SAF’s first woman sniper hones stealth, marksmanship skills at Exercise Wallaby

Master Sergeant Chin Shi Lee during the sniper live-firing exercise at Exercise Wallaby on Oct 23.

ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Published Oct 24, 2026, 06:00 PM

Updated Oct 24, 2026, 06:41 PM

Master Sergeant Chin Shi Lee, the SAF’s first woman sniper, trains at Exercise Wallaby in Australia, where large terrain and changing weather test her skills.

She and other snipers practise navigation, marksmanship, reconnaissance and stalking, using rifles such as the Sako TRG-22, M110 and AX50.

Chin said men and women in the SAF are held to the same standards, and urged young women to join if they are interested.

ROCKHAMPTON – For Master Sergeant Chin Shi Lee, a typical day at work involves lugging around gear that weighs over two-thirds of her body weight.

This includes the main tool of her trade: a Sako TRG-22 bolt-action rifle capable of hitting a target from a kilometre away.

The load also includes a ghillie suit, specialised camouflage clothing that allows her to melt into her surroundings as she stalks her quarry.

Chin, the Singapore Armed Forces’ first woman sniper, told reporters at Exercise Wallaby – the SAF’s largest overseas unilateral exercise – that she felt right at home amid the undulating bushland and open plains of the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (SWBTA) in the Australian state of Queensland.

“The training has been amazing, because we have a very large training environment and varying weather conditions compared with Singapore, which allows us to really challenge our skills,” said the 27-year-old.

MSG Chin Shi Lee in a ghillie suit on Oct 23. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

MSG Chin Shi Lee in a ghillie suit on Oct 23.

She enlisted in the SAF in 2019 and was in the infantry before graduating from the SAF Basic Sniper Course in July 2026.

While this is Chin’s first time at Exercise Wallaby, she previously participated in the ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet from 2023 to 2025.

Among the challenges that marksmen – and woman – face at SWBTA is fluctuating wind conditions and temperatures.

This requires them to develop wind-calling judgment, which is the ability to read wind speed and direction and make shot adjustments to compensate.

Chin, a senior trainer at the Infantry Vocational Training School, said her role at the annual overseas drill involves conducting exercises that emphasise navigation, marksmanship, reconnaissance and individual fieldcraft skills.

“A common misconception about snipers is that we focus only on shooting, but that is not the case,” she said. “We also carry out precision target acquisition and reconnaissance for our wider mission exercise.”

The most demanding part of being a sniper is not pulling the trigger, but the stalking phase, said Chin. This refers to trainees having to move stealthily through open or wooded terrain to reach an objective under time pressure, and is a crucial test of fieldcraft and concealment.

Snipers do so by customising their ghillie suits with local twigs and grass that match the surrounding landscape, and by moving deliberately without leaving any visible tracks.

At Exercise Wallaby, ST also observed Chin and other SAF snipers honing their skills in a live-firing exercise involving targets that ranged from 300m to 1km away.

The Master Sergeant said marksmanship training is her favourite part of being a sniper as she can noticeably see her accuracy improve with each successful hit.

Apart from the TRG-22, the SAF’s snipers train with the M110 semi-automatic rifle, which has a higher rate of fire and is used for troop support; and the AX50 anti-materiel rifle, which is used to disable enemy equipment.

Clad in her ghillie suit and lying prone with her AX50 rifle, Chin was indistinguishable not only from the surrounding foliage, but also from her male comrades.

MSG Chin Shi Lee and other SAF snipers honing their skills in a live-firing exercise at Exercise Wallaby. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

MSG Chin Shi Lee and other SAF snipers honing their skills in a live-firing exercise at Exercise Wallaby.

There is no difference in sniper training between men and women, and everyone is held to the same standards and expected to execute the same mission exercises, she said.

A career in the SAF was a natural choice for Chin, who enjoys the outdoors and physical activity.

Asked how the SAF could attract more women like her, Chin said young women who are interested should give it a shot.

“If you are interested, you should find out more about it and pursue your interests,” she said. “I believe that our organisation is very open to everyone.”

Defence and military

10 月 23 日，在“袋鼠演习”中，军士长 Chin Shi Lee 正在进行狙击实弹射击演习。

ST 照片：林耀辉

发布于2026年10月24日下午6:00

更新于2026年10月24日下午6:41

新加坡武装部队首位女狙击手，一级军士长陈诗丽，正在澳大利亚参加“袋鼠演习”，那里广阔的地形和多变的天气考验着她的技能。

她和其他狙击手练习导航、射击、侦察和潜行，使用的步枪包括 Sako TRG-22、M110 和 AX50。

秦表示，新加坡武装部队中的男女军人遵循同样的标准，并鼓励有兴趣的年轻女性加入。

罗克汉普顿——对于一级军士长陈诗莉来说，她每天的工作就是背负超过自身体重三分之二的装备。

这其中包括她的主要工具：一支 Sako TRG-22 栓动步枪，能够击中一公里外的目标。

行李中还包括一套吉利服，这是一种特殊的伪装服，可以让她在跟踪猎物时融入周围环境。

新加坡武装部队首位女狙击手陈女士在“袋鼠行动”（新加坡武装部队规模最大的海外单边演习）上告诉记者，她感觉在澳大利亚昆士兰州肖尔沃特湾训练区（SWBTA）起伏的灌木丛和开阔的平原上就像在家一样自在。

这位27岁的球员说：“训练非常棒，因为我们拥有非常大的训练环境和多变的天气条件，与新加坡相比，这让我们能够真正挑战自己的技能。”

10 月 23 日，MSG Chin Shi Lee 身着吉利服。ST 照片：LIM YAOHUI

10月23日，李秦诗中士身穿吉利服。

她于 2019 年加入新加坡武装部队，在步兵部队服役，并于 2026 年 7 月从新加坡武装部队基础狙击手课程毕业。

虽然这是 Chin 第一次参加“袋鼠”演习，但她此前曾于 2023 年至 2025 年参加过东盟陆军步枪比赛。

在西南边境靶场，射手们面临的挑战之一是风况和温度的变化。

这就要求他们培养判断风向的能力，即能够判断风速和风向，并做出相应的射击调整以进行补偿。

步兵职业训练学校高级教官陈女士表示，她在年度海外演习中的职责是组织演习，重点训练导航、射击、侦察和个人野外技能。

“人们对狙击手普遍存在一个误解，认为我们只专注于射击，但事实并非如此，”她说道。“我们还会进行精确目标获取和侦察，以配合我们更广泛的任务演习。”

金说，狙击手最难的部分不是扣动扳机，而是潜伏阶段。这指的是受训人员必须在时间压力下，悄无声息地穿过开阔地带或树林到达目标地点，这是对野外生存技能和隐蔽能力的一次关键考验。

狙击手们会用当地的树枝和草来装饰他们的吉利服，使其与周围的景观相匹配，并且会谨慎地移动，不留下任何可见的痕迹。

在“袋鼠”演习中，《海峡时报》还观察到陈和其他新加坡武装部队狙击手在实弹射击演习中磨练技能，目标距离从 300 米到 1 公里不等。

这位一级军士长说，射击训练是她作为狙击手最喜欢的部分，因为她可以明显看到自己的射击精度随着每一次成功命中而提高。

除了 TRG-22 之外，新加坡武装部队的狙击手还使用 M110 半自动步枪进行训练，该步枪射速更高，用于部队支援；以及 AX50 反器材步枪，该步枪用于破坏敌方装备。

身穿吉利服，手持AX50步枪趴在地上的秦，不仅与周围的树叶融为一体，也与她的男战友们难以区分。

新加坡武装部队狙击手陈世利中士及其他狙击手在“袋鼠行动”演习中进行实弹射击训练。（海峡时报摄影：林耀辉）

新加坡武装部队狙击手军士长陈世利和其他队员在“袋鼠”演习中进行实弹射击训练，磨练技能。

她说，狙击手训练中男女之间没有区别，每个人都要遵守相同的标准，并被要求执行相同的任务演习。

对于热爱户外活动和体育锻炼的秦来说，加入新加坡武装部队是一个自然而然的选择。

当被问及新加坡武装部队如何才能吸引更多像她一样的女性时，陈女士表示，有兴趣的年轻女性应该尝试一下。

“如果你感兴趣，就应该进一步了解并追求你的兴趣，”她说。“我相信我们组织对每个人都非常开放。”

国防和军事