BG ISHAK HANDS OVER COMMAND OF 6 DIV

The heavy rain pelted down mercilessly, but the men from the 6th Singapore Division (6 DIV) continued to stand in formation on the parade grounds, determined to bid a good farewell to their commander Brigadier-General (BG) Ishak Ismail.

At the change of command parade held at Mandai Hill Camp on 18 Feb, BG Ishak handed over command of 6 DIV to Colonel (COL) Yeo See Peng after being at the helm since August 2008.

BG Ishak addressed his men for the last time as the rain abated, recalling the time when he took command of 6 DIV: "I came as a new member with the littlest of past connection to the family, but I leave embracing the family as an integral part of my journey with the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces)."

Commissioned as an infantry officer in 1982, BG Ishak has held various appointments such as Commanding Officer (CO) 6th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (6 SIR), Commander 12th Singapore Infantry Brigade (12 SIB), and Assistant Chief of the General Staff (Training).

At last year's inaugural Youth Olympic Games hosted by Singapore, he served as Chairman of the Executive Committee and Executive Producer of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

BG Ishak, who will be moving on to ST Electronics (e-Services) as Senior Vice-President/General Manager on 1 Apr, introduced incoming commander COL Yeo as someone who is fully plugged into the SAF's current and future issues.

Of COL Yeo, he said: "He brings with him a focus on operations, a strong sense of mission success and strong people orientation... I am sure the Division will be steered in the forward direction."

COL Yeo is a Commando who has been in the service for 25 years. His previous appointments include CO 6 SIR, Commander 3 SIB and Assistant Chief of the General Staff (Intelligence).