DEFENCE MINISTER GETS UPDATE ON COMBINED ARMS DIVISION'S CAPABILITIES

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen visited Headquarters 3rd Singapore Division (HQ 3 Div) at Jurong Camp I on 13 Apr.

During the inaugural visit, which was hosted by Chief of Army Major-General (MG) Ravinder Singh, Dr Ng observed soldiers in action at a Command Post Exercise, which tests the division's ability to plan, monitor and command a battle in real time.

About 280 soldiers participated in the exercise, of which close to 210 were Operationally-Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) undergoing their In-Camp Training (ICT).

Dr Ng was also briefed on the latest developments in the 3rd Generation Combined Arms Division (CAD).

3 Div was inaugurated as a CAD in March 1991, the first in the SAF to do so. Then, support arms such as signals, artillery, armour, logistics, air defence artillery and combat engineers were combined with the infantry units for maximum combat effectiveness and operational readiness.

Today, the 3rd Generation CAD's Command, Control, Communications, Computer and Intelligence (C4I) systems allow the division to conduct operations more effectively and responsively, using advanced networking technologies. Force components across the different arms and Services in the SAF are also more tightly integrated.

These advancements have not been lost on Third Sergeant Rishi Sunder Ramchand, a medical monitoring specialist, who sees progress each time he goes back for ICT.

Said the 29-year-old who is in his fifth ICT year: "When we came in at first, it was quite modularised. Four or five ICTs down the road; you see a lot more integration, the systems work a lot better together.

"You also see a lot more efficiency in the way the soldiers use the systems. It s good to see progress each time you come back."

During his interaction with the NSmen, Dr Ng commended them for their commitment to defence, and reiterated the critical role they played in the transformation of the 3rd Generation CAD. He encouraged them to keep themselves up to date with new developments in the Singapore Armed Forces.