REACHING GREATER HEIGHTS

Full-spectrum, integrated and ready.

That's the new tag line used to describe the 3rd Generation Air Force.

As the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) completes the most significant revamp of its command structure since its inception, it also celebrates the landmark occasion of its 40th anniversary this year. PIONEER talks to Chief of Air Force, MG Ng Chee Khern, to find out what these changes mean and how the Air Force has evolved through the years.

In order to meet the varying demands of today's complex security environment, protecting Singapore's airspace can no longer be the RSAF's sole duty. With rising multi-faceted challenges, such as providing peace support, humanitarian aid and homeland security, the Air Force recognised that it was essential to think along more task-oriented lines.

The first tangible phase commenced with a major overhaul of its old air base-centric structure in January 2007, and was finally realised with the inauguration of the Air Combat Command and Air Power Generation Command this year.

Speaking to the media in August, MG Ng said that, while some people might say 'transformation' was a word bandied about too often, "we haven't approached transformation as a clich . We've lived it for at least two-and-a-half years."

Seeing the bigger picture

As an advanced and operationally-ready fighting force, the RSAF is capable of conducting a wide range of operations, as well as reacting rapidly to potential threats in a matter of minutes.

A major part of its transformation was the setting up of five task-oriented functional Commands to become a more flexible organisation that works closely with the rest of the SAF and delivers air power more quickly and effectively.

Thanks to the clearer organisational emphasis of this new Command structure, MG Ng believes that people on the ground will gain a better understanding of how their own jobs fit into the bigger picture. This focus on a few core mission areas helps to bring about a higher order of effectiveness to the RSAF as a whole.

Explaining the rationale behind the makeover, he said: "In the past, we concentrated on training our people vocationally... So a pilot has to be good in terms of flying the aircraft, and a mechanic, in terms of repairing the aircraft."

"But in addition to doing their jobs well, they need to understand the deeper reason for the Air Force's existence, and fit into how the Air Force operates from that point of view."

In other words, just think of how the managers of football teams have different strategies. To maximise the team's potential, each player needs to know the overall game-plan and come together as a united whole.

"There's no point in building a Real Madrid team with star players like Zidane, Beckham and Raoul if the whole team doesn't gel, and they lose because they don't understand that they're not playing for themselves, but for a larger objective," he pointed out.

Carrying the torch

This restructuring aims to enhance the RSAF's operational readiness and ability to carry out effectively missions over land, sea and air. MG Ng is also quick to credit his predecessors for laying a sturdy foundation and handing him "a very capable Air Force".

Remaining "at the top of the game" thus becomes one of the main challenges he faces. "The thing I have to do is make sure we don't become complacent, and maintain whatever capabilities and advantages we have built up over years of hard work," he said.

Indeed, the high international stature of the RSAF's reputation truly struck MG Ng last year when he attended the Global Air Chiefs' Conference at Washington DC in September last year.

"The US Air Force was organising its 60th anniversary, so they invited six Air Force chiefs from around the world to give a presentation," he elaborated.

"I was very proud of the fact that we were one of the six invited. It reflects the fact that the US also recognises that we are an Air Force of high standing."

Building ties, forging friendships

The diplomatic scope of MG Ng's job also plays an important role in keeping up that high level of achievement. Two of the foremost priorities for the RSAF are deterrence and winning a quick and decisive victory if needed. Another crucial component, however, lies in fostering close defence relations between Singapore and its foreign counterparts.

"As the Chief of Air Force, I spend a lot of time on diplomacy to make sure that we have friendly relations with all our partner nations," said MG Ng.

Highlighting the fact that "you don't even want to deter others in the first place if you can have friendship instead," he added: "We've trained with the Thai Air Force for 25 years, with the Indonesian Air Force for 28 years, and the Malaysian Air Force under the Five Power Defence Arrangements for 37 years."

"In November, I'll be going to France to celebrate 10 years of our basing there. So as an Air Force and as a Chief, we spend a lot of time building up friendships with these different countries."

Besides forming stronger bonds with military establishments from other nations, these exercises also serve the valuable purpose of allowing RSAF personnel to hone their competencies and engage with some of the best air forces in the world.

Drawing an example from the recent Beijing Olympics, MG Ng explained the benefits of sending training detachments to different countries like the US: "Just as in table tennis, flying in the Air Force is not a one-sided thing. You cannot improve if you just train by yourself or against a weaker opponent."

"But if you train with the world s best on a day-to-day basis, you'll become the world's best," he concluded.