What is Safti City, and how will it improve SAF training?

Facility resembles densely populated urban city, boosting training realism

- Mike Yeo

On March 19, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) officially opened the first phase of its next-generation urban training facility that Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced in 2017.

Dr Ng had billed Safti City as the most technologically advanced in the world for realistic urban training, calling the multimillion-dollar project an investment that would last the SAF for a generation as security challenges evolve.

The Straits Times looks into what Safti City is, what makes it unique and why it is needed.

Q What is Safti City?

A Safti City is designed to resemble a densely populated urban city, presenting a realistic environment to challenge SAF soldiers in the complexities of urban operations.

The entire Safti City training area will span 88ha, just slightly larger than the size of the Botanic Gardens.

The newly opened first phase in Lim Chu Kang features a mix of low- and high-rise buildings with multiple entries and exits, interconnected buildings and a subterranean environment.

This 17ha facility—roughly equivalent to the size of 24 football fields—comprises 71 buildings that include 12-storey towers representing offices and hotels.

It has a simulated transport hub with a bus interchange, MRT platforms and decommissioned trains donated by the Land Transport Authority.

In addition to combat training, the area can be used in scenarios like counter-terrorism, homeland security and disaster relief training. Other agencies, like the Home Team, will also be able to derive training value from it.

Other unique features of Safti City Phase 1 include heavy use of technological enablers to make training more realistic. These include smart targets that can "shoot back" and trigger body-worn sensors on soldiers when they are "hit".