SHARING BEST PRACTICES

Captain (CPT) Nigel Jevan Mathiaz, 28, is the Officer Commanding of 5th Company, Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC) School 4. He enjoys travelling and has participated in exercises in Australia, India, Indonesia and Malaysia during his eight years with the Army.

As Singapore progresses, the importance of building defence relations with the countries and armies around us to ensure peace and stability within the region grows. As part of relations-building, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has opened our doors to learning and sharing good practices in training our soldiers.

As OC, 5th Company, BMTC School 4, I have the privilege of training the future leaders of not just the SAF, but of Singapore. This year, I was given another privilege: a two-week Instructor Exchange Programme with the Indian Army. On 6 Feb, I left my expecting wife, family and friends for Incredible India.

The Indian Army (IA) was an excellent host. The moment my plane touched down, I was greeted with a smile and was treated like royalty throughout my stay at the Infantry School.

My programme included visits to various military colleges. There, I learnt that the IA and the Singapore Army share many common practices, such as progressive training. In the SAF, a soldier learning to handle a weapon will have to first go through a lecture via the online portal LEARNet, followed by technical handling. A knowledge and proficiency test will be carried out before the soldier is allowed to practise firing the weapon at the Individual Marksmanship Trainer. He then progresses to the actual live firing.

Like the SAF, the IA is on a constant lookout to improve themselves and keep abreast with the latest technology and doctrine so that their soldiers will always be up to date with the ever-changing climate of national security.

All the commanders I interacted with truly believe in what they do. Their pride and loyalty left a deep impression on me. When introducing myself as a soldier from the Singapore Army, I was proud to find out that they hailed us as one of the most prepared, advanced and respected armies around, and that we lived up to our tagline "Ready, Decisive, Respected".

I was truly fortunate to have been given this privilege to be exposed to the way the IA trains their soldiers. The IA is an operational one, where soldiers are deployed in hostile areas around the clock. Seeing that the SAF trains our soldiers in a similar way reassures me of the professionalism of our soldiers.

"When introducing myself as a soldier from the Singapore Army, I was proud to find out that they hailed us as one of the most prepared, advanced and respected armies around, and that we lived up to our tagline 'Ready, Decisive, Respected'."
- CPT Mathiaz