A MAN OF MANY MISSIONS

An officer who has been on several overseas missions, Rear-Admiral (RADM) Bernard Miranda recently headed a multinational anti-piracy task force in the Gulf of Aden and Somali basin. The veteran tells all about his latest deployment and more.

Sunday is usually a day of rest. Ask any military man, however, and you'll learn that there is never really an off day during an operation.

In fact, for RADM Miranda, the most exciting moment during his three-month stint as Commander Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 came on a Sunday on 21 Feb, when he gave the order to fire warning shots at a pirate skiff that had attacked a merchant vessel and was attempting to escape.

"On Sunday, the crew likes to do a 'steel beach picnic' on the flight deck of the ship. Just when they were about to start their picnic that day, we received a distress call from the merchant vessel, and I had to activate them to launch the helicopter and close in on the pirates," he recalled.

Looking back, he said: "You'd think that my heart would be racing, but it wasn't because I was so busy. It was all over within an hour, and I lost track of the time because everything seemed to happen so fast."

Despite a packed schedule and long 16-hour work days during his 90 days in command of CTF 151, the 48-year-old said he would do it all over again if given the chance. "Above all, there was the satisfaction of knowing that we went there and made a difference."

One of the goals which RADM Miranda and his command team set out to accomplish was to ensure that there were no successful incidents of piracy within the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor in the Gulf of Aden. Not only was this achieved, the number of pirate attacks throughout the Gulf of Aden and Somali basin fell by 26 percent, compared with the same period last year.

After completing his mission in the Gulf of Aden and handing over command of CTF 151 on 21 Apr, RADM Miranda was appointed Director of Multinational Operations in the Chief of Navy's Office on 10 May. In this new role, he will continue to help plan and provide guidance for the Singapore Armed Forces' future deployments to the piracy hotspot. The latest deployment of a Landing Ship Tank with two Super Puma helicopters left on 18 Jun, and a Maritime Patrol Aircraft will be deployed later this year.

"Right now, my main focus is on getting all the crew and assets ready and making sure they're well prepared. Time flies when you're focused on your mission and purpose," he said with a smile.

How do you relax during overseas missions?

Work was always on my mind! Even when I tried to relax and watch movies on my laptop, I kept an eye on the other screens and monitors in my room. When an e-mail came in, I would tell myself not to read it, but after one minute, I found myself hitting the pause button and answering the e-mail.

During all my missions, I always try to build a routine. For example, for half an hour every day, I would go on the elliptical trainer in the gym. Exercise helps me to de-stress, clear my mind, and come up with ideas and solutions, so my staff often joked that they get a lot more work to do after my workouts!

[RADM Miranda is definitely a man who likes to keep himself busy. When he was in the Northern Arabian Gulf during Operation Blue Orchid II, he found time to write two 5,000-word project papers as part of his Masters degree in education despite the demanding hours required of him.]

What personal items do you bring on overseas missions?

Family photographs of Fiona and our nine-year-old son Jon. Whenever I look at my family pictures, I feel inspired and comforted.

There's also my St Christopher pendant, which was a gift from Fiona, to keep me safe on passages and journeys. Another item which I always have with me is my blue sapphire ring. During Operation Blue Orchid III, one of the warrant officers bought this blue sapphire for me during a port call at Dubai. It's my birthstone, and I made it into a ring.

It's my family and the bonds with the people I work with that give me the strength to go on during missions.