RECOGNISING THE SAF'S BEST UNITS

Every year, the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) Best Unit Competition honours the top-performing units in areas such as combat readiness, operational proficiency and administrative excellence.

For the Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) of 3rd Combat Support Hospital (3rd CSH), this year's win was probably the best way to mark the end of their 10th and final In-Camp Training (ICT) cycle.

The unit provides surgical support to stabilise casualties so that they can receive definitive or full treatment after being transferred to a hospital.

Having been in the unit since his full-time NS, Commanding Officer (CO) Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) (Dr) (NS) David Ng was proud that they clinched the Best NS (National Service) Combat Service Support Unit for the second time.

"Over the years, I've grown with this unit, and the friendship and bonds forged here are truly amazing. It's helped us tide over difficult times, and I think that was one of the key reasons we were able to clinch the award."

Medical Officer Captain (CPT) (Dr) (NS) Mohd Mizan Marican agreed, adding: "I think it (the win) is a great reflection of the fantastic performance by the commanders and the men - everyone came in with a good sense of spirit, camaraderie and kinship, and we know what we're here for."

Giving an example of an NSman who went out of his way to help his unit, Company Sergeant Major Staff Sergeant (SSG) (NS) Benjamin Ma Yue Leong said: "One of our men is a film producer by profession and he volunteered to make a video for us so that we could impart our knowledge more easily to the next batch of recruits.

"He even volunteered his time past working hours. When we were sleeping, he was still up editing the video!"

He concluded: "When the men believe in what they are doing, they will take the extra mile to contribute to the unit's cause."

Open communication culture

Another unit dedicated to their cause is 807 Squadron (SQN). The men work tirelessly around the clock to ensure that the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF's) fighter aircraft are ready for flight to meet operational demands.

The squadron took home the Best Air Engineering Unit award for the third consecutive time since its inception in 2014. CO Military Expert (ME) 6 Sreekanth Shankar said of the win: "It's a testament to the hard work we've have put in Our ability to extend our winning streak shows the high standards that we have set for ourselves and the strong fundamentals that we have."

Air Force Engineer ME2 Priscilla Lee Huiying highlighted the importance of good communication in working well as a team. "We want to make sure everyone knows that, regardless of their ranks, they are all important to the squadron."

For example, a quarterly dialogue session is held for crew members to bring up any issues or concerns to their commanders' attention. Said Command Chief ME4 Benedict Goh Han Meng: "We (the command team) always take every issue seriously and do our best to address their problems Our squadron is very closely-bonded as we trust one another."

Staying in top form

It may not come as a surprise that 1st Commando Battalion (1 CDO) has emerged as this year's Best Combat Unit. Specialising in operations such as reconnaissance, airborne and raid missions, they have proven themselves to be a cut above the rest, sweeping the award a record 30 times since its inception in 1969.

When asked about the challenges faced in claiming their 13th consecutive victory, CO LTC Alvin Tjioe Jin Kiat noted that as the unit comprises mostly Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs), the unit has to start practically from scratch every year as a new batch enters.

"The challenge is for the good practices to be retained and passed onto subsequent batches of recruits. We constantly engage our soldiers to help them understand the purpose of serving the nation and the purpose of the Commando formation.

"This ensures that they are closely-knitted and have a strong sense of belonging which provides them with the motivation to work together as one cohesive unit and accomplish any challenges thrown their way."

Reminiscing about an "interesting" experience during an exercise, Commando Leader 3rd Sergeant (3SG) Harie Hadi Khairuddin Bin Joe Harie said: "I'll never forget the mission as it occurred on my birthday. We were asked to climb a mountain multiple times and eventually had to spend an entire night at the top. We were freezing and kept close for warmth. I think that exercise really made us more united and bonded."

A united family

Sharing the same strong sense of camaraderie is 140 SQN, which operates the F-16C/D aircraft. Established in 1970 as Singapore's first Fighter Squadron, it has been dutifully protecting the nation's skies since.

"We're like family - we take care and look after one another," said flying instructor CPT Kenneth Cheng Yao Jie.

"Everybody is encouraged to speak up. A senior pilot can be debriefed by a junior pilot as we believe that there are lessons to be learnt for everyone across the ranks."

Adding to CPT Cheng's point, CO LTC Tan Hwee Roy said: "In order for the entire crew to work together, there needs to be a very strong integration between the ground and the air crew."

He cited the example of how the two must coordinate seamlessly in the Precision Marshalling segment of Hotshot Challenge, the RSAF's inter-squadron air weaponry competition. In this component, the ground crew must guide the pilot to stop the aircraft on a specific spot on the ground.

"Since the air crew is unable to see the landing gear, the ground crew becomes the pilot's eyes. Hence, the integration between the air and ground crew was really tested during the competition."

In fact, 140 SQN did so well, they won top honours for the Hotshot Challenge earlier in February.

The NS spirit

In the past, few people would imagine an Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) ship fully operated by NSmen.

Today, the Navy boasts two Missile Corvettes (MCVs) manned entirely by a crew of NSmen - RSS Vengeance Team 1, RSS Vengeance Team 2, and RSS Vigilance.

Snagging the Best NS Naval Unit award this year is RSS Vengeance Team 1.

"At first, my officers and I had our reservations when we learnt about the concept of an NSmen-operated ship," admitted CO LTC (NS) Chiu Eng Tatt.

"I got to work with my officers and strategised how to bring the best out of everyone. After the first ICT, the morale was very good and everyone was asking me eagerly when they will be called back again."

In his maiden speech to his crew, he told them: "We'll do whatever we need to do safely and properly, and we'll get to go home early."

"I guess this struck a chord with the guys!" said LTC (NS) Chiu with a laugh.

On the dedication of his NSmen crew, he fondly recalled: "In our last sailing, one of our men's car broke down on the way to the camp. He called me and said: 'Don't slip off without me! I called the Coxswain and he's coming down to fetch me so don't go off without me!'"

An open communication culture

Celebrating their silver jubilee this year with a bang is RSS Vigour, which won the Best Fleet Unit award. Over the past year, the MCV crew has taken part in numerous exercises, such as the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training exercise with the United States last July and a Fleet Exercise in the South China Sea last March.

"Barak (missile) live firing," answered Corporal (CPL) Chong Xing Yuan without hesitation, when asked which exercise that he participated in was the toughest.

The Weapons System Operator added: "The actual firing was in last March when we conducted our Fleet Exercise, but we started training from December 2014. Each day, we would train about two to three times with each session lasting about three to four hours."

"Despite (all the hard work), we felt proud of what we managed to achieve with the firing and the other exercises. We always put our hearts into everything we do and I think that's what allowed us to win this award.

Touching on his future plans for the unit, CO LTC Wong Chng Tong said: "We would like the ship to remain as a happy family, stay committed, and excel at everything that we do. We want our people to feel at home, be willing to contribute, and perform to the best of their abilities."