From: engp1186@nuscc.nus.sg (Won-Soon Lau)
Subject: Re: Defense of S'pore; was about F16 & Mig29
Organization: National University of Singapore
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 09:09:16 GMT

sofjan mustopoh (smustopo@nyx.cs.du.edu) wrote:
: 
:  First you said singapore has luxury of surounded by hostile country
:        ready for a war .  ?? Then why you keep using the malaysia,indonesia
:        scenario.
You got it wrong.  I said Singapore don't has the luxury of surounded by
hostile countries.
: 
:  ( stuffs about US soldier's training deleted )

:     In Desert storm you don't see a bunch of guy yelling charge and chrge
:    enemy line using size advantage. What you see is 24 Hours of constant 
:    bombing  to soften the enemy before out flanking them and trap them.
:    thus the doctrine 2 to 1 and charge , are not use. 

In a well dugged-in position,  constant bombing can only harass the
enemy psychologically but physical demage is not likely to be great.
Even the 155mm gun cannot cause enough demage to a fortified objective to
render it defenceless.  You still need foot soldiers to comb the objective
and take the enemy one by one.  When the allied troopes did the flanking,
they did not take the enemy all in one go.  Therefore, there is always an
advantage in term of number.  The republican guards were deceived by the
gun fire from the coast and moved forward to reinforce thereby leaving them
in the open.  If they have not moved, it wouldn't be a 100 hours
ground war.  Don't take my statement as pro-iraqi, the only common thing
between them and me is the word "guards".

: 
:    Now back to Singapore. As i have said if every men are reservist and
:    at the event of war are armed and ready to fight .Enemy would consider
:    every male civilian are indeed  a legitimate military target.

Then you need a very smart bomb that can identify who is male and
who is female.  Definitely not an easy thing to do.

:       Invasion of Singapore wolud require an amphibious operation
:    which would be very difficult. considering singapore size. But how
:    about bombing. since all male are consider a soldier t,that could be
: taken
:    as "you can bomb any where".  the casualties would be very high for

I don't want to go over it again in which you say "Bomb Singapore" and I
reply with "How? With what?" and another one will say use VX gas or
"durian rain" or whatever.

:      singaporean. picture a war just like in Sarajevo (Yugoslavia) in
:    singapore. where no body gain ground but civiliabn suffer horribly.
:    that is not the kind of war Singaporean want. isn't it as matter of fact
:   no Singaporean want a war isn't it. 

No, this is not that kind of war we want if we ever need to fight it.  But
I can assure you that it will be very short and decisive.  We are too small
to fight a prolonged war.  Just one blow is just about what we can give.
I don't know how it will be delivered but I can assure you that the force
is not going to be light.
: 
:    Now considering why in the world Indonesia or Malaysia want to invade
:    Singapore . Unless Both country rule by a Megalomaniac .the war might
:    never happen. First the is no natural resouces in Singapore to fight for
:    as for Singapore economic wealth. well what would it be worth after 
:    months of war for the invading country. Singapore are more valuable
:    for malaysia and indonesia as it is Now. 

A lot of time, you don't need a good reason to start a war.  Neither do
you need a Megalomaniac as the head of a state to do so.  Remember when
china invaded Vietnam in 1978(?).  They did it because they wanted to
"punish" the vietnamese.  Do you consider that a good reason?
: 
:        As i recall there are agreementhat in the event of war singapore
:    can use Indonesia airfield some  where in sumatra. this outline
:    the doctrine of Asean defense . Asean country should act as one.
:    not a separate country  fighting for herself. 
: 
No such agreement that I'm aware of.  Closest is a firing range jointly
managed by both air forces.

-WS
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