CEREMONIAL SWORDS PRESENTED TO 204 ARMY WARRANT OFFICERS AND MILITARY EXPERTS

There was an atmosphere of pride and excitement at the inaugural Army Sword Presentation ceremony in Pasir Laba Camp on 22 Aug, where 177 Warrant Officers and 27 Military Experts (MEs) gathered to receive ceremonial swords from Chief of Army Major-General (MG) Ravinder Singh.

The presentation of ceremonial swords to Warrant Officers, who hold the ranks of Master Warrant Officer (MWO) and Senior Warrant Officer (SWO), as well as ME4s and ME5s, recognises their leadership qualities and expertise in key military areas, which range from war-fighting to engineering and military medicine.

This was the first time the Warrant Officers have been presented with ceremonial swords - an honour that, until recently, was reserved for commissioned officers and Parade Regimental Sergeant Majors.

In future, swords will be presented during the respective Warrant Officer promotion and ME graduation ceremonies.

Speaking at the event, MG Singh noted that small unit leadership, tactical warfighting and training remained important pillars of the Army, and that "our WOSpecs (Warrant Officers and Specialists) set and enforce high standards in these areas".

"They are living repositories of tacit warfighting and small unit leadership skills and knowledge," he added.

In the past, Warrant Officers were widely regarded as the "disciplinarians" of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), but have taken on greater roles and responsibilities since.

For instance, when the Enhanced Warrant Officer Scheme was launched in 2010, Warrant Officers were appointed as Chief Instructors and Commanding Officers of training institutes, which were traditionally held by officers.

"It's a significant recognition of our ability and our willingness to do more, and everyone is proud and happy to receive the sword today," said SAF Sergeant Major SWO Joseph Koa, who was also a sword recipient at the ceremony.

Describing today's Warrant Officers as a warfighter-trainer-leader, SWO Koa said that to prepare them for these expanded roles, the first batch of 20 Warrant Officers participated in the Leadership Development Programme in July this year.

The course, which was open solely to commissioned officers in the past, now equips Warrant Officers with core competencies that complement their warfighting skills. Participants, for example, are trained in designing course curriculum so as to better impart their skills to trainees.

The Singapore Army also introduced the War-fighting course for Warrant Officers in 2010 to enhance their war-fighting and leadership skills. There are also more opportunities for Warrant Officers now to be sent on overseas courses, operational deployments and exchange programmes, and to attain higher academic qualifications.

For MWO (VOL) Kalaiarasan s/o Kanniyappan, the sword presentation ceremony was an important affirmation of the capabilities of the WOSpecs community.

"WOSpecs today are more involved in decision making, strategy building and planning as well in tactical areas. The word has always been that WOSpecs are the backbone of the SAF. We have maintained that and gone a bit further to add even more value to the organisation," said MWO Kalaisarasan.

The 49 year-old, who is Brigade Sergeant Major of the 22nd Singapore Infantry Brigade, was the only Operationally Ready National Serviceman to receive the ceremonial sword.

In his time as a volunteer with the SAF, he has coordinated operations, ensured that basic combat standards were met and acted as a link between the senior commanders and the soldiers.

"The SAF has helped me to be what I am in my career. In the SAF, we build leadership qualities, organisational and operational capabilities. We exchange ideas and learn new skills. I learnt a lot from the SAF, so if I can (volunteer) and give back, why not?" said MWO Kalaisarasan, who is the Logistics Director at Novartis Pharmaceutical.