PART II
ORGANISATION
OF SINGAPORE ARMED FORCES
Establishment and organisation of Singapore Armed
Forces
7.
—(1)
It
shall be lawful for the President in accordance with this Act and
any regulations made thereunder to raise and maintain a force to
be known as the Singapore Armed Forces which shall be a unified
force consisting of army, air force and navy commands and each command
shall consist of such number of servicemen as the President may
from time to time determine.
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(2)
The servicemen in each command shall
be formed into such units, corps, regiments, services or other like
bodies and divisions as the President may from time to time determine.
(3)
The President may disband any command,
unit, corps, regiment, service or other like body or division constituted
under subsection (2) in whole or in part or amalgamate any such
command, unit, corps, regiment, service or other body or division or
alter the name or title thereof.
(4)
The Singapore Army and the People’s
Defence Force and any other force that was raised and maintained
under any written law repealed by this Act which were in existence
immediately before 15th June 1972 shall, on or after that date,
be deemed to be included in the Singapore Armed Forces raised and
maintained under this Act.
Establishment of Armed Forces Council
8.
—(1)
For
the purposes of the administration of matters relating to the Singapore Armed
Forces under this Act, there shall be established an Armed Forces
Council which shall consist of —(a)
one or more Ministers charged with
the responsibility for defence and any other Minister who has been
assigned to assist them;
(b)
the Permanent Secretary, or all the
Permanent Secretaries (if there is more than one), of the Ministry
of Defence;
(c)
the Chief of Defence Force;
(d)
the Chief of Army;
(e)
the Chief of Air Force;
(f)
the Chief of Navy; and
(g)
not more than 4 other members as the
President may appoint if the President, acting in his discretion,
concurs with the advice of the Prime Minister.
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(2)
The Minister charged with the responsibility
for defence or, if there is more than one, the principal Minister
shall be the Chairman of the Armed Forces Council.
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(3)
No revocation of any of the appointments
referred to in subsection (1) (g) shall be made
unless the President, acting in his discretion, concurs with the
advice of the Prime Minister.
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(4)
Any appointment or revocation thereof
made by the President under this section shall be published in the Gazette.
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Armed Forces Council to provide for certain matters
8A.
The
Armed Forces Council may make provision for the following matters:(a)
the organisation of its work and the
manner in which its functions are to be performed, and the keeping
of records and minutes;
(b)
the duties and responsibilities of
the members of the Council including the delegation to any member
of the Council of any of its powers or duties;
(c)
the consultation by the Council with
persons other than its members; and
(d)
the procedure to be followed by the
Council in conducting its business.
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Quorum
8B.
—(1)
Subject
to subsections (2) and (3), a quorum for a meeting of the Armed Forces
Council shall be 3 members.
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(2)
No business shall be transacted at
any meeting of the Armed Forces Council unless the following members
of the Council are present:(a)
the Chairman of the Council;
(b)
a Permanent Secretary of the Ministry
of Defence; and
(c)
the Chief of Defence Force, Army,
Air Force or Navy.
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(3)
Where the Chairman of the Armed Forces
Council is unable to attend any meeting of the Council, the Council
may meet and transact any business if a member present at such a
meeting has been appointed by the Chairman to act on his behalf.
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(4)
No decision of the Armed Forces Council
on any matter made at that meeting shall take effect unless the
consent of the Chairman of the Council in writing under his hand
has been obtained therefor.
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Committees appointed by Armed Forces Council
8C.
—(1)
The
Armed Forces Council may from time to time appoint committees consisting
of one or more persons who may or may not be members of the Armed Forces
Council, either for general or specific purposes (including disciplinary
matters and to conduct inquiries).
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(2)
The Armed Forces Council may delegate
to such committees power to do any specific act or carry out any
specific function.
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(3)
Every such committee shall report to
the Armed Forces Council.
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(4)
Sections 113, 185, 187, 188, 189, 190
and 191 shall apply, with the necessary modification and adaptation,
to a committee of inquiry appointed under subsection (1).
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Style, seal and proceedings of Armed Forces Council
9.
—(1)
The
Armed Forces Council may for all purposes be described by that name.
(2)
The Armed Forces Council shall have
an official seal, which shall be officially and judicially noticed,
and that seal shall be authenticated by the signature of the Chairman
of the Armed Forces Council, or of a secretary, or of some person
authorised by the Armed Forces Council to act on behalf of a secretary.
(3)
Every document purporting to be an
instrument issued by the Armed Forces Council, and to be sealed
with the seal of the Armed Forces Council, authenticated in the
manner provided by this Act, or to be signed by a secretary or any
person authorised by the Armed Forces Council to act on behalf of
a secretary, shall be received in evidence, and be deemed to be
such an instrument without further proof, unless the contrary is
shown.
(4)
A certificate signed by the Chairman
of the Armed Forces Council that any instrument purporting to be
made or issued by the Council was so made or issued shall be conclusive
evidence of the fact.
Appointment of officers
10.
—(1)
Subject
to section 10A, officers of the Singapore Armed Forces shall be appointed
either by the President or by the proper authority who or which
may, without assigning any reason, cancel any such appointment.
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(2)
An appointment made under subsection
(1) shall be in the prescribed form.
(3)
Officers appointed under subsection
(1) shall be deemed to be officers of the Singapore Armed Forces
from the date specified in their appointments.
(4)
Officers may from time to time be promoted
or advanced in rank by the proper authority.
(5)
Any officer who has been commissioned
pursuant to the repealed section 78 of the Singapore Army Act 1965
(Act 13 of 1965) or has been appointed by the proper authority to
hold the rank of officer and who has held that rank immediately
before 15th June 1972 shall for all purposes be deemed to have been
appointed as an officer under this Act.
Appointment of Chiefs of Defence Force, Army, Air
Force and Navy
10A.
—(1)
The
President acting in his discretion may, if he concurs with the advice of
the Prime Minister who shall before tendering such advice consult
the Armed Forces Council, appoint from among the officers of the
Singapore Armed Forces a Chief of Defence Force, a Chief of Army,
a Chief of Air Force and a Chief of Navy.
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(2)
No revocation of any of the appointments
referred to in subsection (1) shall be made unless the President,
acting in his discretion, concurs with the advice of the Prime Minister
who shall before tendering such advice consult the Armed Forces Council.
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(3)
The Chief of Defence Force shall perform
the duties of the Chief of Army, the Chief of Air Force or the Chief
of Navy, as the case may be, when any of them is unable to carry
out his duties by reason of absence, illness or otherwise.
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(4)
The Minister may direct the Chief of
Army, the Chief of Air Force or the Chief of Navy, as the Minister
thinks fit, to perform the duties of the Chief of Defence Force
when the latter is unable to carry out his duties by reason of absence,
illness or otherwise.
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(5)
Any appointment or revocation thereof
made by the President under this section shall be published in the Gazette.
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Appointment of warrant officers
10B.
—(1)
Warrant
officers of the Singapore Armed Forces shall be appointed by the
Armed Forces Council or by the proper authority which may, without
assigning any reason, cancel any such appointment.
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(2)
An appointment made under subsection
(1) shall be in the prescribed form.
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(3)
Warrant officers appointed under subsection
(1) shall be deemed to be warrant officers of the Singapore Armed
Forces from the date specified in their appointments.
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(4)
Warrant officers may from time to time
be promoted or advanced in rank by the proper authority.
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(5)
Any warrant officer who has been appointed
by the proper authority to hold the rank of warrant officer and
who has held that rank immediately before 1st July 1992 shall for
all purposes be deemed to have been appointed as a warrant officer.
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(6)
Every warrant officer appointed before
1st July 1992 shall be deemed to be appointed under subsection (1).
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Appointment of senior military experts
10C.
—(1)
Senior military
experts of the Singapore Armed Forces shall be appointed by the
President or by the proper authority who or which may, without assigning
any reason, cancel any such appointment.
(2)
An appointment made under
subsection (1) shall be in the prescribed form.
(3)
Senior military experts appointed
under subsection (1) shall be deemed to be senior military experts
of the Singapore Armed Forces from the date specified in their appointments.
(4)
Senior military experts may
from time to time be promoted or advanced in rank by the proper
authority.