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While MINDEF Productivity and Innovation in Daily Effort (PRIDE) Day happens only once a year, PRIDE is far from an annual affair. As the name suggests, our PRIDE movement is about fostering a creative mindset in our people, encouraging them to think out of the box to find efficient solutions to everyday challenges. PRIDE Day recognises the many personnel and units who have contributed to effective use of the defence dollar, directly resulting in cost savings of $343 million in 2007. The award presentation ceremony was officiated by Minister for Defence Mr Teo Chee Hean, at Toa Payoh HDB Hub on 28 May.
Innovation comes in many sizes. Whether the projects were grandiose ideas to improve the SAF's network-centric warfare capabilities, or simple improvements to routine administrative tasks, they were all given due credit. In his address, Mr Teo cited the Marina Bay floating platform as a good example of daring to dream big. He said, "It was an ambitious idea and an immense engineering challenge - the epitome of the can-do spirit of innovation and creativity in the SAF." Using our iconic skyline as a backdrop and the surrounding waters as an extended stage, the floating platform overcame land constraints to deliver a memorable National Day experience for Singaporeans.
On the other hand, there were also projects like the Detachable Luminous Vest for Load Bearing Vest (LBV), which provided cost-effective improvements to the daily duties of our servicemen. During their marshalling activities, our Military Police are required to wear luminous vests for visibility. However, the previous vest design was not breathable and did not complement the LBV, which is worn at the same time. Developed by the servicemen themselves, the new vest has breathable netting for greater comfort and prevention of heat exhaustion. It is worn over the LBV for greater visibility, while still allowing easy access to the pouches. On top of all that, the new vest costs $5 less than its predecessor - a classic model of PRIDE efficiency!
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