It mimics densely built-up town to meet rising need for urban ops training

Soldiers from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) now have a state-of-the-art urban training facility to hone their skills and tactics for a range of missions, including homeland security, counter-terrorism and disaster relief operations.

- Mike Yeo

Safti City Phase 1, equipped with MRT stations, a 12-storey hotel, a school, malls and about 11,000 electronic sensors, was officially opened by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on March 19.

The new facility, which mimics a densely built-up town, will meet a cardinal tenet for the SAF: training stays realistic, especially as urban operations will increasingly be a requirement for any military, Dr Ng said.

The 17ha facility - roughly equivalent to the size of 24 football fields - comprises 71 buildings. Besides interconnected buildings, it has a simulated integrated transport hub with a bus interchange and MRT stations with above-ground and underground platforms occupied by actual trains that have been withdrawn from service.

This means that in a scenario where terrorists take a trainload of passengers hostage, troops can decide exactly which window to breach and enter, and how to nullify the threats, removing any guesswork or need for extrapolation, Dr Ng said.

"The physicality of this facility brings focus, and brings to bear the problems you will encounter."

The opening of this sector of Safti City marks the realisation of over five years of deliberate planning and execution by Mindef and the SAF, he added.