Mobilisation and equipping exercise, commonly known as MOBEX is a regular drill conducted by Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). From January 26 to 27, during the exercise, almost 8,000 soldiers and 700 vehicles participated in this exercise, making it the biggest known mobilization exercise since 1985.
Singapore President Halimah Yacob recently said in a speech that the country might face ISIS terror threats in future. While keeping this in mind, some full-time national servicemen (NSFs) and regulars from the SAF took part in a simulated terror threat drill. This drill also included police officers, who had participated in mobilization and equipping exercise.
During the exercise at Singapore Sports Hub, the soldiers were asked to respond to an active shooting scenario, along with Singapore Police Force officers and Sports Hub security officers.
According to reports, the assistant chief of the general staff (operations) Brigadier General (BG) Ng Ying Thong said that this time the organizers have brought the troops in a very realistic and iconic location in Sports Hub. They believed that this will help them to reinforce their commitment and conviction to make sure that the country is safe and secure.
These kinds of drills actually test the coordination between national security agencies and business shareholders during a terror attack.
19-year-old Corporal Gabriel Chua, an infantry trooper of Singapore Infantry Regiment (3 SIR), who participated in MOBEX, said that nowadays it is going to be all about terrorist attacks. He mentioned that if that is the case then Singapore security officials should be well prepared for such incidents.
The Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen has also visited Selarang Camp on Saturday evening, where the MOBEX exercise was taking place.
When asked about the future plans of this joint training between the SAF and police, he said that they are pleased with the tie-up. According to Today Online, Ng Eng mentioned that it is just a basic level but "it's also sometimes, more importantly, the command-and-control settings, the joint planning (and) understanding. Multiple levels of combined exercises are conducted quite regularly at the highest levels as well as down to the units ... That's progressing quite well,"
