GRADUATING AS BETTER COMMANDERS

To Captain (CPT) (NS) Francis Ng, Operationally-Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) play as important a role as Regulars in ensuring Singapore's continued peace and security.

The top graduand of the Command and Staff Course (CSC) (National Service), who is currently working as a Deputy Public Prosecutor with the Attorney General's Chambers, said: "Ultimately, this course is a reaffirmation of our NSmen's ability to transit between civilian and military roles as we can seamlessly switch from one to another and still perform our jobs effectively."

He also highlighted the importance of inculcating the right values of National Service (NS) in the younger generation, and believes in setting a good example for his two sons as he strives to excel in his NS duties.

CPT (NS) Francis Ng was one of the officers and Military Experts (MEs) from the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College CSC, CSC (National Service) and CSC (Executive) who received their graduation certificates from Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen in a ceremony held at the Istana on 25 Oct.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Ng reminded the graduands that "a strong defence is the best deterrence to protect ourselves (and that) we will always need to ensure a strong SAF (Singapore Armed Forces) as the ultimate guarantor of our sovereignty and way of life".

He emphasised the importance of the SAF's efforts in providing continuing education and professional development for commanders, such as the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College's partnership with academic institutions such as Nanyang Technological University. "Through these avenues, we strengthen the abilities of our officers and commanders to tackle their missions well, whether it is non-conventional security threats, civil-military relations or increasingly, media operations."

ME6 Koh Cheok Wei, who emerged top of the inaugural CSC (Executive) cohort, shared similar sentiments. Noting that the course provided additional opportunities for servicemen to enhance their professional military education, he added that it was critical for commanders to improve their skills and knowledge so that they are better able to deal with today's multi-dimensional and transnational threats.

For Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) James Yin, the top Army Graduand of the CSC, it has also been a fruitful learning experience. Said the former Staff Officer from Joint Operations Department: "This course has equipped me well with people-management skills, which is crucial in leadership, as we have to inspire our men and foster team bonding within our units."

Fellow CSC graduand Major (MAJ) Mathivaanan S/O Vedaraj, former Officer Commanding of 201 Squadron from the Republic of Singapore Air Force, agreed: "As we begin to take up bigger roles and responsibilities, we need to know what type of leadership styles we need to apply and how to bring certain messages to the ground level effectively."

Among the 212 graduands this year were 160 Regular Officers and 39 NS officers from the SAF, one Officer from the Singapore Police Force and 12 international officers from nine countries.