Although the SID falls under the purview of MINDEF, it is autonomous within the ministry.[3] The SID is also highly secretive; most of its personnel are only known to the country's top government officials.[4]
The SID is led by a director, who holds the rank equivalent to apermanent secretary, and reports directly to thePrime Minister's Office (PMO).[5] Prior to the 1970s, the director reported directly to the Minister for Defence.
In the aftermath of1915 Singapore Mutiny, to collect the political intelligence, espionage, and the surveillance of potential subversives,[6] a political intelligence bureau was established in Singapore under direct command and control of Major-General Dudley Howard Ridout, General-Officer-Commanding of Singapore,[7] which eventually became theSpecial Branch in 1919.[6]
Prior to 1965, Singapore's primary intelligence agency was theMalaysian Special Branch. After Singapore gained independence in 1965, theMinistry of Interior and Defence (MID) was directed to reorganise and consolidate all intelligence capabilities in January 1966. The SID was subsequently established in February 1966, with Tay Seow Huah as its first director.[8]
As the SID is a highly secretive organisation, information about its activities is only released occasionally to the media. In 2001, Yap Chuin Wei, a reporter fromThe Straits Times, interviewed a former SID officer on the agency's work. The officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the SID works in three main ways: collection of information, analysis of information, and informal diplomacy.[10] The SID was also mentioned inLee Kuan Yew's bookFrom Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965–2000, in which it is said to have played a role in providing weapons to anti-communist forces inCambodian Civil War in the 1970s.[11] The SID also played a role in rebuilding Singapore's relations withIndonesia after theKonfrontasi ended in 1966.[10] Tim Huxley wrote a short history of the SID in his bookDefending the Lion City: The Armed Forces of Singapore, which was published in 2000.[12]
The former SID officer interviewed by Yap said that SID officers rarely receive public awards due to security and political concerns. They are awarded a set of medals equivalent to theNational Day medals instead but their names will not be publicised.[10]
In 2004, theNational Security Coordination Secretariat (NSCS) was set up under thePrime Minister's Office (PMO) to deal with security threats and terrorism. This meant that the SID and the ISD, which previously worked independent of each other, had to share information for the first time.[13]
In August 2013, it was alleged that the SID cooperated with theAustralian Signals Directorate to tap the undersea fibre optic telecommunications cables that link Asia, Europe and the Middle East.[14]
On 19 July 2021, the SID launched its official website to attract and recruit more talents into its ranks.[15]
The following is a list of formerDirector of the Security Intelligence Division. The identity of the director is not conspicuously made known to the public, until they relinquish the post.
^abBan, Kah Choon (2001).The Untold Story of Special Branch Operations in Singapore 1915-1942. Raffles.
^Comber, Leon (13 August 2009). "The Singapore Mutiny (1915) and the Genesis of Political Intelligence in Singapore".Intelligence and National Security.24 (4):529–541.doi:10.1080/02684520903069462.S2CID154217090.
