PEOPLE POWER BRINGS IN THE GOLD

Camaraderie is one word that is very hard to understand unless you have the chance to see a display of true esprit de corps. LTC Mohamad Fadzully bin Abas, Commanding Officer (CO) of 5 SIR did.

During the unit's Battalion Proficiency Test in Thailand this year, LTC Fadzully saw his soldiers trying their best to complete their mission, helping and encouraging one another, and not giving up under the hot sun.

"The body language and facial expressions shown by my soldiers will stay in my mind for the rest of my life," he said.

It is precisely such a strong sense of team spirit that helped 5 SIR clinch the Best Infantry Unit award again after 12 years.

On 5 SIR's winning edge, the unit's Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM), 1WO Chua Song Chiang said: "I believe it is the motivation of the soldiers, where every soldier has the determination and fighting spirit to go through all the tough times."

The bond between the soldiers in 5 SIR is so strong that they are like a band of brothers.

1WO Chua also revealed that the bonding between the soldiers was very strong. "They never give up nor let their buddies down. Everyone carries on throughout the tough times."

Last year, 5 SIR was involved in Exercise SAFKAR INDOPURA, a bilateral exercise with the Indonesian Army. The unit had the chance to exchange ideas and professional knowledge with their Indonesian counterparts.

1WO Chua said: "We did a good presentation of the use of equipment to our counterparts and they were impressed with the way our specialists trained the soldiers."

LTC Fadzully will be handing over his appointment soon, but his tour as CO of 5 SIR has convinced him that people are the key to our Army.

"The investment that we should put into our people must continue. After going through this tour as the CO, that conviction has been further strengthened."
Vengeance back to rule the seas

Adopting the same doctrine of placing emphasis on its people is the Best Ship award winner, RSS Vengeance.

LTC Lee Weng Foo, CO of RSS Vengeance, said: "We pay a lot of attention to make sure that the potential of our people is exercised and further extended."

He admitted that it sounded clich , but "people are very important".

"We encourage the officers to design training programmes tailored to the individuals' requirements," added LTC Lee.

Apart from placing emphasis on its people, the ship also ensured that the crew maintains a high level of operational readiness.

In the recently completed Exercise CARAT, RSS Vengeance showcased its high level of readiness when it employed the BARAK Anti-Missile System to successfully engage two drone targets simultaneously.

LTC Lee Weng Foo, Commanding Officer of RSS Vengeance, (foreground) leads his men to the second Best Ship award in three years.

MAJ Chua Lu Fong and the rest of the crew do their best to deliver all the time.

"We have a culture that rejects mediocrity, we hold each other to high standards and we work very hard to achieve a high standard of operational proficiency and maintain it," said MAJ Chua Lu Fong, the ship's Operations Officer.

"Be it administration, exercises or operations, we are not easily satisfied with maintaining status quo. We do our best to deliver."

When asked what the ship is doing to retain the award next year, LTC Lee said: "The training programme has to be catered and customised to make sure that whoever comes in goes through a structured programme and are competent. I think everything will naturally fall in place."

MAJ Chua agreed, saying: "With or without such competition, the pressure to perform at high standards of operational readiness and proficiency is always present. I do not foresee any additional challenges over and above what we are always used to."


01 Jul 06 - Best Units in the Singapore Armed Forces