SAF COC - Rule Three

We are loyal to the Armed Forces

and we take pride in our Unit,

our uniform, our discipline, our work,

our training and ourselves.

Loyalty To The Armed Forces

Loyalty means devotion. The supreme loyalty is devotion to the Republic, and this is the foundation of the loyalty of the members of the Armed Forces. Upon it we must build habits of loyalty to the Armed Forces, to our superior officers and to fellow members of the Armed Forces.

Loyalty to the Armed Forces is what holds the various parts of the Armed Forces together and enables them to function as a co-ordinated whole. This loyalty must extend throughout the chain of command and flow in both directions.

Our loyalty to superiors requires us to support their decisions and obey their commands no matter how we may feel personally, and regardless of how difficult the mission may be. Our loyalty to subordinates means that we accept responsibility and do not blame others when our decisions and orders turn out badly. Loyalty to fellow members of the Armed Forces means that we must carry out our share of the task, that we do not shirk responsibility and are always ready to help our comrades.

Loyalty cannot be a half-way quality. We cannot be truly loyal to our superiors unless we are loyal also to our subordinates and equals. To be an effective link in the chain of command, we must extend our ties of loyalty to all members of the Armed Forces. In many ways, the Armed Forces is like a chain, which is only as strong as its weakest link.

The safety of the citizens of Singapore may at times depend ultimately on the quality and self-sacrifice if the members of the Armed Forces. If we are weak physically or morally, we may be the cause if weakness in our units, of their giving way and of allowing our enemies to infiltrate. One man’s failure could lead to the capture of a unit, or to the death of many comrades, and ultimately to defeat. The Singapore Armed Forces are as strong as the weakest member we have.

Pride In The Armed Forces

We must be proud to be members of the Armed Forces. We must remember that everything we do will have an effect on the Armed Forces as a whole. For this reason, we have to watch our personal conduct, our personal bearing, our physical fitness, our standard of training and discipline and our reputation at all times. As such we must respect and obey law. Social order and public morality and be always prepared to set a good example to the people. We must always be on our best behaviour and conduct in public and avoid fights and quarrels wherever we may be. Furthermore, we must never mock, insults or disturb our citizens and least of all women and young girls. We must not only be courteous and polite but also thoughtful and generous. When dealing with the public, we must be tactful as well as fair and should endeavour at all times to look after their welfare.

Wherever we are, we must be smart and well-behaved. When on parade, we must be smart and in line with the others. The precision with which our unit marches will win us great respect. When we are walking around on or off duty, in or out of uniform, we will have to extend a friendly hand to the people. We have to show that we have respect for the people of all races and creeds. We must do nothing to offend the religious susceptibilities of our citizens and should learn to understand them all and their religions just as we understand our families for all of us are one family, the Nation. We are all Singaporeans.

Pride In Uniform

As members of the Armed Forces, we should endeavour always:-

1. To correctly and smartly dressed in uniform.
2. To be decently dressed when out of uniform.
3. To conduct ourselves and behave in a manner to command respect.

Pride And Discipline

The type of training in the Armed Forces is geared towards one objective – instant obedience to orders. It creates instant alertness. In time of war, a man must be alert at all times and alertness comes with discipline.

The objects of discipline are two-fold – to enable men to put their duty before themselves and to make them immediately and unquestioningly responsive to their leaders. A good member of the Armed Forces should be a man who can manage himself and at the same time instil discipline in others. The important thing in discipline is self-discipline.

Prompt obedience to our commanding officers must be made automatic. Instructions and commands must be obeyed without delay. Those who lead men must accept not only a higher degree of responsibility, but also a severer standard of self-discipline than those they lead. The reason for this is that it is only be repeated acts of obedience that the habit of obedience can be learned. If we have not trained ourselves to obey in matters of lesser importance, it will be difficult for us to obey at all in dangerous situations or in the confusion of battle.

It is a ready obedience learnt on the barrack square and in training that may save our lives and those of our comrades in times of emergency. We must also have the espirit de corps. We must realise that the success of any campaign depends upon the close co-operation of every member and upon team-work. We must not shirk our responsibilities. We must remember that our personal behaviour and conduct affect the reputation of our Unit and our Unit expects us to set a good example to others at all times.

Pride Of Work And Training

We have taken on the task of defending our fellow citizens, a task of which all of us should be proud. Once we have understood our role, we will have to ask ourselves how to go about maintaining our standard of work and training. Whatever task we perform, we must try to achieve a high standard and not be sluggish, careless and slip-shod. If we do not maintain a good standard, the public very soon will have no confidence in us.

To prepare for battle of exhausting campaigns we must be willing to endure any type of training. This strenuous training will condition us for combat and make us tough enough to resist any enemies of the Republic. It is absolutely necessary that we should be able to endure more than any ordinary civilian, it is upon this toughness and stamina that the safety of the Republic will depend.