A total of 86 servicemen and women, comprising five from the Singapore Army, 33 from the Republic of Singapore Navy, 10 from the Republic of Singapore Air Force and 38 from the Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) community, were appointed as Senior Military Experts (MEs) today. In light of the COVID-19 situation, the graduands received their ceremonial swords and scrolls at decentralised ceremonies.

Addressing the graduands in a pre-recorded video as the Guest of Honour for the ceremonies, Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Heng Chee How commended the efforts of the Military Experts and the wider defence community for rising to the occasion in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said, "The SAF engineers worked alongside their Defence Technology Community counterparts to develop technological solutions to combat the spread of COVID-19. Our servicemen and women were deployed in operational roles in support of Whole-of-Government efforts to contain the virus – some of them are amongst the graduates of the 20th SAF Military Domain Experts Course...There were many other Military Experts who answered the call of duty, ensuring that the SAF's critical security operations could carry on without interruption despite the COVID-19 crisis...This resilience, tenacity and adaptability that they have displayed is testament to the quality of training in the SAF."

Mr Heng also highlighted the importance for the SAF to stand ready, and to remain alert and nimble, against a rapidly evolving security landscape amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He said, "Even as the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, other security threats have not diminished...Hence, even as we continue to put our collective resources towards keeping COVID-19 at bay, the SAF must remain focused on its primary mission of defending Singapore. It is therefore important that milestone courses, such as this Military Domain Experts Course, can continue safely and without compromising the high training standards, so that we can generate new batches of officers, senior experts and specialists to take up the mantle of protecting Singapore."

Mr Heng also reminded the graduands of their responsibilities as leaders of the SAF. He said, "As Senior Military Experts in your respective fields, you will be expected to lead and motivate those under your charge, doing your utmost to bring the SAF forward. I am confident that you will be able to thrive in your new roles and live up to the challenges ahead."

The appointment ceremonies marked the completion of the Military Domain Experts Course, which trains MEs to assume roles in the SAF where in-depth expertise in areas such as engineering, intelligence, military medicine and cybersecurity is required. The training conducted during the course developed and honed the MEs' leadership competency, military domain knowledge and specialised skills. The newly-appointed Senior MEs will move on to assume leadership or staff appointments in their professional areas.