- Joined
- Jul 24, 2008
- Messages
- 33,627
- Points
- 0
<TABLE id=msgUN border=0 cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD id=msgUNsubj vAlign=top>
Coffeeshop Chit Chat - US Colonel: SAF really impresses me!</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead vAlign=top><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>kojakbt_89 <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>May-6 7:49 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 13) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>32768.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>May 6, 2010
US and S'pore armed forces march in step
<!-- by line --><!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar -->
While Singapore is not a formal US ally, pilots of the United States Air Force have expressed their positive impressions and noted the similarities with their Singaporean counterparts, who they have met during joint training exercises like Cope Tiger 2010. -- PHOTO: UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
<!-- story content : start -->
http://www.straitstimes.com/Review/Others/STIStory_523046.html
SPEAKING at a seminar recently, an Australian professor mocked Washington's refusal to make a clear distinction between its allies and its partners.
In its recent Quadrennial Defence Review, a key defence planning document, the Pentagon had lumped the two classes of countries under the phrase 'allies and trusted partners' - a term that Professor Paul Dibb called 'loose, slack'.
There is a difference between the two, argued the Australian National University academic. Formally, an ally of the United States refers to a country that has signed a mutual defence pact with Washington. A partner is a euphemism for a country that is on friendly terms with the US, and may conduct some form of military cooperation with the US.
During the Cold War, Australia, a US ally, deliberately made itself a target of a potential Soviet nuclear attack by virtue of being allied to the US. This was vastly different from the risks a partner - say 'some European country that makes a contribution to Washington's campaign in Afghanistan' - runs, Prof Dibb complained. He has a point.
That said, however, there are 'partners' of the US that are more reliable than many allies. This could certainly apply to Singapore, which is not a formal treaty ally of the US. But listening to the praise that officers of the United States Pacific Command shower on their Singaporean counterparts - the 'Sings' - one could be easily misled.
Commander Choi Heedong, the commanding officer of the USS Chafee, a guided missile destroyer, said the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is in the 'major league' despite its relative small size.
'We speak a common language,' he says, referring to how both navies borrowed from British naval traditions. The RSN also trains often with its US counterpart, thus enhancing both navies' ability to work together.
Personal ties between the two navies also matter, says Commander Choi, who regularly tucks into local fare, such as chilli crab and white pepper crab, with his Singaporean counterparts when he visits Singapore. 'Even in the US Navy, we know how good chilli crab is,' he quips.
He was also encouraged when the RSN's Rear-Admiral Bernard Miranda asked him for advice about some aspects of deploying Landing Ship Tanks. 'Adm Miranda is a good friend. It is also striking that a person of his rank and experience would ask me, a junior officer, about tactics,' he says.
F-15 pilots based at Hickam Air Force Base are also impressed by their Singaporean colleagues. Many of them have trained at Paya Lebar Air Base, and praise the Republic's efficiency - and again, great food.
Lieutenant-Colonel John Traettino, a veteran F-15 pilot with the Hawaiian Air National Guard, has trained with the air forces of more than a dozen countries. But in terms of training, he appreciates the similarity between United States Air Force and Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) pilots.
Singaporean pilots are more similar to American pilots than British pilots. 'The Singaporeans train directly in the US, and have bases in the US. They are very similar to us. The British have different systems and train separately,' he notes.
As for Colonel Robert Huston, who was the exercise director for Cope Tiger 2010, a trilateral training exercise involving the air forces of the US, Thailand and Singapore, his interaction with the RSAF has been an enriching experience.
'The Singapore military really impresses me. It selects great people, gives them training and moves them forward. I'm extremely impressed by Colonel Lim Tuang Liang's intelligence and insight,' says Col Houston, referring to his Singapore counterpart at Cope Tiger.
The personal ties between the two officers have grown so much, Col Houston even envisions their families vacationing together in the future.
Their Singaporean counterparts reciprocate the feelings. Lieutenant-Colonel Nalpon Patrick Selvan, Commanding Officer of 145 Squadron, an F-16 unit, says his airmen had benefited immensely from training with American pilots in the US.
The training comprised the 'best of both worlds', bringing together expertise from both sides. This applied even in multilateral exercises such as Cope Tiger. 'It was very positive. Even during our debriefs, it was like meeting old friends again,' Lt-Col Nalpon says.
In Asia, the US has formal alliance treaties with five countries: Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand. Compared to Singapore, the latter two 'don't do as much', says one seasoned observer.
He notes a recurring reciprocity in Singapore-US ties. The US Navy regularly docks at Changi Naval Base for resupplies, and the RSAF regularly uses air bases in the US for training.
As author Tim Huxley, who wrote Defending The Lion City: The Armed Forces of Singapore, puts it, tongue in cheek, Singapore and the US might not be formal allies, as in a 'marriage', but they are definitely 'friends with benefits'.
</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
US and S'pore armed forces march in step
<!-- by line --><!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar -->
<!-- story content : start -->
http://www.straitstimes.com/Review/Others/STIStory_523046.html
SPEAKING at a seminar recently, an Australian professor mocked Washington's refusal to make a clear distinction between its allies and its partners.
In its recent Quadrennial Defence Review, a key defence planning document, the Pentagon had lumped the two classes of countries under the phrase 'allies and trusted partners' - a term that Professor Paul Dibb called 'loose, slack'.
There is a difference between the two, argued the Australian National University academic. Formally, an ally of the United States refers to a country that has signed a mutual defence pact with Washington. A partner is a euphemism for a country that is on friendly terms with the US, and may conduct some form of military cooperation with the US.
During the Cold War, Australia, a US ally, deliberately made itself a target of a potential Soviet nuclear attack by virtue of being allied to the US. This was vastly different from the risks a partner - say 'some European country that makes a contribution to Washington's campaign in Afghanistan' - runs, Prof Dibb complained. He has a point.
That said, however, there are 'partners' of the US that are more reliable than many allies. This could certainly apply to Singapore, which is not a formal treaty ally of the US. But listening to the praise that officers of the United States Pacific Command shower on their Singaporean counterparts - the 'Sings' - one could be easily misled.
Commander Choi Heedong, the commanding officer of the USS Chafee, a guided missile destroyer, said the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is in the 'major league' despite its relative small size.
'We speak a common language,' he says, referring to how both navies borrowed from British naval traditions. The RSN also trains often with its US counterpart, thus enhancing both navies' ability to work together.
Personal ties between the two navies also matter, says Commander Choi, who regularly tucks into local fare, such as chilli crab and white pepper crab, with his Singaporean counterparts when he visits Singapore. 'Even in the US Navy, we know how good chilli crab is,' he quips.
He was also encouraged when the RSN's Rear-Admiral Bernard Miranda asked him for advice about some aspects of deploying Landing Ship Tanks. 'Adm Miranda is a good friend. It is also striking that a person of his rank and experience would ask me, a junior officer, about tactics,' he says.
F-15 pilots based at Hickam Air Force Base are also impressed by their Singaporean colleagues. Many of them have trained at Paya Lebar Air Base, and praise the Republic's efficiency - and again, great food.
Lieutenant-Colonel John Traettino, a veteran F-15 pilot with the Hawaiian Air National Guard, has trained with the air forces of more than a dozen countries. But in terms of training, he appreciates the similarity between United States Air Force and Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) pilots.
Singaporean pilots are more similar to American pilots than British pilots. 'The Singaporeans train directly in the US, and have bases in the US. They are very similar to us. The British have different systems and train separately,' he notes.
As for Colonel Robert Huston, who was the exercise director for Cope Tiger 2010, a trilateral training exercise involving the air forces of the US, Thailand and Singapore, his interaction with the RSAF has been an enriching experience.
'The Singapore military really impresses me. It selects great people, gives them training and moves them forward. I'm extremely impressed by Colonel Lim Tuang Liang's intelligence and insight,' says Col Houston, referring to his Singapore counterpart at Cope Tiger.
The personal ties between the two officers have grown so much, Col Houston even envisions their families vacationing together in the future.
Their Singaporean counterparts reciprocate the feelings. Lieutenant-Colonel Nalpon Patrick Selvan, Commanding Officer of 145 Squadron, an F-16 unit, says his airmen had benefited immensely from training with American pilots in the US.
The training comprised the 'best of both worlds', bringing together expertise from both sides. This applied even in multilateral exercises such as Cope Tiger. 'It was very positive. Even during our debriefs, it was like meeting old friends again,' Lt-Col Nalpon says.
In Asia, the US has formal alliance treaties with five countries: Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand. Compared to Singapore, the latter two 'don't do as much', says one seasoned observer.
He notes a recurring reciprocity in Singapore-US ties. The US Navy regularly docks at Changi Naval Base for resupplies, and the RSAF regularly uses air bases in the US for training.
As author Tim Huxley, who wrote Defending The Lion City: The Armed Forces of Singapore, puts it, tongue in cheek, Singapore and the US might not be formal allies, as in a 'marriage', but they are definitely 'friends with benefits'.
</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
