SAFTI Military Institute
The SAFTI Military Institute is a military institute of the Singapore Armed Forces comprising five schools: Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College, three SAF Advanced Schools, and the Officer Cadet School. Located on an campus in Jurong West, it was originally established in 1966 in Pasir Laba Camp as the Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute before it moved to its current location in 1995 and became known as the SAFTI Military Institute.
History
Although the SAFTI Military Institute is an amalgamated institution, it draws much of its heritage from the original Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute, which was officially opened on 14 February 1966 at Pasir Laba Camp.On 14 November 1987, Second Minister for Defence Lee Hsien Loong announced that a new SAFTI Military Institute would be built on a plot of land in Jurong West. Construction started in June 1988 and ended by February 1991. The SAFTI Military Institute housed the Officer Cadet School, School of Advanced Training for Officers, and the Singapore Command and Staff College. The original SAFTI name is preserved in the new name of the institute, as well as in the name of the bridge connecting Pasir Laba Camp to the SAFTI Military Institute.
The SAFTI Military Institute was originally intended to be open to the general public. Prior to the September 11 attacks in 2001, civilians did not require passes and did not have to undergo security checks before entering the campus. Only the offices and living quarters had restricted access. Since then, however, like all other military bases in Singapore, the SAFTI Military Institute also enforces access restrictions such as mandatory security checks for all visitors and a ban on camera phones in areas designated as Red Zones. Unauthorised photography and filming are also strictly prohibited within the campus.
Architecture
There is much symbolism in the SAFTI Military Institute campus, which sits on a hill. The Officer Cadet School was described by its architect as being shaped like a cradle, from which officers are born. Besides, the locations of the schools within the campus symbolise the stages of an officer's career. The Officer Cadet School is on the lower reaches of the hill, the SAF Advanced Schools are located midway along the hill, while the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College is at the top.A prominent feature is the Tower, approximately tall and visible from many parts of western Singapore. It has three sides with a stairway connecting within, representing the four branches of the SAF. It is served by a lift and a 265-step stairway which symbolically represents the number of days a cadet takes to become an officer.
The parade square measures by and the viewing stands can accommodate up to 5,000 people.
Organisation
The SAFTI Military Institute is headed by a Commandant, who usually holds the rank of Brigadier-General or Rear-Admiral. The institute has five schools: the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College, three SAF Advanced Schools for the Army, Navy, Digital and Intelligence Service and Air Force, and the Officer Cadet School.Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College
The Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College, formerly known as the Singapore Command and Staff College, conducts the 41-week Command and Staff Course for regular officers and the 32-week National Service Command and Staff Course for reservist officers who have demonstrated potential for senior appointments. Every year, officers from other countries are invited to attend the Command and Staff Course. As of October 2009, 170 officers from 24 countries had completed the course alongside officers from the Singapore Armed Forces.The college started conducting its first Command and Staff Course in 1969 and was officially opened in February 1970 by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew at Fort Canning. It was relocated to Marina Hill in the 1970s and Seletar Camp in the 1980s before it moved to its current location within the SAFTI Military Institute in 1995. In 2011, it was renamed after Goh Keng Swee, Singapore's first Minister for Defence.