LEARNING ABOUT THE RSN'S CAPABILITIES AND COMMITMENT

Over 160 members of the Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence (ACCORD), employers, trade union leaders and Civil Resource (CR) owners witnessed first hand how the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN's) frigates locate, engage and destroy enemy targets.

During their visit to Navy Open House 2010 on 20 May, they were brought onboard a frigate for a guided tour, visiting critical areas of the stealth vessel such as the Bridge, the Machinery Control Room and the Missile Deck. The visit culminated in a demonstration of combat operations at the Combat Instruction Centre (CIC) - the nerve centre of the ship.

Said Mr Abdullah Shafiie, an ACCORD member for the past four years: "The frigate guided tour was very well arranged, with the officers giving a very good presentation on the functions of each section in the ship."

"Looking at all the equipment, I can see that the Navy uses state-of-the-art technology and I believe that the Navy is a very good fighting force for Singapore."

The visitors also enjoyed the dynamic naval sea display put together by the Naval Diving Unit and other Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel. Hardware like the Chinook helicopter, Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats and the submarine were all involved in the show.

"The display reminds me that in times of possible attacks, we have the resources and capable people, all trained and ready to conquer that," said Ms Joanna Portilla, an ACCORD member and Director of Born Genius International School.

Following the ship tour and naval display was a dialogue session where issues ranging from National Service (NS) to in-camp training to Total Defence (TD) were discussed.

Speaking at the session, Minister of State for Defence Associate Professor Koo Tsai Kee emphasised the importance of defence and how people are valuable assets in building a formidable defence force.

"Firstly, the people need to have the resolve. Secondly, they have to be trained to carry out this resolve, not just individually, but collectively. Therefore, we place a lot of importance on engaging the employers, trade union leaders, school children, teachers and parents," he said.

Echoing Assoc Prof Koo views, Lieutenant Colonel (NSmen) Lee Tuan See, an ACCORD member and Region Programme Manager of Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, added: "We need to spread the message and let everyone know the importance of NS and TD and that everyone has a part to play in contributing to Singapore's defence."

In line with the Navy Open House, Assoc Prof Koo also highlighted the RSN's roles and capabilities.

"The Navy's primary role is to protect the sovereignty of Singapore by safeguarding our sea line... Through such a friendly event like the open house, we want to send a message to the public that we have the capabilities and the committed people to adequately protect the total population," he said.For first time visitors to the Navy Open House like Ms Portilla, it was indeed an informative and memorable experience."Visiting this open house has provided me with an up close and personal experience to understand the Navy's operations and I'm very happy to see that the Navy has a good display of ships and capabilities," enthused Ms Portilla.The visit is part of the Ministry of Defence's continuing efforts to reach out to community leaders and the public, to foster a better understanding of the operations and capabilities of the SAF.