HONOURING SAF'S FINEST

What makes the best units in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) tick? PIONEER speaks to the winners of this year's Best Unit Competition to find out.

Best Combat Unit
1st Commando Battalion

Continuing the winning streak

The SAF's elite unit has emerged the best combat unit for the 12th time in a row.

The enduring streak is perhaps a reflection of how the 1st Commando Battalion (1 Cdo) has successfully passed its winning formula from one generation to the next.

Earlier this year, the battalion fought in a wargame against their predecessors - Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) who were doing their last In-camp Training. The exercise was a mock test for their Army Training Evaluation Centre (ATEC) evaluation - one of the components of the Best Combat Unit competition.

The competition is a test of combat readiness, operational proficiency and administration.

Commanding Officer (CO) Lieutenant Colonel Alvin Tjioe attributed the win to his soldiers, whom he described as "committed, and have the drive to do well".

Sparring against the NSmen helped to sharpen the fighting skills of 1 Cdo, which comprises mostly Full-Time National Servicemen (NSFs), he explained. "(The NSmen) are tough, experienced 'enemies'...who taught us a lot of lessons."

LTA Hafizuddin finds wargaming with NSmen Commandos a valuable learning experience.

Detachment commander Lieutenant (LTA) Hafizuddin Bin Mohdar added: "Because they had gone through the same journey, they could tell us what we did wrong, and what we did right."

During one of their missions, the Commandos, in their full combat gear, were forced to make several detours to avoid detection by enemy troops. They marched more than 30km - twice the distance initially planned - before they reached their objective.

"By then, we were all worn out, but we summoned our energy to carry out the assault," 3rd Sergeant (3SG) Surendran S/O Vatatheeswaran recalled. "The fighting spirit was remarkable."

The win is also the battalion's 29th since the introduction of the annual competition in 1969.

LTC Tjioe said while the award was a recognition of their hard work, the battalion did not set winning as a goal. "Our core mission is to train Commandos for the SAF. It's more about getting the training right, teaching our soldiers the right values and shaping them into good Commandos who can withstand hardship and give their best."

Best Fleet Unit
RSS Tenacious

All in the family

It's been an exciting year for the crew of RSS Tenacious.

On top of winning Best Fleet Unit for the first time, the frigate also took part in a 103-day counter-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden from March to June last year, during which the crew spent 29 days "stranded" at sea!

"Two days before we were supposed to call at the port of Djibouti, a suicide bombing incident took place in a restaurant at the harbour. As a result, we couldn't enter the port," explained the CO, LTC Ho Jee Kien. Ships usually sail for 12 to 15 days before docking to resupply.

LTC Ho believes that strong bonds among the crew have helped them through many difficult sorties.

Being unable to dock meant that the crew had to continue with the next sail cycle without seeing land. "Twenty-nine days is quite a record for us!" exclaimed LTC Ho.

Nonetheless, it was a memorable mission for the crew, including Military Expert (ME) 2 Shane Roland. "It's a rare opportunity because usually it's the Landing Ships Tank that go. We are the second frigate to be sent on this mission," he said proudly. As an Electrical and Control Systems Supervisor, he saw to the maintenance of the ship's generators and engines during the operation.

To LTC Ho and ME2 Roland, the secret to RSS Tenacious' win is simple: family spirit.

"Our safety slogan is 'I watch your back and you watch mine'.

It sounds very simple, but it means a lot to us," explained LTC Ho. "As a family, we look after each other, just as you would take care of your brothers and sisters at home."

ME2 Roland agreed: "When someone is in need, we help them out. There is no room for selfishness. When we are together, the feeling of family is there and we can achieve any task assigned to us."

This win has been the perfect feather on LTC Ho's cap, as he will be stepping down from the CO post come 6 Jul.

"I'm very happy and honoured that the ship has achieved such a good outcome. It's the result of us working together as a team," he said with a proud smile.

"Even when times were difficult, the crew did not fall apart. The ship will not break because the people will not break."

New award to recognise NS units

This year, to emphasise the importance of National Service (NS) and to formally recognise the efforts of its NS units, the Republic of Singapore Navy introduced the Best Naval NS Unit award. It is presented to the top Naval NS unit in the Best NS Team Competition.

The inaugural winner is missile corvette RSS Vigilance. Said CO LTC (NS) Kelvin Lim: "Now that the Navy has moved in a big way to establish full-NS ships that tap our deep experience, it's meaningful that the award has been established as well. It recognises that the abilities and efforts of our NSmen are significant and valuable to the Navy."

Best Fighter Squadron
144 Squadron

Team excellence

Dare to excel." A simple motto, but one that the men and women of the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF's) 144 Squadron (SQN) have lived up to. They may not operate the latest and most advanced aircraft in the RSAF's inventory, but that did not stop them from emerging as Best Fighter Squadron.

Said Captain (CPT) Lim Yuhe, who pilots the F-5S/T Tiger-II: "We know that we play an essential role in protecting Singapore's skies, and so we continue to demand high standards of ourselves and strive to be the best in our field."

LTC Tsai Hong Pin, CO of 144 SQN, attributed the win to the efforts of the people in the squadron. "They made the difference. Each individual understood and performed his role responsibly and diligently."

It has been a busy year for 144 SQN, which has taken part in bilateral and multilateral exercises such as Exercise Elang Indopura in Indonesia and Exercise Cope Tiger in Thailand. The squadron also had a strong showing in Top Ace Challenge 2015, where they came in second for the overall Top Ace Challenge Award. They also clinched the Best Logistics Flight Award.

With such a packed schedule, tight coordination and teamwork are critical. Said LTC Tsai: "Being a relatively small unit, it is not good enough to be effective. Our squadron emphasises early planning and communication so that we can optimise resources and do things efficiently."

CPT Lim added: "What makes 144 SQN different is our close-knit culture... It allows the aircrew and ground crew to understand one another better. This synergy, in turn, enables us to leverage each other's strengths."

CPL (NS) Oh is proud to be a part of the 144 SQN family.

Air Force Engineer Corporal (CPL) (NS) Alex Oh agreed: "The team spirit among us is strong. As an NSman here, I feel a sense of satisfaction when we are able to launch and recover the F-5 day in and day out effectively and safely. That proves that we are always ready to defend our nation when called upon.

"Standing by our motto, we push ourselves to perform beyond expectation."

New award for logistics units

In recognition of the importance of logistics support to the RSAF's mission, this year saw the inauguration of the first Best Air Logistics Unit Award.

Emerging victorious was the Air Force Supply Centre (AFSC), which provides round-the-clock support for the RSAF's operations, both locally and overseas.

Winning the award was testament to AFSC's motto, "We Deliver". To clinch the award, AFSC had to excel in various logistics support aspects which ranged from motor transport management to catering, technical logistics repair, warehousing and distribution.