WINNERS OF CDF ESSAY COMPETITION ANNOUNCED

Chief of Defence Force (CDF) Lieutenant-General (LG) Neo Kian Hong presented prizes to winners of the CDF Essay Competition on 10 Feb in a ceremony held at Warriors Hall, SAFTI Military Institute.

Clinching first prize was Major (MAJ) Ang Pei-Zheng Timothy, a Staff Officer in the Air Plans Department.

In his paper, titled Realism over ritualism - preparing for uncertainty on the 21st Century battlefield, MAJ Ang posited that uncertainty is a perennial challenge in military operations.

"No amount of technology can surmount the 'fog' of war," he said to cyberpioneer, quoting a concept credited to the late Carl Von Clausewitz, a German military theorist who wrote extensively on the conduct of war.

To overcome this uncertainty, MAJ Ang proposed that armed forces must realise the limitations of technology and train soldiers in a realistic manner so that troops are ready and prepared.

Speaking of the win, he said: "Though I am happy to have won, what's more important is that I have personally benefited from researching the paper."

"The competition is also a platform to explore ideas that we might not have the opportunity to express in our day-to-day work," he added.

Similarly, second prize winner Captain (CPT) Daxson Yap spoke of his joy when the results were revealed: "I'm happy and honoured that the judges recognised my paper."

"I hope that readers of my essay will take away a more nuanced and informed view of military strategies," said CPT Yap. His piece Preparing for war: A perspective on the evolution of warfare and suggestions for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) examines how the SAF can learn from the experiences of other armed forces to sharpen its own defence policy decisions.

About 200 entries were received in the 2010 edition of the competition, and Assistant Professor Emrys Myles Chew from the Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), who was one of the judges, said: "The winners of this competition offered clear and well substantiated lines of argument, geared towards the needs of the SAF."

The CDF essay competition is an annual competition aimed at encouraging SAF officers to actively research and reflect on professional issues, and to share their knowledge, ideas and views through writing. It is open to all SAF officers and Warrant Officers, Officer Cadets, Defence Executive Officers, and personnel from the Defence Science and Technology Agency.

Selection of essays submitted in the latest edition of the competition are ongoing, following the closing date for submissions on 31 Jan 2011. Results are expected to be announced in June 2011.