21 SAF OFFICERS WIN CDF ESSAY COMPETITION AWARDS

Chief of Defence Force (CDF) Lieutenant-General (LG) Neo Kian Hong awarded prizes to 21 winners of the CDF Essay Competition in a ceremony held on 27 Aug at the Air Force Training Command.

Clinching the top prize was Major (MAJ) Cai Dexian, who wrote a paper entitled Hedging for Maximum Flexibility: Singapore's Pragmatic Approach to Security Relations with the US and China.

MAJ Cai, a staff officer, told cyberpioneer: "How we interact with and are viewed by the major powers will greatly influence our position in the world and whether or not our voice is heard.

"The US-China relationship is likely to be critical to our region for the foreseeable future, so I thought it was timely to think about how we would go about navigating that future, given our close relationships with both countries."

The competition also gave MAJ Cai a good opportunity to exchange ideas and perspectives with his peers. "There is a tremendous depth of collective knowledge in the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces) and I m very thankful for being able to tap into that, not just when writing, but every day in both personal and professional interaction."

Second prize winner Captain (CPT) Lee Hsiang Wei's essay was on managing and mitigating risks that social media may pose to the SAF.

Said the Publications Officer from 126 Squadron: "There are many articles (which cover) examples of the negative and unintended consequences social media use, both in the public and military space."

He hopes that his essay will increase the awareness of SAF servicemen about some of the risks of social media, and in turn, be responsible when using such platforms.

This year's competition received a total of 244 entries. Out of the 21 winners, ten were given the Commendation Award, eight were given the Merit Award and the three remaining winners received the first, second and third prize respectively.

Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College Commandant Colonel (COL) Ng Wai Kit, who was one of the six judges of the competition, said: "(The CDF essay competition) is necessary for a rapidly transforming SAF that operates in an increasingly complex and uncertain security landscape."

He added that critical thought and intellectual discourse help to sharpen the officers' thinking on relevant topics and this would help propel the SAF to greater heights.

Introduced in 1987, the annual CDF essay competition aims to encourage SAF officers to research, reflect and write about professional issues. It is also meant to promote a lively exchange of ideas on topics relevant to the SAF. The competition is open to all SAF Officers, Military Experts, Warrant Officers, Officer Cadets, and personnel from the Defence Science and Technology Agency.