NSMAN REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT IN BILATERAL EXERCISE

The probability of finding an NSman in an active brigade is possibly smaller than securing a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) for your dream car at just one dollar.

But when cyberpioneer visited the troops participating in Exercise Bold Kurukshetra, we were in for a pleasant surprise.

Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) (NS) William Chua was the only NSman among the some 600 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel who took part in the bilateral exercise with the Indian Army (IA).

He said that he did not want his role of Second-In-Command (2 I/C) of the 4th Singapore Armoured Brigade (4 SAB) to be a "ceremonial" one.

"If I don't join them for exercises, then how am I going to work with them when it comes to operations?" said the 46-year-old. "It'll be harder for me to integrate with the unit."

In fact, LTC (NS) Chua has joined the brigade in several local and overseas live-firing exercises, and also helped in the launch of the Bionix II Infantry Fighting Vehicle last October with some adjustments to his work.

Special arrangements had to be made to accommodate his busy schedule as Co-Chief Executive Officer of e-Learning Consultants Pte Ltd.

He was also unable to spend as much time as he would like with his family, given his heavy involvement with 4 SAB.

"I have to make sure that I've my telephone and Internet connection when I'm training overseas, or my work email account will 'burst'!" he said.

"But these sacrifices are worth it. At least in the event of an operation, I'll be ready for it!"

The bilateral exercise took place from 1 Feb to 29 Mar, and personnel from both armed forces had a chance to interact with one another, exchanging pointers and sharing professional knowledge about equipment and fighting tactics.
When asked how he felt about the exercise, LTC (NS) Chua noted that it was enriching for both armies to share training procedures.

"We were able to use the range for gunnery training and the terrain for some manoeuvres," he said.

"The terrain here is much more open compared to what we have back home."