Clarence Tan Kim Peng is a Singaporean former lieutenant-colonel best known for contributing to the creation of the Commandos formation of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in its infancy and early years.
He was commissioned as a second lieutenant after completing the Officer Cadet Course in the Federation Military College in Malaysia, after which he served as a platoon commander in the Singapore Infantry Regiment (SIR)'s 1st Battalion.
During the Konfrontasi (1963–1966), Tan was posted to various units, including the Malaysian Special Operations Force, and performed frontline duties in Sabah and Taiping in Malaysia.
In June 1967, Tan and Chan Seck Sung attended the ranger and airborne courses conducted by the US Army in Fort Benning, United States.
He was promoted to major in April 1969 and was appointed as the commanding officer (CO) of the SIR's 4th Battalion a year later.