Earning their new ranks

Come 1 Jul, Major (MAJ) Ang Qiu Xiang will become the highest-ranking female infantry officer in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) when she is promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

But did you know that it was a local TV show – The Price of Peace – that changed her life and set her on this course?

This 1997 series depicts Singapore during World War II and the hardships endured by its people under the Japanese Occupation.

Said the 41-year-old: “I was very inspired by the series, it made me believe in (the importance of) defence.

“That’s why I believe we need a strong army to keep this place free for everyone to (live and work) in.”

Chasing her dream

The youngest of three siblings, MAJ Ang was so eager to learn about the SAF that she would help her elder brother fold his No. 4 uniform sleeves during his National Service.

While an undergraduate at UniSIM, she walked into the Army Recruitment Centre and asked to sign on.

However, it would be a while before she embarked on her military journey.

After MAJ Ang graduated from university in 2008, her mother took ill, and she put her dreams on hold to care for her. Her mother later passed away due to a heart condition.

In 2011, MAJ Ang felt ready to chase her childhood dream again. In August that year, at the age of 26, she enlisted into Basic Military Training (BMT) and signed on with the infantry.

Ready for any challenge

Currently heading the G1 branch of 3rd Singapore Division, she is in charge of manpower matters such as deployment, development, performance assessment and exit management.

One of her most memorable experiences in her 15-year career was when she was appointed Army Lead Planner at Exercise Bersama Lima in 2023.

“Being given the role showed me that the SAF does not look at your gender, only your capabilities,” she said.

MAJ Ang also held her own against her international counterparts when, during a demonstration on jungle survival skills, she was called upon to catch a python.

“I was totally caught off-guard, but they forgot I’m Jungle Confidence Course-trained! So yes, I caught the python!” she said, beaming with pride as she recounted the experience.

A role model for young servicewomen

MAJ Ang credits 1st Warrant Officer Judy Law, her platoon commander from when she was a recruit, for moulding her as a military woman.

“She taught me how to be disciplined and not just to follow rules blindly but to understand the context before applying the rules. And to make sure I take care of the people.”

"That set a good foundation for me. She continues to be an inspiration to ladies to this day,” added MAJ Ang.

To MAJ Ang, becoming the highest ranking infantrywoman doesn’t change how she carries herself – as a senior infanteer, she knows people naturally look to her for guidance.

She hopes to be a role model for young servicewomen and help them grow their confidence in the SAF.

“I’m looking out for development opportunities for them, such as overseas conferences, so that they can see the world in a different light.”

Focusing on the heartware

Like MAJ Ang, Master Warrant Office (MWO) Pandykumaran S/O Arthiappan believes in building up people.

As Directing Staff (Air Force) at SAFWOS Leadership School, he oversees leadership development for warrant officers, specialists and military experts.

“In my 27 years (in the SAF), I’ve operated a lot of hardware,” said the experienced Air Crew Specialist (ACS) who has flown on the Fokker-50 and KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft.

“But instead of the hardware, I’d rather focus on the ‘heartware’. If I could work with every individual to strengthen their will to fight, that would be best.”

It’s a role that the 47-year-old finds great satisfaction in, having seen how his own seniors put people development into action.

“I get the opportunity to spend time with every soldier, sailor, airman and guardian, go down to the nuts and bolts of leadership development and bring out the fire in them. Or make the fire burn brighter!”

MWO Pandy will be promoted to the pinnacle rank of Senior Warrant Officer on 1 Jul.

Seeing the big picture

For MWO Pandykumaran, training on the KC-135R was one of the highlights of his career as an airman.

“It allowed me to be stationed overseas and train with the United States Air Force, and then take back the knowledge to set up and strengthen our processes in the RSAF (Republic of Singapore Air Force),” he explained.

During his time as an Operations Warrant in Air Defence and Operations Command, he saw to the planning of the SAF’s humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.

This included missions such as relief efforts for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013, and search-and-locate efforts for the AirAsia flight QZ8501 crash in 2014.

“These experiences allowed me to see the bigger picture – the various considerations from the points of view of Policy the operators.

“I saw all these things – the SAF, NGOs (non-government organisations) and non-SAF entities – coming together to achieve the mission.”

A career high

The feather on MWO Pandy’s cap was when he became Parade Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) for NDP 2023.

Bringing together thousands of parade participants together and executing the drills to precision was a tough challenge.

“It was a perfect parade on 9 Aug, but the whole entire experience was a very humbling one – (I was glad) I could achieve something that I had (always) dreamed about!”

He added: “It motivated me and let me know that I have another role to play in the SAF and in Singapore. That allowed me to complete the NDP with distinction. It’s a memorable experience I can share with the next generation.”