thanks.
Man, I was in BMT back in 2007 when they were transitioning us from the woodland No 4 to the digital. I remember a whole bunch of officer's wives throwing up a big stink about how the new uniforms were ugly and petitioned to halt the change. It was, needless to say, ridiculous and roundly ignored.
For Singapore 'woodland' camo, it's generally divided to 4 eras. Lime green v cut. Lime green straight cut . Darker green straight with only name tag. Dark green straight cut with Singapore tab , division and vocational tab. After that all transit to pixel.
I just wna say that this is a great video but you made a slight error at 11:22. The uniform in the photograph is a No.1 uniform used for parades. The No.2 looks almost like a tuxedo. But other than that, overall I really enjoyed this video, coming from a Singaporean 👍👍👍
The picture used for the No.2 dress is wrong, as it shows the No.1 Dress with the Peaked cap, the current use of the No.1 Dress us now with the beret for the army, and Peaked cap for the navy and air force. There are also different variations of the No.5 Dress, namely No.5T, No.5J, No.5T enhanced. over all a very good summary of our uniforms.
based on publicly-available photos, it seems that Singapore's more elite special operations forces have been seen to use multicam, tropical multicam and black multicam camo in recent times.
For the non-military side, the Gurkhas (under the Ministry of Home Affairs) previously wore British DPM, and were recently photographed wearing Multicam.
Common thing for SOF. Almost like that in every countries. SOF operators have a carte blanche of picking their own gears to their liking. Uniform included.
I was in probably the first units (84-86) to be issued the new camouflage uniforms with the plastic insulating layer and we hated it. We wished we could have the camouflage on the old temasek green cotton uniforms, which we still used on some occasions. Many more servicemen had heat stroke as the new uniforms were harder to "season" or breakin. They also made us stink as the sweat could not escape and dry out. In those days, we still route marched in public places like Changi Beach and East Coast Park, and we were very embarrassed as we knew we must have let off a stink as we passed, but we just held our heads high and kept singing and strutting our stuff with the heavy full battle orders we were carrying. Thanks for making this video. Its scary how someone can know so much about a segment of Singapore military history when we were not even allowed to take photos when we were training. Kudos and thanks.
I was among the first to be issued the camo uniform end-1983. These first uniforms were a disaster: they had a inner coating that did not breathe and caused multiple heat stroke cases. They also faded horribly after a month of wear and wash.
Thank you for this in depth coverage of the evolution and history of the SAF's uniform kind sir! As a Singaporean who went through NS and wears the uniform, actually got to learn about and appreciate it more too! Besides that, as some have pointed out, group picture at 11:23 shows the men wearing number 1, not number 2. Number 2 is a dressier uniform, like something you'd wear to a white tie event. Nonetheless, great video!
I'm proud to be a singaporean and the camofluge my godfather was using the first camofluge when he was in the army using the M16 and he showed me his picture of him driving a jeep.
The second generation camouflage comes distinct of 2 generation , the 80s V cut pocket and the straight cut 90s pocket . On top of that the older ones turn lime green when it's season, while the latter in a lighter dark green. In between mid 90s straight cut was introduced, lime green is still the tone . Somewhere in early late 90s it change to darker green. You could spot an old timer from afar in bases with its lime green camo uniform. Fun facts , today provost still wear OD green temaske style uniform .
Yeah, you could tell when one enlisted in the 1980s and 1990s by how orangey and lime green their No.4 uniforms were. I just want to add as well that other working uniforms include mechanic coveralls that were in a OD green color and armor crewman coveralls that were a different darker green and made from Nomex; the mechanic coveralls have since shifted to a digital camo pattern, while the armor crewman coveralls are unchanged.
@@Kelvin_Foo the first camo batch in the 80s actually faded to white, so you could tell a reservist from a mile away.. the second batch solved the fading issue - when I went in, it was just after my brother ROD’ed (a term no longer used) and I had a set of his worn in uniform for use. My dad bought a new ‘Beach Road’ uniform for my NCO school passing out parade (the infamous Echo Coy, SAFINCOS) and it was actually the wrong colours - Brunei army, and I still remember my CSM freaking out!
@@shawnc5188 I enlisted in 1996, and had mismatched tops and bottoms (top was the newer batch darker print, straight cut pocket flap and the pants were the lighter print) because of the mysteries of the then Army Logistics Base. Didn't change these until my NS ICT cycle started and we got to change to the one with the additional "Singapore" tag.
Went in in 08 and got the woodland uniform. Exchanged it in 09 for the digital camo. I got the second gen green LBV. Think they issued the camo IBA along with the uniform in 09. Field pack was solid green, think they didn’t issue camo coloured field packs till 2010. My original digital jockey cap was green inside; the ones they issue now are khaki inside. I remember seeing one batch of guys doing route march in the digital uniform, digital IBA and green field pack. At first glance it looked like disembodied field packs floating through the jungle.
I am a Taiwanese who has served one year and ten months of compulsory military service. Singapore's army has been coming to Taiwan for training under the name "Project Starlight" for decades, and I would like to see the history of the evolution of Taiwan's army uniforms as well.
Went to Hukou and Hengchun on two different occasions, good times. Only had the change to interact with the Taiwanese once, but didn't make the best of convos
The digital pattern seems very versatile and modular. Pick the colour of the environment, output the camouflage. They were able to adapt the pattern for desert use in a very short while.
At 11:15 - that SAF No.1 Uniform is NOT of the 80s era uniform. The pic used is of current No.1 that has ben in uses from the mid 90s. At 11:22 - the pic used are No.1 and not No. 2 as narrated.
@4:49, on the origin of the word "Temasek", I believe it may be inaccurate. Temasek was the previous name of Singapore. Singapore was known as Temasek in the 13th to 14th century. The setttlement theory is from a Chinese source. However they are many sources (including Chinese source such as Wang Dayuan who in 1330 visited Temasek and called it Dan Ma Xi), has always refered to Singapore as Temasek such as observed in the "Nagarakretagama", written in 1365, a Javanese epic poem which called the island "Tumasik" as a vassal of the Majapahit. Temasek was also mentioned in the "Malay Annals" written in 1535. However I could be wrong and this is based on what I learned in school more than 2 decades ago (which means it is very basic knowledge meant for the public/masses). I will defer to any historian who can provide the appropriate evidence.
A new pattern for the new Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) of the SAF featuring light and predominantly dark grey rocky looking pattern has been released as of 2023. Though I often see DIS personnel wearing the army pattern no. 4s going to and returning from their base near my home. It seems like they use it just to distinguish and identify themselves as a new branch of the SAF. I've also spotted the Singapore Police Force's (SPF) Special Tactics and Rescue (STAR) team using a desert camo in training on the SPF's Instagram page, wonder why they need it considering they operate almost exclusively in urban environments. They also use the SCAR L instead of the SAR-21 which is quite interesting
I had the chance to wear the erdl during my full time national service and the digital pattern during my reservist training. I prefered the digital as it had sizes that is much more fitting to my body type compared to the erdl. In terms of look though, the erdl is stil my favorite for nostalgic value. Well done informative video, i myself as a Singaporean dont even know about that 2nd gen lizard pattern uniform. Thanks a bunch!
About Time I came across a Navy using essentially a Urban type grayish camo pattern, which is something I been Recommending for years!! Airforce in this video on the other hand makes some sense to wear their version of the blueberry camo but Airforce can be around trees, grass, ect, pilots may need to eject an Escape an Evade. So I can see the Airforce sticking with the ERDL pattern or going with "worker" type clothes to blend in somewhat like combat boots, dark blue unbloused cargo pants and either a single pocket cotton grey polo shirt or a 50% cotton - 50% polyester type grey button up work shirt with chest pockets with patches over the pockets, rank on the collar and a arm designate patch. (Try to blend in sorta, not stick out so you look a little like a low key working employee and not wear "Camouflage".. and from the Air you'd look slightly innocuous..) while pilots wear the coverall flight suits, and select personal wear camo, be it the Airforce police, or selected designated times like in a combat zone, or during change of command ceremonies. Never understood in the military the need to be wearing full Camouflage uniforms (without body armor, ect) while doing platoon duty and being on base all day and maybe sorting stuff in a warehouse or catching up on paper work. Why not Wear the normal cargo pant work slacks you see in most labor work environments, maybe green, grey or brownish colored, and unbloused, or just a solid color BDU pant, wear a normal labor job type shirt be it short or long sleeved style, a light weight button up work shirt, tucked in or not would be functional and price saving in a way. Maybe over the right pocket put the last name, over the left pocket the branch, and a Velcro area on left sleeve for unit patch under a flag patch, and a collar rank. A Optional solid color ball cap. Sometimes militaries do over think things. (I know I do.. sometimes.)
In the Philippines almost all gov't branches has camos, even traffic enforcers and firefighters have camos. Lately police officer can be commonly seen with their camo in their everyday duties
Oh wow that passed my eye! Good catch Bartek. That’s really cool and fascinating that the soldier on the right has pants that are similar pocket location like on Frye g2 and g3!
@@bartekmechanik Might have been a private purchase. I don’t believe they ever had trials such as though but who knows!? That’s the amazing thing about history and that’s why I started my history channel. I’ll do some research and see what I can find to respond to your great question,
9:00 The uniforms used by the Sayeret Matkal commandos is the Ugandan paratrooper uniform, which is also of the French Léopard camouflage (lizard pattern). Those uniforms were manufactured in Israel.
i would like to point out that the malay emergency 1948 to 1960 which the UK used counter insurgency techniques was successful, using UK special forces with indigenous forces,so to suggest that the uk used out dated jungle warfare techniques is inaccurate.also Australian and New Zealand forces where also trained by UK's SAS having excellent successes during their deployments to vietnam.
Okay, I'm a Sinagporean who was exempted from conscription due to my autism. As someone who has a interest in militaria, Singapore's rank insingia and structure is one of the more wacky/unique of the Commonwealth countries. We are the only former colony of the British Empire who have a Corporal First Class and a Private First Class to give an example.
I do enjoy watching your videos on camo and uniform history. But man you talk so fast it is difficult to keep up. The pictures of uniforms, soldiers in uniform, variations and videos of soldiers in action or training help to make your presentations interesting to me. Thank you for your content. Keep up the good work.
Hey just want to tip you of the new NCU (Nordic combat uniform) which is getting adopted by the Nordic countries over the next couple years. Norway (and soon probably other countries) even got new camos to accompany the new uniforms
My parents are Singaporean so i was actually really happy to see this video come out. This is also my second attempt to convince Uniform History to make a video about the Australian army camouflage, that is if it has not already been done before. Thank you.
Highly informative video, enjoyed it. Can you make this kind of country specific videos more? I would like to know about the history of Bangladesh, India & pakistan military's camouflage patterns in those videos
SAF Temasek Green itself was already more or less inspired by Israel's IDF soldier olive uniform. The last British soldier left Singapore in March 1976 and last New Zealand soldier left in 1989.
Actually, Singapore Digital Camo No. 4 has derivative.. Brunei Armed Forces also used similar pattern, because it was made by the same company who made the Singapore No. 4 pattern.
The Bruneian officers are trained in Singapore… They have a small population, and smaller armed forces, therefore it doesn’t make economical sense to have elaborate military industries. Also, the economies of Singapore and Brunei are very closely knitted, shared the same currency exchange. Thus, it’s no surprise of the closeness in such aspect :)
2:21 well now i know where a helmet liner with a thick black nylon web chinstrap attached to it originates from. looks exactly like the one on the guy to the left of the sikh. you can tell a bunch of the guys have the camo cover directly over the liner sans helmet.
Its funny how people hate UCP I grab all the gear I can, it’s the best modern urban/NIR camo there is, works good in Mojave Desert Arctic and rocky areas but it’s mainly an urban camo
16:48 come on man. You gotta talk about the Malaysia variant of Tiger stripes (loreng Rimau Belang) In its both woodland and in the pic Desert variant.
After I think about it . I think the content creator miss out one more camo. The NBC suit version. The colour and pattern is a little different . I believe more bluish green than green. .
@@youtubeaccount5738 yeap current ones are way too plain. The new material may be more practical, but I still prefer the smartness and feel of the older ones.
@@huaiwei Guess we're on the same boat then. And it is equally sad that the Gurkhas of the GCSPF don't wear their terais anymore (Except for ceremonial events) when on patrol.
@@youtubeaccount5738 yeah their's is also one of the smartest looking given their build. I suppose people nowadays just prefer practicality over looks. Sigh.
I am a Singaporean reserve soldier. One of the thousands of former conscripts who maintain our combat-readiness by attending annual training sessions lasting 1-2 weeks. While initially framed as a video about the history of the SAF's uniform, I was pleasantly surprised to find the video covering so many other important notes of Singapore's military history, from its training doctrine, to types of equipment, down to the intricacy of political considerations and decisions. Thank you for your wonderful work. Truly an understated masterpiece!
*oh yes, the near-perfect pronunciation of local terms was impressive. Cheers!
Wgt ord loh
I hated most of my life in the military, even despite the fact that I'm a military enthusiast. But you know that's just one of those things that's unique about being a Singaporean son. As the song goes, 'Can't forget, Days in army, with my rifle and my buddy and me'. This video brought back so many things about that time to me.
I really appreciated this video too.
Worked w/the RSAF in the early 90s. Their uniform for day to day work (aircraft maintenance) were a set of blue coveralls. OD green tshirts. Great guys to work with.
Yup, we wore the blue coveralls in the 90's. You probably worked with the guys at Arizona.
@@kwpf Actually... I was at Clark AB, Philippines. You guys would come in for Cope Thunder. You'd hadn't got the F16s yet. You all were flying F5s and A4s.
@@spacedredd I hope RSAF can train in the Philippines again. Any form of realistic training with competent partners and big airspace is beneficial to RSAF.
@@tankee1981ify as it is for our guys as well. Might as well call the Australians up to participate too.
@@spacedredd and hunter. 80’s the hunter were still flying.
I met a Singaporean armor officer when I was studying in Germany. Interesting guy. Had some great stories of training in Australia. Wasn't a huge beer drinker.
Great content as always.
He could be there due to Ex Panzer Strike where our Leo2A4 (stationed in Germany) and sometimes other armoured vehicles participated in.
Alcoholic drinks here in Singapore is ridiculously expensive due to high duties. Maybe that is why most of us don't drink as much as the rest of the world. 😁
th-cam.com/video/CzHdZRpbDpc/w-d-xo.html
@@tankee1981ify Oh huh interesting fact thanks bro
Singaporean military personnel are held to very rigid standards. Even in civilian clothing, getting drunk while on an overseas detachment would be grounds for court martial.
Even within its own country, military personnel are expected not to loiter around in public view while in military attire.
The heavy “sin tax” added for all alcohol products coming in doesn’t help either
For a country that hasn't been in many wars, Singapore has a great understanding what they need for an effective military. I've been sceptical on air forces and navies having their own so called camouflage, but Singapore seems to make a good argument for it. I'm also really impressed in their jungle camouflage... Military like over here in Britain, seem to just take woodland camouflage and just basically make it brighter... This idea doesn't seem to be effective to my mind. This is definitely one of my favourite videos you've made so far. Also, can you please do a video on DPM 😃
Camo is meant to enhance your survivability by making it difficult to spot you. Which is why i never understood navy camo in blue. Who are you hiding from? The ocean? Lol!
If anything if you go overboard its tougher for people to locate you since you blend so well with the ocean!
Another hilarious one is firefighters in camo shades of red & orange. Like, are you planning to hide amongst the flames? 😂
@@P53eud0nym05 The Australians sewed reflective stripes into their naval camo for man overboard! The idea of gray-dominant to blend with ships' gray paint makes sense; it should also stand out a bit better if the person goes over the side.
@@P53eud0nym05 The USN's NWU I made sesne though, the camo pattern wasn't intended to hide or conceal the wearer but to hid pinat, dirtl, oil, & grease stains so that the wearer could wear the uniform for lonber between washings because stains wouldn't show as well, at least in theory. The big problem with the uniform wasn't its camo pattern, it was that it was made from, for some odd reason, highly flammable materials that would light up like a torch as well as drip and melt when it caught on fire.
As for making being harder to see if knocked overbaard, it's not the like the previous USN shipboard working uniforms made in glourescent colors to be more visible in the water. Since at least WW II US saliors wore dungarees, which were bluie. Then boefore the NWU I and fater, dark blue coveralls became standard, so not exatly stand out colors for falling into ocean with.
@@petesheppard1709 Fair enough but trying to blend in with the ocean still doesn’t make sense to me though. Probably why the US Navy changed it but imagine all the wasted money. Sheesh! Or was there some undertable shit going on? 😂
@@Riceball01 Fair enough but personally i’d wash my overalls daily. Wouldn’t keep it for longer even if i can’t see stains. Bleh!
As a Singaporean its good to hear u pronunce some of the names correctly
I wore Temasek Green in NCC, then camouflage in NS, pixelised for reservist… bloody hell… how time flies 😂
I was a conscript in the SAF from 1994-96. When the latest Camouflage Patterns was release, I was skeptical about its effectiveness until I went back to camp for physical fitness test. The sun is going down and it was getting dark. I saw two conscripts soldiers walking across a football field at around 200-300 meters away. For a few minutes, I only saw two human heads "floating" across the football field. I was surprise to see the new Camouflage Patterns can blend into the color of the football field. The older Camouflage Patterns are not able to do that.
Can you do a series on the combat webbing for each country ?
fun fact, the 2nd gen pattern is still used by a formation in the SAF called the OPFOR, their job is to act as the enemy for other units to train against
Still effective if you try to engage enemies in dawn or dusk lighting
Yeah OPFOR or "Red Team" is a standard term.....
Though in Australia we wear "red dominant" Auscams
One uniform not mentioned is the Safari Suit, a short sleeved version of the jacket. It was used before the No 5 with Jacket was introduced. Many other neighbouring countries like Malaysia adopted the same design due to the hot weather.
And Israel wasn't the only one capable of assisting us, but it was the only one willing to do so.
In response to some criticism of Singapore collaborating with Israel (besides consulting them for military advice we've also bought their drones) due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (especially as we have a native Muslim population too) I remember a government official/minister once boldly blasted: "Don't you know no one else was willing to help us?"
Thanks to everyone who pointed out the error with the No. 1 Dress, an edit has been added to the description along with a link where you can find a current detailed illustrated breakdown of every Dress type for each branch of The SAF.
Singapore' official naming of military uniforms follows that of the UK I believe, the former colonial power here.
No. 1 ~ full dress uniform for formal parades e.g. National Day (the country's anniversary), military weddings (for officers), state funerals (e.g. for the country's 1st PM Lee Kwan Yew), officer commissioning, welcoming parade for foreign dignitaries
No. 2 ~ mess uniform for formal dinners e.g. graduation from a course
No. 3 ~ service uniform for office wear
No. 4 ~ camouflage combat/utility uniform/fatigues for physical activity that also includes less formal parades e.g. military funerals where the deceased is of more junior rank e.g. Corporal 1st Class, graduation from enlistee training (Basic Military Training (BMT)) & specialist cadet courses (until recently when they switched to the No. 1)
No. 5 ~ dress uniform i.e. the long-sleeved version of No. 3 plus tie (for men; females wear a ribbon instead I remember) e.g. for conferences, ceremony for new military scholars
No. 5J ~ No. 5 plus blazer
Admin tee ~ black shorts plus single colour T-shirt (green for army, grey for navy, purple for air force, though some airmen working with SAMs wear green instead for more appropriate camouflage) often worn under No.4 or can be work by itself e.g. during night time in barracks when sleeping
PT (physical training) kit - singlet with black shorts
Never thought that such a small country would make such an effort on camouflage patterns.
The more I learn about Singapore, the more I want to visit the country one day
It really is a great place. You should go there some time if you can take the 30 degree weather (celsius)
@@lilnozzmusic it is quite hot here
Welcome to Singapore 🇸🇬
Humid as hell too, be sure to pack enough clothes and deo
@@AiryAary My parents are singaporean and we go there every year but not in 2021 or 2022 because of covid :)
As someone doing research into the SAF, I'm shocked how good and detailed this video was! Great job!
Not detailed enough because 11:25 is not the #2 uniform.
Jeezus, I spilled my beverage when the guys I used to serve under and with popped up in this video lol. Great stuff man.
Also awesome to see Alvin's collection as part of this vid. Lots of knowledge and a great dude.
Thanks for this! Great and accurate summary, we in SG couldn't have asked for more.
Love to see Singapore here. I always remember NS day and I lived near an active military camp so seeing our men in colour on the channel makes me happy. Would love to see another south-east Asian country be included next.
There was a reddish skinny Tiger stripe pattern trialed in 1983 and worn for the National Day Parade by an OCS cadet contingent. At the time, it was thought to be similar to the Commando one. But it was found too cottony and thin and did not pass muster. Hence the big patch one was preferred and adopted. It was tougher and had an insulating layer sprayed on inside. Warmer to wear (soldiers were punished if found to wear a tee-shirt inside (to absorb sweat)). But it afforded better protection against the cold at night and also to the elbows and knees when falling prone to the ground.
Btw, the task of designing new uniforms for the tri-forces in the 80s fell to a Col Patrick Choy at SCSC, Seletar Camp. And a subordinate there (who could draw very well) a Francis Wong drew them. Col Choy then picked what he liked and had them commissioned . The NCOs there were then asked to 'model' the prototypes when they came out.
Buck are you Singaporean? I was in probably the first units (84-86) to be issued the new camouflage uniforms with the plastic insulating layer and we hated it. We wished we could have the camouflage on the old temasek green cotton uniforms. Many more servicemen had heat stroke as the new uniforms were harder to "season" or breakin. They also made us stink as the sweat could not escape and dry out. In those days, we stroute marched in public places like Changi Beach and East Coast Park, and we were very embarassed as we knew we must have let off a stink as we passed, but we just held our heads high and kept singing and strutting our stuff with the heavy full battle order. Thanks for making this video. Its scary how someone can know so much about a segment of Singapore military history when we were not even allowed to take photos when we were training. Kudos and thanks.
Man, I was in BMT back in 2007 when they were transitioning us from the woodland No 4 to the digital. I remember a whole bunch of officer's wives throwing up a big stink about how the new uniforms were ugly and petitioned to halt the change. It was, needless to say, ridiculous and roundly ignored.
For Singapore 'woodland' camo, it's generally divided to 4 eras. Lime green v cut. Lime green straight cut . Darker green straight with only name tag. Dark green straight cut with Singapore tab , division and vocational tab. After that all transit to pixel.
I just wna say that this is a great video but you made a slight error at 11:22. The uniform in the photograph is a No.1 uniform used for parades. The No.2 looks almost like a tuxedo. But other than that, overall I really enjoyed this video, coming from a Singaporean 👍👍👍
No.2 for mess hall times
@@youtubeaccount5738 never got a chance to wear it, I was only a trooper haha
@@its_adamboi6276 SOC trooper?
@@youtubeaccount5738 nah infantry trooper
@@its_adamboi6276 Ahhhh, I see.
The picture used for the No.2 dress is wrong, as it shows the No.1 Dress with the Peaked cap, the current use of the No.1 Dress us now with the beret for the army, and Peaked cap for the navy and air force. There are also different variations of the No.5 Dress, namely No.5T, No.5J, No.5T enhanced. over all a very good summary of our uniforms.
based on publicly-available photos, it seems that Singapore's more elite special operations forces have been seen to use multicam, tropical multicam and black multicam camo in recent times.
For the non-military side, the Gurkhas (under the Ministry of Home Affairs) previously wore British DPM, and were recently photographed wearing Multicam.
@@wormisgod the Gurkhas seem to use the British MTP variant of multicam though, probably to distinguish from military units.
Common thing for SOF. Almost like that in every countries. SOF operators have a carte blanche of picking their own gears to their liking. Uniform included.
@@manchesterunitedno7 also true.
I was in probably the first units (84-86) to be issued the new camouflage uniforms with the plastic insulating layer and we hated it. We wished we could have the camouflage on the old temasek green cotton uniforms, which we still used on some occasions. Many more servicemen had heat stroke as the new uniforms were harder to "season" or breakin. They also made us stink as the sweat could not escape and dry out. In those days, we still route marched in public places like Changi Beach and East Coast Park, and we were very embarrassed as we knew we must have let off a stink as we passed, but we just held our heads high and kept singing and strutting our stuff with the heavy full battle orders we were carrying. Thanks for making this video. Its scary how someone can know so much about a segment of Singapore military history when we were not even allowed to take photos when we were training. Kudos and thanks.
I was among the first to be issued the camo uniform end-1983. These first uniforms were a disaster: they had a inner coating that did not breathe and caused multiple heat stroke cases. They also faded horribly after a month of wear and wash.
Made in Korea. Feels like a hot iron pressing on your back when make to do push up during noon time. I kept a set😝
@@tanmilton3583 I still have all my Gen 2 combat kit at home including helmet and SBO as I live overseas and missed the de-kitting.
Thank you for this in depth coverage of the evolution and history of the SAF's uniform kind sir! As a Singaporean who went through NS and wears the uniform, actually got to learn about and appreciate it more too!
Besides that, as some have pointed out, group picture at 11:23 shows the men wearing number 1, not number 2. Number 2 is a dressier uniform, like something you'd wear to a white tie event. Nonetheless, great video!
I'm proud to be a singaporean and the camofluge my godfather was using the first camofluge when he was in the army using the M16 and he showed me his picture of him driving a jeep.
Interesting! That's quite the process for a such a tiny nation.
The second generation camouflage comes distinct of 2 generation , the 80s V cut pocket and the straight cut 90s pocket . On top of that the older ones turn lime green when it's season, while the latter in a lighter dark green. In between mid 90s straight cut was introduced, lime green is still the tone . Somewhere in early late 90s it change to darker green. You could spot an old timer from afar in bases with its lime green camo uniform.
Fun facts , today provost still wear OD green temaske style uniform .
The provost temasek green is more for ceremonial & general duties. In the field its still number 4.
Yeah, you could tell when one enlisted in the 1980s and 1990s by how orangey and lime green their No.4 uniforms were. I just want to add as well that other working uniforms include mechanic coveralls that were in a OD green color and armor crewman coveralls that were a different darker green and made from Nomex; the mechanic coveralls have since shifted to a digital camo pattern, while the armor crewman coveralls are unchanged.
@@Kelvin_Foo the first camo batch in the 80s actually faded to white, so you could tell a reservist from a mile away.. the second batch solved the fading issue - when I went in, it was just after my brother ROD’ed (a term no longer used) and I had a set of his worn in uniform for use. My dad bought a new ‘Beach Road’ uniform for my NCO school passing out parade (the infamous Echo Coy, SAFINCOS) and it was actually the wrong colours - Brunei army, and I still remember my CSM freaking out!
@@shawnc5188 I enlisted in 1996, and had mismatched tops and bottoms (top was the newer batch darker print, straight cut pocket flap and the pants were the lighter print) because of the mysteries of the then Army Logistics Base. Didn't change these until my NS ICT cycle started and we got to change to the one with the additional "Singapore" tag.
As a Singaporean & SAF soldier, this was an eye-opener.
8:25 Those three soldiers are the mysterious combat trackers, also referred to as elite trackers, who used to have a permanent team based in Brunei.
Went in in 08 and got the woodland uniform. Exchanged it in 09 for the digital camo.
I got the second gen green LBV. Think they issued the camo IBA along with the uniform in 09. Field pack was solid green, think they didn’t issue camo coloured field packs till 2010.
My original digital jockey cap was green inside; the ones they issue now are khaki inside.
I remember seeing one batch of guys doing route march in the digital uniform, digital IBA and green field pack. At first glance it looked like disembodied field packs floating through the jungle.
Thank you for your service!
Am serving my NS next year :)
I am a Taiwanese who has served one year and ten months of compulsory military service. Singapore's army has been coming to Taiwan for training under the name "Project Starlight" for decades, and I would like to see the history of the evolution of Taiwan's army uniforms as well.
Went to Hukou and Hengchun on two different occasions, good times. Only had the change to interact with the Taiwanese once, but didn't make the best of convos
The digital pattern seems very versatile and modular. Pick the colour of the environment, output the camouflage. They were able to adapt the pattern for desert use in a very short while.
At 11:15 - that SAF No.1 Uniform is NOT of the 80s era uniform. The pic used is of current No.1 that has ben in uses from the mid 90s. At 11:22 - the pic used are No.1 and not No. 2 as narrated.
This was very interesting & informative. Would love to see one for the ROK armed forces.
Nice choice of photo at 11:09 to demonstrate the helmet pattern with the current prime minister XD
@4:49, on the origin of the word "Temasek", I believe it may be inaccurate. Temasek was the previous name of Singapore. Singapore was known as Temasek in the 13th to 14th century. The setttlement theory is from a Chinese source. However they are many sources (including Chinese source such as Wang Dayuan who in 1330 visited Temasek and called it Dan Ma Xi), has always refered to Singapore as Temasek such as observed in the "Nagarakretagama", written in 1365, a Javanese epic poem which called the island "Tumasik" as a vassal of the Majapahit. Temasek was also mentioned in the "Malay Annals" written in 1535.
However I could be wrong and this is based on what I learned in school more than 2 decades ago (which means it is very basic knowledge meant for the public/masses). I will defer to any historian who can provide the appropriate evidence.
A new pattern for the new Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) of the SAF featuring light and predominantly dark grey rocky looking pattern has been released as of 2023. Though I often see DIS personnel wearing the army pattern no. 4s going to and returning from their base near my home. It seems like they use it just to distinguish and identify themselves as a new branch of the SAF. I've also spotted the Singapore Police Force's (SPF) Special Tactics and Rescue (STAR) team using a desert camo in training on the SPF's Instagram page, wonder why they need it considering they operate almost exclusively in urban environments. They also use the SCAR L instead of the SAR-21 which is quite interesting
I can just say that the camouflage pattern is very effective
I've got the conplete 1967 webbing! What a rare fine!
Great video man!
11:07 that's the current prime minister of Singapore on the left most picture
Good spot
I had the chance to wear the erdl during my full time national service and the digital pattern during my reservist training. I prefered the digital as it had sizes that is much more fitting to my body type compared to the erdl. In terms of look though, the erdl is stil my favorite for nostalgic value. Well done informative video, i myself as a Singaporean dont even know about that 2nd gen lizard pattern uniform. Thanks a bunch!
About Time I came across a Navy using essentially a Urban type grayish camo pattern, which is something I been Recommending for years!! Airforce in this video on the other hand makes some sense to wear their version of the blueberry camo but Airforce can be around trees, grass, ect, pilots may need to eject an Escape an Evade. So I can see the Airforce sticking with the ERDL pattern or going with "worker" type clothes to blend in somewhat like combat boots, dark blue unbloused cargo pants and either a single pocket cotton grey polo shirt or a 50% cotton - 50% polyester type grey button up work shirt with chest pockets with patches over the pockets, rank on the collar and a arm designate patch. (Try to blend in sorta, not stick out so you look a little like a low key working employee and not wear "Camouflage".. and from the Air you'd look slightly innocuous..) while pilots wear the coverall flight suits, and select personal wear camo, be it the Airforce police, or selected designated times like in a combat zone, or during change of command ceremonies. Never understood in the military the need to be wearing full Camouflage uniforms (without body armor, ect) while doing platoon duty and being on base all day and maybe sorting stuff in a warehouse or catching up on paper work. Why not Wear the normal cargo pant work slacks you see in most labor work environments, maybe green, grey or brownish colored, and unbloused, or just a solid color BDU pant, wear a normal labor job type shirt be it short or long sleeved style, a light weight button up work shirt, tucked in or not would be functional and price saving in a way. Maybe over the right pocket put the last name, over the left pocket the branch, and a Velcro area on left sleeve for unit patch under a flag patch, and a collar rank. A Optional solid color ball cap.
Sometimes militaries do over think things.
(I know I do.. sometimes.)
In the Philippines almost all gov't branches has camos, even traffic enforcers and firefighters have camos. Lately police officer can be commonly seen with their camo in their everyday duties
8:14 Wow!! Solider on the right has pants with similar pocket location like on crye g2 and g3!
Oh wow that passed my eye! Good catch Bartek. That’s really cool and fascinating that the soldier on the right has pants that are similar pocket location like on Frye g2 and g3!
@@expandedhistory I wonder if that was just a private purchase or modification, or was it a trial cut
@@bartekmechanik Might have been a private purchase. I don’t believe they ever had trials such as though but who knows!? That’s the amazing thing about history and that’s why I started my history channel. I’ll do some research and see what I can find to respond to your great question,
@@expandedhistory I would be greatful to see such content!
Camouflaged uniforms were first worn by snipers in the mid-70s. First users of face camo and camo face net too. I was one of them.
Currently in the SAF!
The Army is certainly way ahead of other regional Armies, including Australia's tiny force.
11:10 Did he just use the PM's photo?
9:00 The uniforms used by the Sayeret Matkal commandos is the Ugandan paratrooper uniform, which is also of the French Léopard camouflage (lizard pattern). Those uniforms were manufactured in Israel.
thank you for making this
i would like to point out that the malay emergency 1948 to 1960 which the UK used counter insurgency techniques was successful, using UK special forces with indigenous forces,so to suggest that the uk used out dated jungle warfare techniques is inaccurate.also Australian and New Zealand forces where also trained by UK's SAS having excellent successes during their deployments to vietnam.
Okay, I'm a Sinagporean who was exempted from conscription due to my autism. As someone who has a interest in militaria, Singapore's rank insingia and structure is one of the more wacky/unique of the Commonwealth countries. We are the only former colony of the British Empire who have a Corporal First Class and a Private First Class to give an example.
Make a video about the military uniforms of Malaysia and ROC(Taiwan).
Great job. Very entertaining
I do enjoy watching your videos on camo and uniform history. But man you talk so fast it is difficult to keep up. The pictures of uniforms, soldiers in uniform, variations and videos of soldiers in action or training help to make your presentations interesting to me. Thank you for your content. Keep up the good work.
Please make more camo vids for more Asian countries, like Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines etc...
Great video. Very insightful.
Hey just want to tip you of the new NCU (Nordic combat uniform) which is getting adopted by the Nordic countries over the next couple years. Norway (and soon probably other countries) even got new camos to accompany the new uniforms
My parents are Singaporean so i was actually really happy to see this video come out.
This is also my second attempt to convince Uniform History to make a video about the Australian army camouflage, that is if it has not already been done before. Thank you.
Your parents had made a very wise choice in letting u take up Australian citizenship
nice shot of Wu Style Tai Chi ~@7:00 it's a bit curious why it's in there though...
Picture used for no.2 uniform is wrong, that's still no.1
Highly informative video, enjoyed it. Can you make this kind of country specific videos more? I would like to know about the history of Bangladesh, India & pakistan military's camouflage patterns in those videos
How about a deep dive or a series of videos that cover all of WWII uniforms? The series could cover all uniforms of the allies and axis.
Great video. Do Colombia next
Very interesting !
SAF Temasek Green itself was already more or less inspired by Israel's IDF soldier olive uniform. The last British soldier left Singapore in March 1976 and last New Zealand soldier left in 1989.
There’s a joke that the old Temasek Green was so stiff when starched, it could stand on its own 😂
Actually, Singapore Digital Camo No. 4 has derivative.. Brunei Armed Forces also used similar pattern, because it was made by the same company who made the Singapore No. 4 pattern.
The Bruneian officers are trained in Singapore…
They have a small population, and smaller armed forces, therefore it doesn’t make economical sense to have elaborate military industries. Also, the economies of Singapore and Brunei are very closely knitted, shared the same currency exchange.
Thus, it’s no surprise of the closeness in such aspect :)
Hi, from Singapore!
Would have been interesting if you included info about camo paint patterns on soldiers faces
Can you do a video on the history and development of U.S. ARMY dress uniforms?
2:21 well now i know where a helmet liner with a thick black nylon web chinstrap attached to it originates from. looks exactly like the one on the guy to the left of the sikh. you can tell a bunch of the guys have the camo cover directly over the liner sans helmet.
Oh boy, came as soon as the discord notification came up
Your example of no. 2 dress is wrong btw. The flag bearers are wearing no. 1 uniforms
I believe the current pixel design needs bigger pixels for better digital effect
Can you do the Indonesian army's patterns?
I love their guns the Sar 21
Nah the sight sucks
The no.4 camouflage I’m pretty sure was called woodland green. This was a very educational and lovely video!
I would love to see episode about uniform of British army from Children of men .
Its funny how people hate UCP I grab all the gear I can, it’s the best modern urban/NIR camo there is, works good in Mojave Desert Arctic and rocky areas but it’s mainly an urban camo
Nice! It would be cool if you would make a video about the camouflage patterns of Malaysia, Singapore's neighbor
16:48 come on man. You gotta talk about the Malaysia variant of Tiger stripes (loreng Rimau Belang)
In its both woodland and in the pic Desert variant.
nice video, i wore the 2nd gen erdl
After I think about it . I think the content creator miss out one more camo. The NBC suit version. The colour and pattern is a little different . I believe more bluish green than green. .
I believe that's using the same dye as U.S. Woodland green. Our MOPP-4 suits are U.S. Woodland, not ERDL pattern.
Belgian jigsaw soon?
Well done
Eh, you guys should look at the Police uniforms of the Singapore Police Force. Very niice.
I don't quite like the newer ones from 2018 though. ;)
@@huaiwei Yeap, I agree with you. I prefer the OG silver button ones with the very nice breast pockets.
@@youtubeaccount5738 yeap current ones are way too plain. The new material may be more practical, but I still prefer the smartness and feel of the older ones.
@@huaiwei Guess we're on the same boat then. And it is equally sad that the Gurkhas of the GCSPF don't wear their terais anymore (Except for ceremonial events) when on patrol.
@@youtubeaccount5738 yeah their's is also one of the smartest looking given their build. I suppose people nowadays just prefer practicality over looks. Sigh.
Great content, but there's a small error; what you described to be Number 2 dress around 11:22 is really a variation of the Number 1 dress.
🔥🔥🔥
Me, a singaporean watching a recap of our history for the 20th time: Interesting
good report
Thank you asianometry!
You know. Before I watched this video, I did not know that Singapore was a City-State. I thought it was an entire country bigger that it actually is.
Make one video about Indian army. They just changed their combat uniform this January.
Singapore camo 11/10 rating.
I'd be interested in the Japan Self Defense Force uniforms.......
You should do Belgian jigsaw
Trivia question:
0:40
Why is the order of OLDEST to NEWEST uniform starting from the right, to the left?
Do they read from the right to the left??
We read from top to bottom
@@frostbitepokin9520 as you write?
I've been through the camo to the pixelated camo