EX-CHIEF OF NAVY AWARDED FRENCH MEDAL OF HONOUR

Former Chief of Navy Richard Lim was conferred the medal of Officer in the Order of Legion d'Honneur (Legion of Honour) by Inspector-General of the French Armed Forces for Armament, Ingenieur General de Classe Exceptionnelle de l'Armement (IGCEA) Jean-Paul Panie on 19 Mar at the Residence of the French Ambassador to Singapore.

Mr Lim, who is also the former chief executive officer (CEO) of the Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA), played a key role in developing the Republic of Singapore Navy when he served as the Service Chief from 1996 to 1999. During his stint as the CEO of DSTA from 2002 to 2007, he worked closely with IGCEA Panie, who was the former Head of International Development at the French procurement agency, on the programme to build Formidable-class frigates in cooperation with France.

The Legion of Honour was conceived in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte and became the first National Order in 1830. Its importance has not diminished since and it remains the highest decoration in France, with the President of the French Republic as the Grand Maitre (Grand Master) of the order.

The award honours civilians and military forces, French citizens or foreigners, for their distinguished actions. The five ranks and titles in the Order are Knight, Officer, Commander, Grand Officier (Grand Officer) and Grand Croix (Grand Cross).

Past award recipients from Singapore include former Chiefs of Defence Force, Chiefs of Intelligence, Permanent Secretaries and Service Chiefs.