Page 21 - MustangEbook

Services (i.e. Army, Navy and Air Force). In
1987, the proposal for a new institute – the
SAFTI Military Institute was announced.
Hence, the construction of the SAFTI Military
Institute at its present site.

The name ‘SAFTI’, so well known as the

SAFTI Formation sign professional training ground of the SAF
leaders, was adopted for the Military Institute.
much a test of physical strength as it is a test In his ground-breaking speech on 9 June
of mental attributes such as tenacity, 1990, then Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew
determination and sheer willpower. This is said that for the pioneers of SAFTI, the
often the most challenging task for OCS – to difficult process of nation-building evoked an
impart the abstract value system that enables instinctive and conscious commitment to the
the cadet to push himself beyond his ideals of individual excellence and national
perceived limits and sustain him as a responsibility.
commander in the face of seemingly
overwhelming odds.
He further added that these pioneers
understood the choices that confronted them
and did their best to share in the creation of a
corps of men driven to excel for the nation.
This is the spirit of SAFTI MI. This spirit of
the pioneering batches is not only preserved
but also much alive as the SAFTI MI
continues to train and produce leaders of
stamina, courage and drive.
Dr Goh Keng Swee at the official opening

Officer Cadet training, from its rigorous
selection process to its multi-faceted training
and discipline, ensures that there will always
be men and women who have what it takes to
lead and command within the SAF.

SAFTI MILITARY INSTITUTE (SAFTI
MI)

By the 1980s, the SAF had expanded
significantly, and SAFTI’s training facilities SAFTI Crest
at Pasir Laba were no longer adequate to cope
with the increasing demands of training. At
the same time, as the SAF came of age, there
was a growing recognition of the need for
greater integration in the training and
professionalism of officers from the three