The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is the naval service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for defending the country against any sea-borne threats, and the protection of its sea lines of communications, that would compromise Singapore as a global trading hub. The RSN traces its origins to the Royal Navy when Singapore was still a Crown colony of the British Empire. After Singapore’s independence from Malaysia in 1965, the service was formally established in 1967, and had undergone a substantial modernisation ever since—which led them into becoming the most powerful navy in Southeast Asia.^[