Off The Record
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80 articles
27 August 2017
Defending Our Sovereignty
Discover how Singapore built its defence forces from scratch after independence in 1965, and how National Service shaped both security and nationhood.
Collections and Research
3 June 2017
Friendly Forces: Strengthening Regional Defence
Read how Singapore built key defence ties with ASEAN nations and allies like Australia, the US, and China in the 1970s and 1980s to ensure regional stability.
Collections and Research
14 May 2017
Total Defence
Read about the origins of Total Defence, introduced in 1984 to unite all Singaporeans in protecting the nation beyond military efforts alone.
Collections and Research
25 April 2017
Fit to Fight: Reservists On The Frontline
Read how Singapore strengthened its reservist forces in the 1970s and 1980s through tougher training, new fitness tests, and better support for soldiers returning to civilian life.
Collections and Research
15 March 2017
Turbo-charging the Armed Forces
Read about how the SAF grew into a stronger, more modern force in the 1975–1985 decade, through new weapons, better equipment, and efforts to attract top talent.
Collections and Research
22 February 2017
External Threats: Storm Clouds Over Indochina
Read about the security threats Singapore faced in the late 1970s, from Communist expansion in Indochina to regional instability, and how these shaped the SAF's development during its second decade.
Collections and Research
1 February 2017
Memories of War and Its Legacies
Explore the history of Singapore's Japanese Occupation through oral records, updated exhibitions, and a revised edition of *Surviving the Japanese Occupation: War and its Legacies*.
Collections and Research
30 October 2016
The Mystery of Kunnuck Mistree
Uncover the remarkable story of Kunnuck Mistree, an Indian convict whose 40 years in colonial Singapore were pieced together by a Citizen Archivist volunteer from historical Straits Settlements records.
Collections and Research
29 October 2016
Guide To Transcribing Straits Settlements Records
Use this handy guide to help you transcribe handwritten Straits Settlements Records on the Citizen Archivist Project.
Collections and Research
28 October 2016
David Marshall: Singapore's First Chief Minister
Discover the life and values of David Marshall, Singapore's first Chief Minister, through his own words in a National Archives oral history interview.
Collections and Research