STRENGTH OF OUR NATION - MOBILE COLUMN MAKES A COMEBACK AT THIS YEAR'S NDP

Colonel (COL) (Ret) Goh Lye Choon, 74, a pioneer armour officer, took part in the first mobile column at the National Day Parade (NDP) in 1969.

Come 9 Aug, he will be leading the mobile column on Singapore's 50th birthday, in the first Leopard 2SG Main Battle Tank of the column.

"It is a privilege to come back," said COL (Ret) Goh. Recalling his experience in NDP 1969, he said: "We had only one and a half months to prepare for it, unlike the six months that we have today."

Things were much harder for the pioneers back then. COL (Ret) Goh shared on the difficulties that they faced, such as the lack of an area for rehearsals, and the tracks of the tanks damaged the road surface that they drove on.

Fast forward to the present day, COL (Ret) Goh finds the situation markedly different, especially with regard to the servicemen and women of the mobile column with whom he is working. "I have confidence in our National Servicemen," said COL (Ret) Goh. "I believe that this generation is better trained than my generation, and they will do far better than we did .They have been taught the skills, and know how to apply these skills."

This year's mobile column is a two-kilometre long convoy, involving more than 900 personnel, more than 170 vehicles and many months of preparation, according to Major (MAJ) Cai Dexian, Chairman Mobile Column.

He said: "It is a grand, formal, and precise display where we showcase our commitment to, and capabilities in, the defence of our country. That is an enduring theme of all mobile columns that we believe is consistent with this year's edition."

Last featured in NDP 2010, the mobile column will display the advanced technological capabilities of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Police Force (SPF), and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). It will feature as "Chapter 3 -Strength" of the NDP 2015 Integrated Show.

Comprising four distinct segments - "Giving Strength to Our Nation", "Strength in Action", "Strength for Our Home", and "From Strength to Strength" - the mobile column will also feature multimedia videos on stories of the men and women who have operated these platforms in Singapore and on overseas missions.

MAJ Cai explained: "This year's mobile column will tell the story of the growth of Singapore's defence and security forces to become the strong, respected, and capable forces that they are today."

"The stories of these men and women from the SAF, SPF, and SCDF will be woven into the mobile column to recognise their sacrifices and contributions to our security."

Alongside crowd favourites like the Leopard 2SG Main Battle Tank and Bionix II Infantry Fighting Vehicles, will be new SAF assets such as the Armoured Engineer Vehicle and Protected Response Vehicle from the Army, and a 40-tonne Specialised Marine Craft from the Republic of Singapore Navy.

"This is the first time that I've taken part in the parade and it is very exciting for me," said Lieutenant (LTA) Celestia Tan, commander of the Armoured Engineer Vehicle. "We have been preparing for the parade since May."

To bring the mobile column closer to more Singaporeans, a section of the mobile column will makeits way around the Marina Bay area, beginning with The Float@Marina Bay. It will then drive past the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Convention Centre, and the Marina Bay Financial Centre, before stopping at the Esplanade Bridge for the Pledge Moment at 8:15pm.