 British troops had remained in Singapore following its independence , but in 1968 , London announced its decision to withdraw the forces by 1971 . With the secret aid of military advisers from Israel , Singapore rapidly established the Singapore Armed Forces , with the help of a national service program introduced in 1967 . Since independence , Singaporean defense spending has been approximately five percent of GDP . Today , the Singapore Armed Forces are among the best @-@ equipped in Asia . 
