LEARNING BEYOND BORDERS

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) sends some of its best people to military colleges overseas every year. PIONEER speaks to some of them to find out what they've gained from their overseas military education.

When Captain (CPT) Tay Wan Yuan was nominated for a Captain's Career Course (CCC) at the Air Defence Artillery School in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, United States, he jumped at the opportunity and relocated his family there for six months from November 2010 to April 2011.

"There are only two slots given to the AWO (Air Warfare Officer) GBAD (Ground Based Air Defence) community every year, and my wife and I felt it would be a good experience," said CPT Tay, a Battery Commander from 18th Divisional Air Defence Artillery Battalion.

Making the most of the opportunity, he completed the course with three awards: The International Military Student Distinguished Honour Graduate for achieving the best academic results; The Colonel Patterson Tactics Award for displaying superior tactical competence; and the Communication Skills Award for demonstrating good speech and writing skills.

"I wanted to do my best as my performance was a direct reflection of the SAF and the RSAF (Republic of Singapore Air Force)," he said.

CPT Tay's success story is just one of many, as SAF personnel constantly seek to fly the Singapore flag high by excelling in the various prestigious military academies they are sent to.

Beyond the classroom

More valuable than the awards and accolades these personnel bring home upon their return is the knowledge they acquire from their education overseas.

Major (MAJ) Adrian Choong, who attended the Naval Staff College at the United States Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, briefly described what he learnt: "We studied strategy and policy, which introduced us to Eastern military theorists such as Sun Tzu and Mao Tse-Tung, and contrasted it with Western military thinkers such as Carl von Clausewitz (German) and Sir Julian Corbett (British)."

Added MAJ Choong, the Executive Officer of Formidable-class frigate RSS Tenacious: "The course gave me a firm foundation in military academic thought, from the conduct of joint military operations...to concepts in national security. All these areas are directly related to my daily work on board an operational warship at sea."

Apart from studying military theories in the classrooms of overseas academies, SAF personnel's learning experiences are further enhanced by the opportunities to observe how their host countries' military operates.

CPT Justin Lee, an officer of Training Development in Headquarters Training and Doctrine Command, who studied Military Science and completed an Economics degree at the US Military Academy at West Point in 2009, spoke of his attachments to various US Joint and Army units.

One example was his attachment to an Infantry battalion in Hawaii, where he shadowed a Platoon Commander for a month, and participated in one of their exercises.

"These gave me valuable management and operational experiences, which I have applied back home in managing my men," said the Army officer.

Educational friendships

On top of learning from some of the best military academies overseas, SAF personnel appreciated the interactions with the brightest military personnel from other countries, said MAJ Ooi Tjin-Kai. An officer in the Naval Plans Department, he studied at the Australia Command and Staff College from January to December 2010.

"My SAF classmates and I wanted to leave the impression that Singaporeans are not just results-driven. We were there not only to learn, but also to build long-term friendships," he said.

CPT Leonard Lim, who completed his undergraduate studies in Computer Science and Engineering and the Officer Cadet Course at the National Defence Academy of Japan in 2009, added that the working attitudes displayed by his Japanese course mates rubbed off on him.

"The professionalism, discipline, training and loyalty to country I observed of my Japanese counterparts left me with a lasting impression of what it takes to be a soldier and an officer. It spurs me to excel as an individual soldier and also to work cohesively as part of a team", said CPT Lim, a Platoon Commander from 1st Company in 48th Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment.

Summing up his experience overseas, CPT Tay said: "Having the opportunity to interact with soldiers from professional armies who have engaged in battles has definitely widened my horizons."

Added CPT Lee: "I feel that attending West Point put me in good stead for my military career, because I got to see the sacrifices of a nation which has fought wars.

"And with our guys consistently performing well in overseas schools, I'm able to appreciate the SAF better, because I have seen first hand that we are indeed capable and well regarded overseas."