SAF TO LEAD ANTI-PIRACY TASK FORCE FOR FOURTH TIME: DR NG

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will be leading Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 for the fourth time from March to June next year. This was announced by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College (GKS CSC) Command and Staff Course (CSC) 2015 Graduation Ceremony on 28 Oct at the Istana.

He noted the importance of this mission and added that it was in Singapore's interests to continue to contribute and work with other navies to deter and disrupt piracy as part of the multinational task force.

In his speech, Dr Ng also talked about the increasing scale and spectrum of SAF operations in recent times. "In the last two years alone, we could not have known beforehand that we would be deployed in Nepal or that we would be searching for lost aircraft; or dealing with floods in Kelantan; or going against pirates in the Gulf of Aden; extremists in Syria and Iraq, the list goes on.

"I can be quite certain of one thing - that your next mission will be somewhere we did not expect and for a task not anticipated."

Emphasising the importance of courses like the CSC that help to continue grooming strong leaders in the SAF, he said: "Without this strong professional and moral leadership the SAF could have easily fallen behind, as the scale and spectrum of threats have increased over the years."

He addressed 230 graduands of the 46th CSC, 16th CSC (National Service), as well as the 4th and 5th CSC (Executive). Among them were 154 regular officers, three warrant officers and 58 National Service (NS) officers - including the first batch of naval National Service (NS) officers - from the SAF. There was also an officer from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and 14 international officers from nine countries.

Major (MAJ) Du Zixian Ivan, top Army graduand of the CSC, felt that the course had imparted valuable skills to overcome challenges that he might face in the future. "CSC offers modules on international relations and war studies, and they really helped me to see things from a different perspective and on a strategic level.

"Now, I better understand Singapore's position on the international arena. At the same time, I realise what the SAF is to Singapore - not just in (terms of) defence but also in ensuring peace and stability within the region."

Fellow course mate, MAJ Dhinna Kumar S/O Anballagan, also felt that he had benefited greatly from the CSC. His greatest takeaway was about leadership. "The CSC introduces us to the different definitions of what a leader should be It emphasised that you need to be an all-rounded leader."

For the Weapons System Officer (Fighter), the biggest challenge of the course was not just in going back to college and writing again, but also juggling his studies with family time. "CSC started on 13 Jan and I got married five days later - getting the preparations for the wedding done was definitely a challenge!"

CSC (Executive) graduand Senior Warrant Officer (SWO) Ben Wong shared similar sentiments. "During the day, I need to focus on the course itself," he said. "After that, I go back to the office and fulfil my roles and responsibilities of Formation Sergeant Major (of the Armour Formation).

"The other challenge is trying to strike a balance between family and (the demands) of the course. With all the readings and research that needed to be completed, it definitely required discipline and time management."

Also present at the graduation was Chief of Defence Force Major-General (MG) Perry Lim, Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral (RADM) Lai Chung Han, Chief of Army Brigadier-General (BG) Melvyn Ong, and other senior commanders. The CSC, CSC (Executive), and CSC (NS) prepare officers for senior command and staff appointments in the SAF, and are the highest level of formal military education offered in Singapore.