Singapore

Republic of Singapore

The Republic of Singapore is a small island nation in Southeast Asia, formerly a British colony and part of British Malaya. The nation became a self-governing member of the British Commonwealth in 1959, and in 1963 declared independence from Britain. A short-lived member of the Federation of Malaysia, the country was expelled in 1965 and has remained a sovereign republic since.

The Singapore Armed Forces contains approximately 71,000 active duty personnel in the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Camouflage Patterns of Singapore

• The earliest documented use of camouflage by the Armed Forces of Singapore can be traced to the mid-1960s, in the form of a helmet cover printed in a spot pattern camouflage bearing strong similarities to the Beo Gam (leopard) pattern of the Republic of Vietnam. The origins of this camouflage pattern are unknown, but the helmet covers were worn by Infantry units through 1976, after which they were replaced by a striped pattern.

• The standard working uniform of the Singapore Army during the 1970s and 1980s was called the Temasek olive green uniform. Only Commandos were issued camouflage uniforms, in a unique vertical stripe or vertical lizard pattern that first appeared circa 1976 as a helmet cover sported by Infantry units on the M1 steel helmet. There are two distinct variations of the pattern, one having a more green dominant colorway, and the other more black dominant. The differences result from the two colors being exchanged during the printing process, since both variations are based on the same set of drawings. Reputedly developed in Israel, a lighter-colored variation of this pattern was later adopted by the Navy Commandos of the Cypriot National Guards, although the latter seems to be based on a slightly modified set of drawings.

• In the mid-1980s, the SAF adopted a general issue camouflage uniform for all services, based on the US m1948 ERDL camouflage design. The designation of this uniform is "Uniform Man's No.4 Dress Camouflage." Although obviously influenced by US ERDL, the Singapore version in fact incorporates different shapes. Illustrated below are early and later versions, illustrating the differences in color between production runs.

• Although not part of the SAF, the Singapore Police Force Gurkha units wear uniforms in British Soldier 95 DPM pattern camouflage.

• In 2009, the SAF introduced a series of two pixelated camouflage designs to replace the previous leaf pattern uniform. Designated "Uniform, Man's, Pixelised, Camouflage Pattern No 4 Dress," the temperate version incorporates black, foliage green and moss green on a brown base. A desert version also exists, having dark brown & tan on a sandy background.

• Two additional pixelated designs (one for the Singapore Navy and another for the Air Force) were revealed in May of 2012. Seen here, they are simply a re-coloration of their standard Army pattern but with grey or blue (respectively) instead of green as the primary tone.

Other Camouflage Patterns worn by Singapore

• A small contingent of military personnel (mostly medical) deployed to Afghanistan (ISAF) circa 2006-2007 wearing desert tiger stripe pattern camouflage uniforms designed by the US company Tiger Stripe Products.