Singapore: MoD Appoints New Senior Military Experts

Second Minister for Defence Mr Chan Chun Sing officiated at the 7th Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Senior Military Experts Appointment Ceremony at SAFTI Military Institute on July 29th, where 91 servicemen and women were appointed as senior military experts.

The graduating cohort comprised 51 military experts from the Republic of Singapore Air Force, 14 from the Republic of Singapore Navy, 12 from the Singapore Army and 14 from Joint. This is the largest graduating cohort since the inaugural ceremony in 2011, due to the increased requirement of military experts in specialised domains as the SAF becomes a more technologically advanced force.

During his speech, Mr Chan emphasised the crucial role that military experts play in sharpening the SAF’s capabilities with their specialised knowledge and deep expertise. He reminded the military experts that they were a critical pillar that complemented the Officer and Warrant Officer Corps to achieve mission success for the SAF.

“Each corps is important in your own ways to contribute to the overall capability of the SAF,” he said. Mr Chan also urged the graduands to continue to learn and innovate to boost the SAF’s edge, as well as lead and motivate the men and women under their charge to give their best. He said, “While we may not have been trained for certain operations, while the system may not have been designed to fulfil the operational specifications of the operations, we will never shy away from innovating. We will always continue to innovate to make sure that the SAF is ready for the next mission and not just the last.”

The appointment ceremony marked the completion of the Military Domain Experts Course which trained military experts to take on roles in the SAF where in-depth expertise in areas such as engineering, intelligence and military medicine was required. The training conducted during the course developed and honed the military experts’ leadership competency, military domain knowledge and specialised skills. The newly appointed senior military experts will move on to assume command or staff appointments in their professional areas.

Also present at the ceremony were Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Ng Chee Peng, Chief of Air Force Major-General Hoo Cher Mou, senior SAF officers as well as families and friends of the graduands.

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Press Release, July 31, 2014; Image: MoD Singapore