With more than 6 million residents within its 719 square kilometers, Singapore is one of the world’s most densely populated nations. The land constraints pose a logistical challenge for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), limiting space for training and exercises within the city-state’s borders.
The recent launch of the SAF’s training institute, known as SAFTI City, expands opportunities for those engagements, including with partner forces such as the United States, while readying personnel for evolving operational needs from peacetime to conflict. The next-generation complex resembles a crowded urban core, with more than 70 buildings including high-rise apartments and offices, a hospital and a school, as well as a bus and rail hub, and an underground warren of drains and passages.
IMAGE CREDIT: SINGAPORE DEFENCE MINISTRY
Fitting inside 170,000 square meters — about 20 football fields — the facility offers “a realistic environment to challenge our Soldiers in the complexities of urban operations,” including counterterrorism, disaster relief and homeland security, according to Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF).
“SAFTI City enables our Soldiers to employ equipment and concepts in line with the latest shifts in the modern battlefield, such as the use of drones and robotics in urban environments,” MINDEF stated.
By 2050, more than two-thirds of the world’s population will live in urban areas, an increase of about 20% over three decades, the United Nations estimates. Meanwhile, the number of cities with at least 10 million residents will rise from 33 to 43 between 2020 and 2030, with the Indo-Pacific accounting for much of the growth.
“Urban operations will increasingly play a role in any military,” Singaporean Defence Minister Dr. Ng Eng Hen said during the March 2025 launch of the training facility’s initial phase. “Fighting in urban built-up areas in SAFTI City is a physical manifestation of that commitment of giving realism to our Soldiers so that they are prepared.”
IMAGE CREDIT: SINGAPORE DEFENCE MINISTRY
Among the project’s features: decommissioned rapid-transit trains for counterterrorism and homeland security drills; swing panels that enable buildings and road networks to be reconfigured for customized training; and a building with a collapsed roof and walls to represent a disaster zone.
Smart instrumentation, video cameras and about 11,000 sensors allow trainers to deploy interactive targets and provide real-time analysis, according to MINDEF. Soldiers can be equipped with a laser-based system to simulate tactical engagement, including with mobile 3D targets that replicate a person’s thermal signature to enhance training with night-fighting equipment.
U.S. Marines became the first partner force to train at SAFTI City as they joined Singaporean personnel for a combined assault drill during Valiant Mark in March. The long-running exercise series is part of the nations’ extensive defense engagement. For example, the U.S. hosts Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) fighter jet detachments, providing RSAF pilots with expansive airspace for training and exercises.
Similarly, the Australian Defence Force hosts the SAF at its Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland, a facility that’s about five times larger than Singapore.
SAFTI City can simultaneously accommodate two battalion-level exercises, totaling about 1,200 personnel, according to MINDEF. About 20,000 personnel are expected to train there annually and plans call for a simulated ferry terminal and industrial complex, Singapore news agency CNA reported.
“It is a significant national asset … and it is the ultimate realism,” Ng said. “I think this investment in this training facility will last for a generation and beyond.”
