101 SERVICEMEN RECOGNISED FOR COUNTER-PIRACY EFFORTS OVERSEAS

Responding to calls for assistance from military and merchant vessels. Conducting air surveillance to collect photographs and footage of the sea situation. Working hand-in-hand with coalition partners to perform search operations to locate and investigate suspicious vessels. These were some of the Singapore Armed Force's (SAF's) contributions to international counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden (GoA).

For their commitment, professionalism and competence in carrying out their mission, 101 servicemen received the Overseas Service Medal (OSM) from Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Ministry of Defence on 19 Aug.

Commending them for their efforts, Dr Ng added: "Where we can make a useful contribution, we will do our part in counter-piracy efforts, as we are doing in the Gulf of Aden to assist the shipping community and maritime trade."

Among the medal recipients were 53 SAF personnel who were part of the first Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Fokker-50 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (F-50 MPA) detachment.

Based in Djibouti from April to July this year, the F-50 MPA team operated under the ambit of the multinational Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, and comprised aircrew, ground support crew and logistics personnel.

At the presentation ceremony, Dr Ng noted that the F-50 MPA team generated a commendable rate of 20 missions per month, which was higher than some countries which had deployed more aircraft than the SAF.

"It is also the first time that our Fokker 50 has worked so closely with the other international maritime patrol aircraft [from] countries such as the US, Japan, Germany and Spain. As we work with these partners to ensure a wider area of surveillance around the GoA, these interactions have allowed us to peg our performance and capabilities against them. More importantly, they have broadened our bilateral working relationships with countries that we normally would not operate with. This further enhances the SAF's reputation as a credible partner."

Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Song Chun Keet, who led the three-month F-50 MPA deployment, said that it was a fulfilling experience working with other coalition partners in a collaborative multinational environment. "We were there to do one task and that was to keep the waters safe. Whenever a member of the coalition saw something and needed help, he would call over the radio and whoever was in the best position to help would chip in to lend a hand."

The F-50 MPA is jointly operated by personnel from the RSAF and Republic of Singapore Navy and for Captain Eugene Yeo, the experience has helped to strengthen the integration between the two Services. "The sensor operators and I collected information and passed it to the pilots and the aircrew specialists, who helped to look out and assist in identifying suspicious contacts before proceeding to investigate. We all worked effectively together to achieve mission success," said the Tactical Control Officer from the Navy.

Although the F-50 MPA is involved in anti-piracy patrols along the Malacca Straits, this three-month deployment to the GoA was by far the longest and furthest deployment for its crew. The team also had to work in a harsh climate with temperatures soaring up to 50 degrees Celsius. However, the crew rose to the challenge and responded to about 30 calls for help, from investigating calls from merchant vessels who had reported suspicious vessels to assisting aircraft that had run out of fuel.

In addition to the F-50 MPA crew, 48 SAF personnel who served in the command team of the CTF 151 between April and July this year were also honoured.

Led by Rear-Admiral (RADM) Harris Chan, CTF 151 worked with naval forces like the European Union Naval Forces Somalia, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as navies from other countries to protect vessels passing through the GoA.

The command team, which included personnel from Brunei, Indonesia, New Zealand, South Korea and Thailand operated from CTF 151 flagship USS Mason and were out at sea for most of their three-month stint. Even when RADM Chan had to stop over at Bahrain for port calls, the team continued operations, keeping watch over the sea situation and planning and conducting counter-piracy operations - a task that woke team members from their beds in the middle of the night on many occasions.

Team morale, however, remained high and some of the credit went to Military Expert (ME) 4 Nirmal Singh Dhillon, the Master Chief and Battle Watch Assistant on the flagship. Every week on Saturday evenings, the 52-year old would put on a chef s hat and organise "Singapore Night" for the entire detachment crew. In the galley of the USS Mason, he and his team whipped up local delights like chicken rice, laksa, nasi lemak and curry for about 100 personnel. "The guys would line up to eat and we would all talk, exchange views and learn to live together happily," said ME4 Dhillon.

Added RADM Chan: "What impressed me most was the collective will of the coalition forces who worked together to achieve greater cooperation. It was this collective will that set aside our cultural differences for the common good of the global maritime community."