Singapore Armed Forces Act 1972 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 5 · Trial by Subordinate Military Courts
83. Field general courts martial
Feedback & supportLast amended by an amending law of 2009. 2 amendments in all.
Where an offence punishable under this Act has been committed by any person subject to military law who belongs to a unit or part of a unit of the Singapore Armed Forces which is, at the time of the commission of the offence, engaged on active service it shall be lawful for a commander (called in this Act the convening officer), if it is not practicable for a general court martial to try the accused, to convene a field general court martial.
unit
“unit” means a battalion or its equivalent in the navy and air force or any equivalent body of servicemen.
Every field general court martial may try any person subject to military law for any offence under this Act and may award for the offence any punishment that a general court martial is competent to award for the offence.
Every field general court martial must consist of 3 or any greater uneven number of members (each of whom must be an officer or a senior military expert), and the member who is most senior in rank presides.
officer
“officer” means a person appointed by the President of Singapore or the proper authority to hold the rank of officer in the Singapore Armed Forces and includes any person commissioned as an officer under any written law that is repealed by this Act;
The convening officer may preside over a field general court martial, but must, whenever it is practicable, appoint as president of the field general court martial another person, who must be —
an officer of or above the rank of captain; or
a senior military expert.
Whenever it is practicable, the rank of each member of the field general court martial must be of a rank above that of the accused.
The convening officer has to appoint any serviceman to perform the functions of a registrar of the court.
serviceman
“serviceman” means an officer, a soldier, a military expert or a non‑uniformed serviceman of the Singapore Armed Forces, and includes a servicewoman;
The determination of any question before a field general court martial must be according to the majority of the members of the court hearing the case.
To find an accused guilty of a charge in respect of which punishment of death is authorised under this Act, the decision of the field general court martial must be unanimous.
If the field general court martial fails to reach a unanimous decision, an accused must not be convicted of an offence in respect of which punishment of death is authorised by this Act but may, if the members of the court by majority decision agree, be convicted of any lesser offence authorised by this Act.