HONOURING THE SAF'S BEST

Three of this year's Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Best Unit Competition winners tell us what it takes to be the best of the best.

Winning formulae, like secret recipes, are usually fiercely guarded secrets.

Luckily, this year's SAF Best Unit Competition winners were happy to share their secrets to building winning units: Best Combat Unit winner 1st Commando Battalion (1 CDO) relies on a robust system of mentorship; Best Ship RSS Formidable finds that honest communication is key; and Best Fighter Squadron 145 Squadron (SQN) believes in good old teamwork.

However, while celebrating their victory, two of the units also had to say goodbye to their Commanding Officers (COs) who were completing their respective tours.

Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Iain Hoo, CO of 1 CDO, humbly said: "I'm very glad the unit has continued to do well under my watch. It's a good closure to my tour."

As for Senior Lieutenant-Colonel (SLTC) Ong Chee Wei, his hope for his RSS Formidable crew was this: "There's no need to set out to win the Best Ship competition. We just need to be very good at what we do and the recognition and rewards will come naturally."

Leaders and teachers

Best Combat Unit
1st Commando Battalion

Perhaps the secret to 1 CDO's track record of 28 Best Combat Unit awards in the battalion's 41-year history can be summed up in one word: mentorship.

Receiving its 11th consecutive award, 1 CDO credited its win to the battalion's robust system of enabling leaders and seniors to pass down precious knowledge and culture to the younger ones.

"There are always at least two cohorts of NSFs around at any one time, so we are able to have the seniors mentor their juniors," explained LTC Hoo.

"We impress upon each batch to help their juniors do as well as, if not better than, themselves. There is no place for selfishness (in imparting knowledge)."

This system has benefitted many, including full-time national serviceman (NSF) Corporal (CPL) Prathaban Subaramaniam. The Signals In-Charge (IC) recalled: "When we first came to 1 CDO, our seniors shared with us their knowledge and experiences.

"When one of the men was down during one of our route marches, our 2IC (2nd-in-charge) took his field pack, told him not to give up and carried double the load for the rest of the march because he didn't want his man to fall out. These things really inspire us; it shows that we can push ourselves to our limits too."

Interestingly, the quirks and qualities of the unit leaders also often rub off on their respective companies, influencing their work culture.

2nd Sergeant Daryle Goh, a company detachment sergeant, shared this anecdote: "Even though the rest of us were not very meticulous like our Officer Commanding, Captain Alvin Lin, we ended up subconsciously following his style.

"For instance, when training in harsh terrains, we planned our mission down to the very last detail, such as how many minutes it took to travel to a point."

Listening from the heart

Best Ship
RSS Formidable

This year's win is an especially sweet one for the crew of RSS Formidable.

About a year and a half ago, the frigate had just returned from the shipyard and CO SLTC Ong found himself with a difficult task: trying to foster unity among the new crew, half of whom had not worked on the ship before.

To do this, he adopted a policy of open communication which encouraged dialogue and enabled the various levels to talk to one another honestly.

"The junior sailors, ME1s (Military Expert 1s) and NSFs can always come and talk to the officers, even to me. Just knock on my door and come in for a chat," said SLTC Ong.

"There is very little hierarchy, so everyone can have a voice."

The crew certainly appreciates his policy.

"I think this is a good practice," said coxswain ME3-3 Chua Chwee Huat. He joined RSS Formidable in February last year.

"Every time we conduct training or sailing, the department chiefs and officers gather to talk about what was done well and what needs to be improved on. We then disseminate the information to the rest of the ship so that they don't make the same mistakes."

This mode of open communication has served the ship well, allowing her to not only clinch her second award, but also establish a close-knit crew.

Said Marine Systems Engineer ME1-1 Fion Yap: "When there is a problem anywhere (on the ship), we go down as a team to help each other. We won't leave others in the lurch just because it's not our area of work."

She added: "It's nice to know that someone's always looking out for you."

No "I" in "Team"

Best Fighter Squadron
145 SQN

No flight mission can be fulfilled without the people on the ground and in the air working closely together. For 145 SQN, which operates the F-16D+ fighter jets, their Best Fighter Squadron (BFS) win was made possible by the dedication of every individual to a common goal.

"Winning BFS could only have been achieved with the complete support of all members of the squadron. Everyone, including the NSmen (Operationally Ready National Servicemen) who came back for in-camp training, worked very hard to make sure that processes put in place were followed to the T," said Lieutenant (LTA) Emil Vincent Lau. As an F-16D+ pilot, he is well aware of the importance of teamwork in ensuring a safe and successful flight.

"As the saying goes, there is no 'I' in 'team'," he said.

Air Force Engineer ME2-2 Aloysius Lye agreed, attesting to "the cohesion and integration between the air and ground crews, (which) created a positive working environment".

"This, in turn, led to mutual trust, respect and understanding within the squadron."

Upon receiving the results (the squadron's fourth win to date), CO LTC Lim Kok Hong was happy their hard work had been affirmed.

On the squadron's secret to winning, he believed that it was their principle of working hard and playing hard: "The squadron has put in a lot of effort to improve from year to year... While we are critical of each other in work, in social settings we let our hair down and bond as a family.

"This sense of belonging is what drives us because we genuinely care for one another and the squadron."