OCS Yesterday

Beginnings of SAFTI

14 Feb 1966 to 17 Jun 1966

When Singapore gained her independence in 1965, she needed a military institute to train Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) in military knowhow and the art of warfare. The Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute (SAFTI) was therefore set up, in Feb 1966, to train leaders of men in the SAF. The area chosen for the institute was Pasir Laba, which mean “rich soil”.

Even as construction was underway at Pasir Laba for SAFTI, a core of 60 Officers and NCOs were selected to attend the first three-month Instructors’ Preparatory Course at Jurong Primary School. They were taught by a group of foreign advisors who were keen on rigorous training and advocated the doctrine of leading troops by example.

A recruitment campaign was mounted in May 1966 by the forerunner of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Interior and Defence. The selection process included written tests, IQ tests, interviews and physical fitness tests so that only the best were selected to qualify for Officer training. Out of 2500 young men, 300 were eventually selected to qualify for Officer training at Pasir Laba Camp on 1 Jun 1966. These fearless pioneers soon earned a reputation for their fighting spirit and SAFTI quickly grew to become a household name associated with excellence, ruggedness and tough training.

The Road to OCS

18 Jun 1966 to 25 Dec 1974

Dr Goh Keng Swee, then Minister of Defence, officiated the opening of SAFTI on 18 Jun 1966. The institute was presented with its formation sign of a torch (signifying education) and sword (denoting military training).

With the rapid build-up of combat and service elements in the SAF, SAFTI gradually grew to include special-to-arms training schools besides the School of Infantry Section Leaders. These include the schools of Artillery, Engineers, Armor, Signals, Infantry Weapons and Military Medicine. 117 out of the 300 cadets successfully commissioned as Officers of the Singapore Armed Forces on 16 Jul 1967 at SAFTI’s parade square. On 16 Jun 1968, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, then Prime Minister, presented SAFTI its Colours in recognition of its progress and excellence in training within a short span of two years since inception. On 26 Aug 1972, Infantry Officer Cadet Course (IOCC) also witnessed the first intake of Women Service Officer.

As the number of companies to train Officer Cadets expanded further, the School of Infantry Officers was renamed Officer Cadet School (OCS) and the OCS HQ was set up to command administer the School on 1 Jun 1969.

The Standard Military Course

26 Dec 1974 to 17 Oct 1980

OCS introduced the nine-month Standard Military Course (SMC) on 26 Dec 1974 to improve Officer training and provide the full-time NS Officer with a longer service period after commissioning. Selection of Officer Cadets for this course was made prior to their enlistment and based primarily on their academic qualifications and extra curricular activities. Scholarships were also open for application to encourage the better-qualified cadets for further training. This practice is continued today for talented young men and women who aspire for careers in the military. Another prominent development during the SMC phase was the introduction of overseas training in 1977. Due to the limited land area in Singapore, agreements were made with foreign countries to enable overseas training of our cadets.

The Infantry Officer Cadet Course

1 Sep 1980 to 14 Mar 1990

OCS became OCS-SAFTI on 1 Jun 1980 and the nine-month Infantry Officer Cadet Course (IOCC) was introduced on 1 Sep 1980, emphasising the development of leadership qualities and competencies. SAFTI was linked to OCS, given its origin as the “cradle of commanders”, whilst the other schools were collectively referred to as Infantry Schools, Pasir Laba Camp.

The IOCC represented a first and conscious departure away from military traditions to focus on combat skills and operational readiness. Officer Cadets were selected only after Basic Military Training to better gauge their potential for leadership training.

Officer Cadet Course

17 Sep 1990 to Present

With the SAFTI Military Institute Group-Breaking Ceremony on 9 Jun 1990, OCS entered a new era of excellence in officer training. The new 42-week Officer Cadet Course was formally inaugurated on 17 Sep 1990 by Lieutenant- General Winston WL Choo, then the Chief of Defence Force. The Officer Cadet Course was established to enable Cadets from the Army, Navy and Air Force to understand more of one another’s operations and to provide them with more opportunities to interact.

With the implementation of the two-year NSF duration in 2004, the Officer Cadet Course (OCC) was revised and reduced from 42 weeks to 38 weeks. The first 38-week OCC intake on 21 Mar 2005 began with the two-week Common Leadership Module and ended with a three-week Joint Term. The Common Leadership Module is designed to imbue a common set of values, leadership skills and SAF ethos into the cadets, while the Joint Term is designed for networking and joint awareness, positioned at the end to engender more fruitful cross-service discussions.

In Jul 2020, a new wing for the Military Domain Expert was included. This new inclusion serves to groom leaders in C4I (Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence) who will be responsible in safeguarding Singapore’s cyber security and information battlespace. With the inauguration of The Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) in Oct 2022, the course was renamed to Military Domain Expert Course (DIS).