EXCELLENCE, SPORTSMANSHIP, CAMARADERIE AT 33RD ASEAN ARMIES RIFLE MEET
As the 33rd ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet (AARM) draws to a close, here’s a look at all the action that took place during this test of marksmanship, endurance, and sheer will.It is a showcase of marksmanship and a celebration of regional camaraderie. The premier shooting competition among armies of the ASEAN region for more than three decades, this year’s AARM was especially significant for Singapore.
The Singapore Army fielded teams across the four traditional disciplines – Pistol, Rifle, Carbine, and the Machine Gun (MG). Among them, the MG team delivered an outstanding performance and took the silver in their discipline.
Pistol (Ladies and Men): Accuracy under pressure
Across the competition, the pistol category is often where individual raw marksmanship shines – where the smallest movement can make the difference between first place and obscurity.
Shooters fire at multiple distances, from rapid-fire engagements to carefully controlled shots that test composure as much as skill.
Carbine: The all-rounder’s arena
The Carbine Match combines speed, agility, and rapid transitions between varying distances. Shooters must be adaptable, calm, and fast.
The event’s dynamic nature reflects the modern battlefield, making it especially competitive among younger shooters entering the AARM circuit.
Rifle: Mastering stability & distance
The Rifle Match – considered by some as the technical centrepiece of AARM – is a test of discipline and consistency.
Here, competitors must hit targets from 100m to 300m, sometimes after a running sprint of 100m to 400m.
Machine Gun: Power, coordination, and the Two-Man Test
Although every event demands excellence, the MG match stands apart as the only discipline that requires a pair of shooters to fire a single weapon.
In this discipline, teamwork, trust, and perfect synchronisation are as important as technical skill.
Meet the champs
For many of the shooters and coaches, this year’s AARM was especially meaningful. Several of them competed or coached at AARM for the final time, ending their careers on the highest possible note.
“This will be my most memorable AARM,” said veteran 3rd Warrant Officer (3WO) Mohammad Zahid, who retires from competition next year.
“We overcame challenges together – age, ammunition, and limited training time. But we stuck to our open-sharing culture, honesty, and being team players.”
A unique test of trust
MG pairs alternate firing across multiple practices – switching between shots from 400m to 500m using iron sights on an automatic weapon is a challenge few outsiders can appreciate.
“Some people say we’re crazy!” 3WO Zahid said with a laugh. “But with perseverance and the right recipe, it can be done.”
Each pair must not only shoot well individually, they must learn each other’s tendencies, adjust to each other’s points of aim, and trust each other’s judgement under pressure.
3WO Galvin Singh, 3WO Zahid’s partner, described it as being about “skill and chemistry”.
“Even if you don’t like the person, you must learn to work with each other to produce results!”
Preparation for AARM began in May this year, with training intensifying after August. On average, shooters fire 20,000 to 25,000 rounds each year, working daily from before dawn to dusk.
“Every morning at 5.30am, they have to be outside the armskote,” said Head Coach 2nd Warrant Officer (2WO) Yasher. “I’m very hard on them – not to tekan (punish) them, but to bring them to where they want to go (in terms of results).”
Despite the difficulty in securing long-distance ranges, the team made every minute count. Their approach? Data, not luck.
“We only go by data – we don’t guess, we don’t rely on hope,” 3WO Zahid emphasised.
Every shot, weather condition, barrel temperature, and deviation was recorded meticulously. The coaches tracked each shooter’s development transparently.
“Best man for the job. No favoritism,” said 2WO Yasher.
While the competition demands precision, the emotional weight carried by the shooters was equally significant.
3WO William Kua balanced months of intensive training with preparations for his upcoming wedding – he was saved only by the understanding of his fiancée, herself an Army Regular.
“During the day, 100 per cent training. After that, settle my wedding. I’m lucky my fiancée understands my work.”
The MG team’s assistant coach, 3WO Sean Wales, recalled how they rallied after losing a teammate in 2018: “We lost one of our great shooters. That drove the whole team – we wanted to do something for him.”
When the final results came in and the MG Team had clinched the silver, it was a “dream come true” for these veterans.
More than a competition
Since its beginnings in 1991, AARM has embodied more than a test of technical marksmanship. It is also a venue for the region’s best military sharpshooters to forge friendships.
Uniforms differ, but the teams train together, dine together, and cheer one another on.
And once the firing stops, the real heart of AARM emerges – in cultural exchanges, team bonding nights, sportsmanship, and the reaffirmation that ASEAN’s strength lies in unity.
