The Chief of Army of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) General (GEN) Tan Sri Dato’ Muhammad Hafizuddeain bin Jantan called on Senior Minister of State (SMS) for Defence Mr Zaqy Mohamad at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) this morning. During their meeting, SMS Zaqy and GEN Hafizuddeain reaffirmed the importance of maintaining strong ties between the Singapore Army and Malaysian Army, and discussed ongoing efforts to enhance cooperation between both Armies. 

Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Heng Chee How was the Guest-of-Honour at the IGNITE Innovation Symposium 2024 (IIS24) held at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) this morning, where he presented awards to thirteen Minister for Defence Award (MDA) recipients. A total of 121 individuals, teams and units from across MINDEF and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are being recognised for their innovations and work improvement efforts. These innovations led to a safer operational environment, cost and man-hour savings as well as contributing to a greener SAF.

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) 1st Commando Battalion and the Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI) Special Forces Command (KOPASSUS) successfully concluded the 30th edition of Exercise Chandrapura (XCP). The conduct of the exercise underscored the continued commitment of both militaries to strengthen the long-standing professional relations and bonds built over the years.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is participating in Exercise Pitch Black (XPB) 2024, a biennial large-scale multinational air combat exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in Darwin, Australia. Held from 12 July to 2 August 2024, this year’s iteration is the largest in the exercise’s 43-year history as it involves more than 4,400 personnel and over 140 aircraft from 20 participating nations. The exercise provides a realistic and challenging training environment for the participating air forces to pit their air combat skills against simulated threats across a wide range of scenarios, such as air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat, as well as surveillance and reconnaissance missions in both day and night conditions.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam hosted over 500 personnel from the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to a reception at MINDEF this evening. First held in 1992, the annual reception serves to recognise the commitment of MINDEF/SAF personnel as well as personnel from the Defence Technology Community (DTC), and their valuable contributions towards the defence of Singapore. The reception also recognised the efforts of service personnel who contributed to Total Defence, to ensure that Singapore’s security and its way of life are safeguarded.