On 9 August 1969, just four years after Singapore separated from the Malaysian Federation to become an independent and sovereign state, 18 former Israeli AMX-13 light tanks - operated by the newly formed 40 Singa-pore Armoured Battalion (40 SAB, now known as the 40th Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (40 SAR)) - were unveiled to the public as part of the inaugural mobile column showcase to commemorate Singapore's fourth National Day. The unprecedented move with the freshly delivered light tanks, which were understood to have only arrived in the country about two months earlier, had clearly been designed to not just boost the confidence of Singapore's citizens during a tumultuous post-separation period, but also as a display of the island's nascent military strength and self-determination to representatives from other countries in the region, including Malaysian dignitaries, as a deterrent message.
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