DEEP EXPERTS IN MILITARY FIELDS

Eight military experts from different MDES (Military Domain Experts Scheme) vocations speak about their roles and how each provides a capability edge for the 3rd Generation Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

Operational soldiers with deep professional expertise in critical domains such as engineering and intelligence will help enable the SAF to achieve mission success, said Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the inaugural SAF Senior Military Experts (MEs) Appointment Ceremony in July 2011.

Elaborating on the roles MEs play in the SAF, he said: "They must see themselves as active contributors that understand critical needs, clear bottlenecks and make the SAF more effective...

"The ME corps is a critical pillar that complements the Officer and Warrant Officer corps to enhance the overall combat capability of our men and women in the field."

The first of its kind in the world, MDES has an eight-tier rank structure and covers areas of specialisation such as engineering, intelligence, military medicine and military music.

Like their Officer and Warrant Officer counterparts, MEs go through Basic Military Training and basic military leadership and management skills courses. To deepen their specialist knowledge, they attend systems specialisation courses which develop skills and knowledge specific to their military domains of expertise.

These courses and other continuing education opportunities enable them to better contribute to the daily operations of the SAF as well as in overseas missions. They also prepare MEs for a longer duration of service (the retirement age for MEs is 60, compared to 50 for commissioned officers and 55 for warrant officers).

ME5 David Cai, who was deployed to the in 2012, cited the example of how MDES presented an opportunity for the SAF to retain intelligence specialists: "Intelligence is an area that requires a wealth of expertise and institutional knowledge as well as years of experience to make sense of our increasingly complex environment. Unlike the old career constructs, MDES allows us to retain these experienced specialists."

On crossing over from the Officers Scheme to MDES, the 30-year-old Military Intelligence Expert from the Joint Intelligence Directorate said: "Being in MDES does not diminish the combat role of Intelligence personnel in the SAF. We continue to be a major part of combat operations, and we remain very much as commanders and warfighters in our own field.

"Our only uniqueness is perhaps our ability to contribute deeper intelligence specialisation to the SAF for a longer time."

ME2 Sivanason S/O Thanendran
Flight Line Crew, 149 SQN
Vocation Air Force Engineer

What ME2 Sivanason remembered most vividly about his two-and-a-half-year deployment in Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, United States, were the sub-zero temperatures and the cold, whipping 32kmh winds.

"What gave me solace was knowing that I was not out there alone. It pushed me to get the job done right the first time," said the 31-year-old who was in the pilot batch of air force engineers trained to service the SAF's F-15SG fighter aircraft.

Now back in sunny Singapore as a flight line crew at 149 Squadron, ME2 Sivanason performs about 200 checks on F-15SGs daily - a process that takes about five hours. From checks on tyre pressure to hydraulic and oil gauges, very little escapes his eyes. "It's such a large jet and there are many components and screws. I always tell myself that I need to be thorough when conducting checks.

"When you finally sign off, you know that you've done a very good job, your aircraft is extremely safe and you can go home to sleep peacefully."

Being on MDES also motivates him to become more competent in his work. "As you progress in rank and attend courses, they enhance your ability to generate new ideas and processes related to your work environment."

ME3 Ashok Kumar
Assistant Staff Officer, Vocational Advisory Agency, Headquarters Maintenance and Engineering Support
Vocation Army Engineer

One of the most memorable incidents that ME3 Ashok remembers from his deployment in Afghanistan from August 2011 to March 2012 was when he was asked to assess if an SAF vehicle - suspected to have a defect - was fit to travel to its destination.

"The coalition forces said we needed spares from overseas to fix the defect, but we took the initiative and used our knowledge and experience to analyse and rectify the fault (without the spares)," recalled ME3 Ashok.

"The coalition forces that were with us were impressed and said 'You guys made the right decision.'"

ME3 Ashok, who has been in the SAF the last two decades, is certainly the right guy to make the right calls when it comes to the engineering aspects of armoured platforms. He signed on as an automotive technician at 18, and climbed up the ranks to become a military expert.

In his previous appointment as a Workshop In-Charge in the 48th Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment, everyone looked to him to determine if the vehicles could be deployed for the day's mission.

"We may not fight on the front, but we fight from the rear (by ensuring that the equipment is ready to move)," said the 38-year-old on the indispensable role that army engineers play.

ME2 Gilbert Lim
Group Leader, SAF Band
Vocation Military Musician

At the fifth jubilee Military Music Festival Spasskaya Tower held in Moscow last September, the festival's Russian show director, Roman Markholia, said the SAF Band - one of the military bands from 11 countries that participated - put up the best show.

"Our displays have become more complicated, entertaining and audience-focused," said ME2 Lim, the group leader of the woodwind section in the SAF Central Band. It is one of only two professional military bands in Singapore (the other is the Singapore Police Force Military Band).

"The band is like an ambassador and a diplomatic tool for the SAF. When we go for these international trips, we always try to do the SAF and Singapore proud," added the 37-year-old, who plays the saxophone.

Besides taking part in major national events such as the National Day Parade and Chingay, and SAF parades and ceremonies, the band plays for foreign dignitaries, and has performed for the likes of South African politician Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth II.

Band members take examinations with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music to achieve higher levels of musical excellence. Even as a seasoned saxophonist, ME2 Lim has a tutor who coaches him on his techniques fortnightly.

These efforts bring the SAF band closer to their vision of joining the ranks of the world's finest Armed Forces bands.

Today, the band even incorporates singing in their performances, especially when overseas. "We normally perform a folk song from the host country, and put it at a point where it catches them by surprise. They go 'wow', and suddenly, you hear everyone clapping."

ME2 Johan Bin Abdullah
Master Technician Trainer, 3rd Army Maintenance Base
Vocation Army Engineer

This is one person car workshop technicians do not want to mess with. As Master Technician Trainer at 3rd Army Maintenance Base, ME2 Johan knows the workings of the 19 types of SAF wheel-based vehicles. His toolbox weighs over 30kg and when he instructs the 15 junior MEs and Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) under his charge on repairing the platforms, he is methodical and clear.

When asked how being on MDES has motivated him to look at his work differently, the 37-year-old said: "We dig deeper and encourage ourselves to go further and think more in terms of processes. If you can improve the workflow and strengthen the system, the equipment lasts longer and there is a shorter downtime."

ME2 Johan said the MEs in his unit also share problems with and learn solutions from one another, increasing everybody's pool of knowledge.

So it is with a tinge of pride in his voice that ME2 Johan described how this benefitted his team at Exercise Wallaby 2010. The 15 MEs and NSFs had to ensure that the 500-plus wheel-based platforms at the Queensland training ground were always ready to move. At the end of the three-month exercise, only five of the vehicles were brought back to Singapore for repairs; defects in the rest were successfully rectified by the engineers on site.

"When the vehicle can last throughout the entire exercise, you know you have done something right because it's working properly and the soldiers can maximise their time during training," ME2 Johan said.

ME2 Chia's commitment to excellence was recognised with two prestigious accolades two years in a row - Paya Lebar Air Base's Best Serviceman in 2009 and the Air Force's Best AOSX in 2010.

ME2 Junius Chia
Communications In-Charge, 207 Squadron
Vocation Air Operations and Systems Expert

"Knowledge is power" is a familiar adage to many, but for ME2 Chia, an Air Operations and Systems Expert (AOSX) in the Air Force's 207 Squadron (SQN), it has become part of his work ethos.

"As an AOSX, you must be knowledgeable and have a deep expertise in the systems you are managing. When you don't know what the component does, don't just sweep it under the carpet," said the 25-year-old.

Being an AOSX is a special thing, said ME2 Chia, because those in the vocation are trained in both operational and technical knowledge.

In his operational role, ME2 Chia directs ground traffic and manages the launch and recovery of aircraft from the base's control tower. He also ensures that the base's communications systems, radar displays and navigational aids are in good working order.

Motivated by the career development opportunities that MDES offers, he has his sights set on a graduate degree via an MDES scholarship. The multimedia and Information Technology diploma graduate from Nanyang Polytechnic hopes to deepen his IT and military knowledge at a local university next year.

"In the past, our career pinnacle was limited to within the specialist ranks, but with MDES, we have the opportunity to progress to senior leadership ranks," said ME2 Chia, who was emplaced as an ME1 from his 3rd Sergeant rank in 2010. He was promoted to ME2 in 2012.

ME4 Woong Kok Wah
Section Head, Logistics & Engineering Branch, C4 Ops Group
Vocation Military Intelligence Expert (Engineering)

At 30, ME4 Woong may be the oldest cadet who has ever gone through the Officer Cadet Course. This was a component of the Military Domain Executive Course (MDEC). Despite his 10-year experience in the SAF, he was not given any preferential treatment.

Like the rest, he stayed in on weekends, "downed 20" (20 push-ups, usually meted out by commanders as a form of punishment) when he had to and completed long-distance runs in the same time as his younger and more energetic course mates.

The effort paid off because ME4 Woong attained his ME4 rank at the 3rd SAF Senior Military Experts Appointment Ceremony in June 2012, and was appointed to a Senior ME appointment in the C4 (Command, Control, Communications, Computers) Ops Group. Not only did he complete the MDEC successfully, he received the Sword of Merit for being one of the top cadets in the course.

ME4 Woong now heads a section providing communications, computer networks and engineering support to the SAF, and has seen action with his team in many of the SAF's peace support operations overseas.

On how the higher appointment was different from what he did in the past, ME4 Woong said it was like T-shaped learning.

"You've got to go deep and you have to go broad too. Other than being an in-depth specialist, you need to see the whole picture as there is now a group of people under you."

Describing MDES as a scheme that creates capabilities for the SAF because of the MEs' deep expertise in their respective domains, ME4 Woong said: "Engineers and logisticians get better with age. The more they do, the more knowledge they have. These experiences are valuable to the SAF."

(Top) ME1 Teo checking the ship's engines to ensure that they are in good working condition.

(Bottom) ME3 Ramesh (right) in deep discussion with fellow electrical control systems military expert ME2 Paul Choo.

ME1 Rain Teo
Marine Systems Engineer
Vocation Naval Warfare Systems Engineer

ME3 Ramesh Gopalan
Electrical Control Systems Military Expert
Vocation Naval Warfare Systems Expert

When Formidable-class frigate RSS Intrepid was conducting counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden from October to December 2012, the survival and comfort of the 145-strong crew fell squarely on the shoulders of Marine Systems Engineer ME1 Teo, Electrical Control Systems Military Expert ME3 Ramesh, and their 20-odd engineering colleagues.

Marine systems (like the reverse osmosis plant that produces drinking water) to the safety, propulsion and fuel systems and the electrical systems (like generators, machinery and the switch boards) were all kept in good working order by the engineering team.

"We fix almost everything if it's within our ability to do it, we will," said 24-year-old ME1 Teo. She added that the team brought about 20 percent more spares than they normally would for this deployment, as the engines were always running and ran the risk of more wear and tear.

46-year-old ME3 Ramesh, recalling the time when he and his crew worked 19 hours straight to repair a generator (a commendable feat as such repair works are usually done by the equipment manufacturers), noted: "The engineers help everyone else to do their jobs by keeping the systems running. We are always taking care of things behind the scenes."