FOSTERING FRIENDSHIP THROUGH TRAINING

A total of 318 officer cadets were welcomed into the ranks of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) officer corps at a commissioning parade held at SAFTI Military Institute on 24 Jul.

Of these, three were from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, two from the Royal Thai Army and one from the Malaysian Armed Forces.

Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Wong Kan Seng, who officiated at the parade, said he was "very pleased" to see these foreign cadets.

"Your participation in the SAF's Officer Cadet School (OCS) shows the close ties and friendship existing among our armed forces and our nations," he said.

"I hope you have found the experience here useful and the friendships you have made, lasting. These personal and professional ties will be valuable to both you and your Singaporean fellow graduands in a world where our collective security is more inter-linked than ever before," Mr Wong added.

Royal Brunei Armed Forces' Lieutenant (LTA) Junaidi bin Haji Duraman said he was "lucky" to be sent to Singapore.

"The climate and environment here are similar to Brunei's, so I had no problems adapting in Singapore," he said.

LTA Junaidi (left) said the lessons and training he received at OCS would serve him well was a weapons engineering officer back home.

"When I return to Brunei, I will encourage other cadets to come to OCS too. Many topics are covered, and there is so much to learn. I have really enjoyed my experience here," he said.

Agreeing was Second Lieutenant (2LT) Santi Srimartkul from the Royal Thai Army, who said he learnt leadership skills at OCS.

When asked if he made many new friends during his training in Singapore, 2LT Santi smiled and said that before his training in OCS, he had already known many SAF soldiers from previous interactions like exercises.

"I'll definitely keep in contact with all of them, to share knowledge and experiences. And I'd like to be involved in the next exercise with the SAF, so I can meet up with my friends," he added.

This is the third cohort of officer cadets to be commissioned this year.

The parade marked the completion of an intensive 42-week period of training.