Pasir Laba Camp is a military base of the

Singapore Armed Forces The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are the military services of the Republic of Singapore, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the country. A military component of the Ministry of Defence (MINDE ...

(SAF) located in

Western Water Catchment The Western Water Catchment is a planning area located in the West Region of Singapore. The planning area borders Tuas and Pioneer to its south, Sungei Kadut, Choa Chu Kang and Tengah to its east, Jurong West to its southeast, Lim Chu Kang to ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. It is home to the

Specialist and Warrant Officer Institute The Specialist and Warrant Officer Institute (SWI) is the military training centre for warrant officers, specialists (non-commissioned officers) and military experts of the Singapore Armed Forces. Located at Pasir Laba Camp in the Western Wa ...

, where specialists (

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

s) and

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

s are trained. There are other SAF training centres and units based in Pasir Laba Camp as well. Along with Sungei Gedong Camp in

Lim Chu Kang Lim Chu Kang is a planning area located in the northwestern part of the North Region of Singapore, bordering the Western Water Catchment to the west and south, Sungei Kadut to the east and the Straits of Johor to the north. History Lim Chu K ...

, Pasir Laba Camp is one of two military bases in Singapore which control access to the SAFTI Live Firing Area in Western Water Catchment.

History

The

Singapore government The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of Singapore to mean the executive branch of the state, which is made up of the president and the Cabinet. Although the president acts in their personal discretion in the exercise o ...

cleared Pasir Laba Road of squatter settlements in the 1960s so that a military camp, known as the Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute (SAFTI), could be constructed for the

(SAF) to use as a training and live firing ground. While the camp was under construction, the SAF Training Institute (SAFTI) was temporarily housed at Jurong Town Primary School. On 18 June 1966, the SAFTI was officially opened. In 1980, the

School of Infantry Specialists The Specialist Cadet School (SCS) is the military training centre for the Singapore Armed Forces' specialists, the equivalent of non-commissioned officers (NCOs) in other countries' armed forces. Made up of twelve companies divided into thre ...

and School of Infantry Weapons, along with HQ Infantry, were moved to the SAFTI premises. However, only the

Officer Cadet School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country. How OCS is run differs between countries and services. Typ ...

was allowed to use the name "SAFTI" for its location; other units based there had to identify themselves as being in "Pasir Laba Camp". On 31 May 1986, Pasir Laba Camp was renamed SAFTI and all units based there were allowed to use the name "SAFTI". This continued until June 1995 when the Officer Cadet School and other officer schools were moved to a new complex, the

SAFTI Military Institute The SAFTI Military Institute (SAFTI MI) is a military institute of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) comprising five schools: the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College, three SAF Advanced Schools, and the Officer Cadet School. Located on an ...

, at Upper Jurong Road. The original SAFTI premises then reverted to its old name as Pasir Laba Camp. As the

Singapore Army The Singapore Army is the land service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The largest of the four branches of the SAF, the Singapore Army traces its origins to the 1st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR), which was formed i ...

expanded, new training centres such as the Basic Combat Training Centre, People's Defence Force Training Centre and Infantry Training Centre, were established at Pasir Laba Camp to meet the Army's training needs. On 1 July 2004, as part of the Army's restructuring, the three centres merged to form the Infantry Training Institute (ITI). The ITI shifted to Jurong Camp II in 2008, which provides better training facilities and easier access to various training areas. The Basic Combat Training Centre was closed in December 2009 and became the Pasir Laba Ammunition Depot.

Organisation

The

's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is based in Pasir Laba Camp, along with the

Specialist Cadet School The Specialist Cadet School (SCS) is the military training centre for the Singapore Armed Forces' specialists, the equivalent of non-commissioned officers (NCOs) in other countries' armed forces. Made up of twelve companies divided into three ...

and

SAFWOS Leadership School The Specialist and Warrant Officer Institute (SWI) is the Military academy, military training centre for Warrant officer#Singapore Armed Forces, warrant officers, Specialist (Singapore), specialists (non-commissioned officers) and Singapore Arme ...

, where specialists (

s) and

s are trained. Other training schools in Pasir Laba Camp include the School of Military Intelligence and School of Infantry Weapons. The Training Resource Management Centre, which controls and maintains the SAFTI Live Firing Area and other military training areas around Singapore, is located in Pasir Laba Camp. On 4 October 2013, the Multi-Mission Range Complex, an indoor

firing range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, venue or field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice or competitions. Some shooting ranges are operated by military ...

, was opened in Pasir Laba Camp.

References

{{Commonscat Camps and bases of the Singapore Armed Forces Western Water Catchment