SAFTI City: The new S$400 million training facility for soldiers very similar to Counter-Strike

Singapore – On June 28, Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen held the SAFTI City ground-breaking ceremony at the SAFTI Training Area. Said to provide a realistic urban environment for soldiers to train for homeland security and urban operations, SAFTI City is scheduled to open progressively from 2023, said The Singapore Army (SAF) in their Facebook page.

A video showing some badass gameplay and graphics very similar to the classic first-person shooter game, Counter-Strike, was also uploaded. It showed a glimpse of what’s in store for SAFTI City such as response to active shooting, battlefield effects, smart interactive targets, simulated vehicle hits, shoot back capability, and comprehensive monitoring and performance scorecards.

A real-life video game, in short.

By leveraging on smart technology, SAFTI City aims to replicate Singapore’s urbanised streetscapes, commercial, and residential areas.

“Key urban features in SAFTI City will include an integrated Transport Hub, comprising a bus interchange and an MRT station with multiple surface exits, high-rise interconnected buildings, dense buildings clusters, and multiple road networks,” noted the update.

Just like a video game, certain features such as the buildings and road networks are customizable, which provides the soldiers with different levels and gameplay difficulty.

SAFTI City is expected to be the size of 100 football fields and costs around S$400 to establish, reported CNA.

Defence Minister Ng said that the facility would improve the effectivity of training by providing realistic environments for them to tackle new threats.

He noted that the SAF’s capability in fighting in jungle operations have “diminished considerably” and the new training facility is meant to address the gap.

“The SAF today is expected to conduct a wider range of operations amidst a complex and uncertain security environment,” said Dr Ng. “These include homeland security, counter-terrorism, urban operations, and disaster relief operations.”

“When completed, SAFTI City promises to be among the most advanced purpose-built military training facilities for urban ops in the world,” said Dr Ng.

Technological advancements have made it possible to integrate video gaming into military training.

“With gamification integrated into the training and detailed individual feedback, individual soldiers and teams can benchmark their scores against each other, motivating them to improve further,” said MINDEF.

SAFTI City will be constructed in two phases, with the first scheduled to open starting from 2023. It will be the size of 20 football fields and will hold more than 70 concrete buildings, simulated underground facilities, urban training structures such as schools and malls, and three 12-storey blocks.

Phase 2, which is still in the drawing boards, will be made of warehouses and petrochemical factories spanning over 15 hectares.

The size of the completed SAFTI City could hold a total of 3,000 to 4,000 soldiers at a single mission, which is a big leap in improvement from the current SAFTI that was built in 1966.