SAF WELCOMES NEW CHIEF OF DEFENCE FORCE, CHIEF OF ARMY

He took over the Command Symbol from Lieutenant-General (LG) Perry Lim, who helmed the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) since 18 Aug 2015.

Following MG Ong's swearing-in ceremony, the parade contingent, comprising a Guard of Honour and 14 marching contingents from the Army, Navy and Air Force, paid compliments to the new Chief with a welcome salute. MG Ong. who served in the SAF since 1994, has been Chief of Army (COA) since August 2015. He was responsible for spearheading the "Army Ready, Soldier Strong" movement.

He also played a key role in maximising soldier performance and enhancing training for national servicemen, through measures. These include encouraging pre-enlistees to take greater ownership of their National Service (NS) roles and improving the SAF's operational readiness by allowing them to indicate their interest in their NS vocations.

As Chief Guards Officer, he oversaw the establishment of the Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre. In his previous appointment as Commander 7th Singapore Infantry Brigade, he led the SAF contingent which took part in disaster-relief operations when an earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand in 2011. Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen presented MG Ong with his Appointment Letter. He also presented LG Lim with the Command Plaque, in appreciation of his three decade-long service in the SAF.

LG Lim, 45, joined the SAF in 1990. In his role as CDF, he led efforts to strengthen the SAF's counter-terrorism capabilities and inter-agency cooperation for homeland contingency operations, and continued to develop the fighting force in its 3rd Generation transformation. Under his leadership, the SAF contributed to international counter-terrorism efforts in deployments to Kuwait and Iraq. In his swansong speech as CDF, LG Lim paid tribute to his leadership team: "We aim to do what is right for the SAF, not what is spectacular. We continue to sense the changes and dangers for Singapore and to plan for many years ahead.

"At the same time, we go down to the ground to encourage our people. We seek to strengthen our systems and processes to ensure that we operate and train correctly and safely."

He also thanked the servicemen for the sacrifices they had made in fulfilling their duties: "They are amazing in their focus on the mission, professionalism, positive attitude to work and fulfilling their responsibilities, and team spirit.

"And we need our people to be amazing because Singapore is a small country with no strategic depth. When you are a small country, you have little margin for error. When you have no strategic depth, defending the country is many times more challenging than other countries which are better endowed. The SAF must never forget this."

He also called on all present to give MG Ong their fullest support. In his tribute to his predecessor, MG Ong called him an "officer who possesses strong values, stands by his principles, and has a heart for the SAF". The new CDF credited LG Lim for strengthening Singapore's defence relations, especially with his counterparts in ASEAN, and for developing the SAF's capabilities in many aspects such as cybersecurity.

New COA takes the reins

In a separate Change of Command parade on 21 Mar, Brigadier-General (BG) Goh Si Hou, 40, took over the COA Symbol of Command from MG Ong. The new COA joined the SAF in 1997. In his previous appointment as Commander 6th Singapore Division, he oversaw the development of the new Combined Arms Training Centre to strengthen the Army's training system, and led the division through key Army exercises and bilateral training with foreign partners.

During his earlier appointments in MINDEF, he led the implementation of new military career schemes to enhance recruitment and retention for the SAF. He also headed a project office supporting the Committee to Strengthen NS, which led to initiatives such as the formation of the SAF Volunteer Corps. Paying tribute to his predecessor, BG Goh said:"As COA, MG Ong has led Army Ready Soldier Strong through his words and actions. He has worked tirelessly to make the Army stronger, more ready (and) more decisive. We can be very proud that COA has put his heart and soul into making the Army stronger."

In his farewell speech, MG Ong explained that the Army's motto "Army Ready, Soldier Strong" were not just "mere words on a parchment" but words that have been "etched into our minds and manifested in decisive action".

He said: "That is why we staged the largest mobilisation and equipping exercise that the Army has seen in the last 10 years to sharpen our operational readiness...launched the Island Defence Training Institute to better prepare our soldiers for homeland security operations (and) established the Centre of Excellence for Soldier Performance because we believe there's a better way, more scientific and data-driven approach to building stronger soldiers and units and we did all this, together."