Special Operations Force (Singapore)
The Special Operations Force (SOF)[3] is the primary special forces unit of the Singapore Army responsible for conducting special operations. The SOF is composed of only highly-trained regular servicemen from the Commandos formation.[4]
| Special Operations Force | |
|---|---|
 Patch of the Special Operations Force | |
| Active | 1984 – present |
| Country |  Singapore |
| Branch |  Singapore Army |
| Type | Special forces |
| Role | |
| Part of | Commandos Special Operations Task Force |
| Engagements | Operation Thunderbolt |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Colonel Lam Shiu Tong[1] Colonel Chiang Hock Woon[2] |
It is also a component of the Special Operations Task Force (SOTF), alongside the Special Warfare Group (SWG) of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).[5]
History
On 27 September 1972, a flight engineer aboard Olympic Airlines Flight 472 accidentally activated a hijack alarm. The flight, which had 31 passengers and 11 crew members on board, took off from Sydney, Australia at 1030 hours SST and was heading towards Paya Lebar Airport in Singapore. The Australian authorities were not informed of the situation until four hours later. Following a flurry of conflicting reports, Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority warned Paya Lebar Airport to be prepared for a possible hijack.
Flight 472 landed in Singapore at 1825 hours SST and was immediately surrounded by the police before the Singapore authorities could confirm that it was a false alarm. The incident highlighted the lack of special forces trained and equipped to deal with a hijack or hostage situation in Singapore.
The SOF was created in 1984.[6]
Operation Thunderbolt (1991)
On 26 March 1991, Singapore Airlines Flight 117 was hijacked in flight by four men, who took all 129 people on board hostage. At Singapore Changi Airport, commandos from the SOF stormed the plane, killed the four hijackers and freed the hostages in under a minute.[7] This also marked the SOF's first combat operation.[7]
Commando HQ was awarded a Medal of Valor and a unit citation for the success of the operation.[3]
References
- Yeo, Jared (27 June 2011). "Our Army recognises the commitment and dedication of its servicemen". MINDEF. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- Cheam, Samuel (11 March 2011). "Commando Formation and SOTF Welcome New Commander". MINDEF. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20120224225528/www.specialoperations.com/Foreign/Singapore/SOF.htm
- Neville (2019), p. 178.
- Chow, Jermyn (1 July 2009). "Special forces to work under one command". AsiaOne News. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/young-soldiers-are-no-strawberry-generation-says-the-chief-commando-officer
- "As a Special Forces soldier, he stormed a hijacked Singapore Airlines plane. Now he's a monk". CNA. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
Bibliography
- Neville, Leigh (2019). The Elite: The A–Z of Modern Special Operations Forces. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1472824295.
