Little red dot

I enjoyed this article on Singapore's military capabilities very much.

"The SAF lacks operational experience no doubt, but in terms of its training, its military hardware, and its doctrines, it is certainly the most developed and mature conventional military force in Southeast Asia," said Assistant Professor Bernard Loo, a military analyst in Singapore."

Lest you think that's a biased statement, attest.

"Robert Karniol, Asia-Pacific editor of the military affairs journal Jane's Defence Weekly, said only Vietnam among the Southeast Asian nations could possibly be a military match for Singapore. "In terms of a standing army and combat capability, the Vietnamese armed forces have an awful lot of combat experience which the Singaporeans don't," he said. "The Singaporeans have proven to be capable when called upon, but they've never been able to do anything as complex as the Vietnamese have."

And of course, we have the other side of the coin :

"Abdul Razak Baginda, executive director of the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre, maintained that Singapore still has an Israeli siege mentality."That mentality is I think embedded in the psyche of the Singapore leadership, the Singapore people and the military," he said. "Singapore is surrounded by the Malay world."

Personally, I think having a seige mentality isn't too shabby at all. We have a lot of things wrong with some of the sheeple in this country, but we ARE extremely effective as a nation. I'd rather be known for being competent, resilient and driven than for showy projects. If it helps us to focus on the fact that no one is going to help us..... then hell yes, focus away.

And we ARE bloody effective. Take away all the bloody whiners and you will find that the core people who keep this country moving will buckle down, no whinging, and get down to it.


Trust me on this.