3 DIV GETS NEW COMMANDER

"Being appointed commander of the division that you grew up in is probably the highest honour that a soldier could ever dream of," said Brigadier-General (BG) Tan Yih San, who had headed the 3rd Singapore Division (3 Div) since September 2005.

And, he admitted, this honour was "a humbling one".

On 18 Jan, he handed over the command of 3 Div to BG Tan Chuan-Jin in a parade at Jurong Camp. The event was witnessed by Chief of Army Major-General Neo Kian Hong.

Under BG Tan Yih San's leadership, 3 Div led the Army's drive towards linking men and vehicles to various platforms and command posts.

Different software and hardware systems across the Services were also integrated to let the Army draw on the Air Force's and Navy's unique capabilities.

These networking capabilities were displayed in a systems integration exercise in October 2007, where all soldiers had full access to the battlefield picture.

"Our soldiers out there don't just fight with what they have," BG Tan told cyberpioneer. "They fight with the entire capabilities of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)."

3 Div also successfully organised last year's Army Open House at Pasir Laba Camp, which was well received by the public.

His successor, BG Tan Chuan-Jin, was formerly the Army's Asistant Chief of General Staff (Plans). He was also recognised for helming Operation Flying Eagle, the SAF's mammoth relief effort to aid tsunami-struck Aceh.

First set up in 1970, 3 Div was formed as the SAF's first combined arms division in 1991 and has grown over the years to sustain a credible fighting force.