Fact Sheet: MINDEF PRIDE Day 2016 Award Winners

(A) Minister for Defence Award (MDA)

The Minister for Defence Award (MDA) is given to the MINDEF/SAF unit or department for their outstanding achievements in all components of PRoductivity and Innovation in Daily Efforts (PRIDE), namely, productivity and innovation, organisational excellence, resource optimisation and staff well-being. This year, 6 Air Engineering and Logistics Group (6 AELG) and the Force Readiness Squadron (FRS) of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) respectively have been awarded the MDA.

6 AELG

6 AELG has been providing engineering and logistical support to the RSAF's helicopters, as well as supporting the RSAF's training efforts towards the maintenance of helicopters to enable the smooth and continuous launch and recovery of helicopters.

6 AELG strongly believes that innovation is the catalyst in attaining mission success and to live up to its motto of being "Swift and Steadfast", 6 AELG employs a 'Head, Hand, Heart' strategy to encourage and sustain innovation within the unit.

'Head' refers to honing innovation acumen by imparting knowledge through training and sharing, such as with other armed forces and organisations. 'Hand' is symbolic of being empowered with the resource for innovation. 6 AELG sets aside time for innovative activities and training where teams are facilitated to help bring ideas to fruition. 'Heart' refers to 6 AELG's engagement of its people, imbuing a sense of purpose and belonging into those in the unit. 

The 'Head, Heart, Hand' strategy has served 6 AELG well and inculcated a strong culture of PRIDE within those in the unit. 

FRS

As the co-winner of the MDA, the RSN's FRS is closer to realising its shared vision of being the trusted engineering Squadron in the RSN. This is the FRS' third win, following its recent induction into the Hall of Fame in 2014 and 2015 after winning consecutive MDAs and MDAs (Innovation) in 2012 and 2013.

The FRS' success can be attributed to the high level of engagement and commitment amongst those within the unit on the PRIDE journey. To prevent complacency from setting in after the FRS was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014 and 2015, the FRS Command team actively engaged others unit, such as through tailored engagement platforms, to sustain the sense of purpose while instilling the importance of PRIDE.

(B) MDA (Organisational Excellence) [MDA (OE)]

The MDA (OE) is conferred on the MINDEF/SAF unit or organisation which has excelled in various aspects of their management processes and organisational systems in the past year. This year, the award goes to the SAF Ammunition Command (SAFAC). 

SAFAC

After winning the MDA (OE) in 2015, SAFAC clinched its second consecutive MDA (OE) in 2016. This two consecutive wins places SAFAC into the Hall of Fame for the next two years.

SAFAC's leadership team firmly believes that when its people are competent, confident and trust the leaders they are under, they will be motivated to contribute more and the organisation will grow. 

As an organisation that strives to be world-class, the SAFAC also benchmarks itself against foreign industry leaders. In the past few years, teams from the UK and US had been invited to observe SAFAC's processes. During one of these instances, the team from the US Army Defence Ammunition Centre commented that "…sound and effective ammunition management practices, innovative systems and continual improvement initiatives were observed throughout SAFAC… personnel were highly professional, well-trained and knowledgeable of their processes and procedures…" These positive reviews helped solidify SAFAC's reputation as a world leader in terms of speed of supply, safety standards and stringent accounting of ammunition.

(C) MDA (Innovation)

The MDA (Innovation) is awarded to the MINDEF/SAF unit or department that has best developed and implemented innovative projects with significant impact, while nurturing the outstanding qualities of its people. 

This year, the MDA (Innovation) award goes to the RSAF's 6 AELG and the RSN's Force Generation Squadron (FGS). The MDA (Innovation) Combat goes to the RSAF's Air Combat Command (ACC), Fighter Group.

FGS

RSN's FGS once again stands proud at the forefront of Innovation, having been named as the co-winner of the 2016 MDA (Innovation). This is its second win in two consecutive years, inducting FGS into the Hall of Fame.

The FGS' Innovation journey is guided by their SEDA Framework - Strengthen System and Processes, Enhancing Capabilities through Innovation, Develop People and Achieve Mission Success.

True to the principles of the SEDA Framework, those in the FGS are strongly encouraged to attend Innovation-related training to keep their skills set current and also to keep abreast of the latest innovation tools. Innovation-related activities are also strongly supported by all in FGS. For example, Idea Provocateurs were embedded within the work teams to help facilitate and develop raw ideas for implementation. In addition, innovation teams are sponsored to attend overseas conference for competition with teams from other countries so as to benchmark the FGS's innovation projects at the international level.

Fighter Group (FG)-ACC

Winning the MDA (Innovation) Combat is a testament of FG-ACC's strong innovation culture at all levels within the organization.

There is a strong command emphasis placed on Innovation Training for FG-ACC's PRIDE activists to equip them with the skills to help facilitate WITS projects. Good innovative projects that are implemented would be awarded with the Commander's Coin or Letter of Commendation.

To inspire spin-off ideas for new innovations, an ACC Innovation Website was set up where innovative ideas and projects could be shared. SAF personnel are also able to provide feedback or give suggestions on how to improve the way they worked during regular Commander's Dialogues session.

FG-ACC personnel are also frequently deployed overseas due to the diverse operations that FG, ACC supports. To ensure that these personnel are also involved in the Innovation journey, Innovation Champions are appointed to spearhead innovation activities among personnel deployed overseas. These Innovation Champions help to maintain a strong line of communication to engage those personnel far away from home and also to exchange innovative ideas.
 
(D) MINDEF Innovation Project Award

The MINDEF Innovation Project Award is conferred on project teams that have produced iconic, impactful and innovative projects. 

This year, the award is conferred on two projects - "The Rapidly Deployable Maritime Container" (by Navy Medical Service (NMS) from RSN) and "The Airborne-Trooper Training Facility" (by Commando Training Institute (CDO TI), Army and DSTA).

The Rapidly Deployable Maritime Container (RDMC)

Existing Army Medical Service (AMS) and Afloat Forward Supply Depot (AFSD) surgical containers are unable to support the requirements of the RSN due to (i) incompatibility of the container's system for power and water supply and sewage system with all ships; (ii) lack of viable loading methods; (iii) could only be deployed on specific types of ships; (iv) could not be deployed while the ships were underway; and (v) require significant manpower and time to manually deployed.

The team from Navy Medical Service collaborated with DSTA to design and develop the RDMC to meet the RSN's requirements. Each RDMC is capable of accommodating two Operating Theatres and four Intensive Care Unit beds. It comes with a fully mechanised deployment system that significantly reduces manpower and time for the deployment of the medical containers. It can also be deployed on board ships during rough sea conditions and is able to tap on different power sources of the ship ensuring continuous power supply for its medical equipment for uninterrupted and prolonged operations.

The RDMC has enhanced operational readiness as the RDMC can be easily and rapidly deployed. It also boosts interoperability as the RDMC can be deployed on various types of ships, and strengthened the RSN's value proposition as a strategic partner as the RDMC could be deployed on foreign navies' ships. Beyond the operational advantages, the RDMC has also achieved cost savings of more than S$45,000 and manpower savings of 95%. 

The Airborne-Trooper Training Facility

The previous airborne training facilities could not provide trainees with a fully realistic experience and relied on the trainees to provide manual assistance when carrying out the various drills. In addition, the facilities were dispersed across different sites.
 
The team from the Commando Training Institute partnered with DSTA to develop an all-weather, one-stop training facility, where training for basic airborne, heli-rappelling insertion and heli-roping insertion manoeuvres could be conducted. The new Airborne-Trooper Training Facility (ATF) provides trainees with more realistic training at a centralised location. Trainers are able to control the simulated wind speeds to mimic different weather conditions faced, and are able to strengthen trainees' learning experience through performance reviews via the video and images feedback systems installed in the facility.

The new ATF has improved training realism, enhanced training safety, boosted trainees' confidence, adopted a holistic training approach with ability to simulate both day and night conditions as well as reduced training hours and the number of trainers required.

(E) MINDEF Savings and Value Enhancement (SAVE) Award

The MINDEF SAVE Award recognises the contributions of excellent Economy Drive initiatives by MINDEF/SAF units, departments and project teams. This year, the award goes to "Call-up Budgeting and Management" by National Service Affairs Department (NSAD), and "Solutioning for Main Switchboard Breakers" by Naval Logistic Department (NLD), Ship Superintending Engineering Centre (SSEC) and 185 Squadron (SQN) from the RSN.

Call-up Budgeting and Management

For a typical NSman holding a Section Commander appointment, a high-key In-Camp Training (ICT) call-up approximately amounts to 27 days. In addition, the Mobilisation Manning Period is around 14 days in duration, which meant that the NSman would have to spend more than a month away from their work and family. In the face of increased pressure both from the workplace competition and at home, our NSmen have highlighted the need for better organisational support to balance their NS commitments with their work and family commitments.

The NSAD project team got together to review the current management of ICT call-up durations in an effort to establish more compact ICT durations. Through extensive consultations with units and the training community to redesign and optimise the ICT schedules, the team successfully reduced local high-key ICT durations and overseas high-key durations by 15% and 7% respectively. The team also took care to ensure that training objectives and safety were not compromised even though training durations were reduced.

The project yielded a cost savings of $17.9M. While the cost savings were significant, the stakeholders' improved perception and support for NS and the SAF was more crucial. The success of the NSAD project team in improving the management of ICT durations was also lauded by the RSAF, RSN and Home Team agency and they have been invited to share their experience with them.

Solutioning for Main Switchboard Breakers 

Circuit breakers found in the Main Switchboards (MSBs) on board the various ships are critical components that ensure proper electrical power distribution and protection of the systems for the entire ship. Without them, partial or total power outage could occur, affecting operational readiness and safety of personnel on board. With depleting spares and with the Original Equipment Manufacturer or stockists neither producing nor stocking the circuit breakers, the RSN faced challenges in the maintenance and sustainability of the ships' electrical power distribution system.

From their research and discussions, the team from NLD, SSEC and 185 SQN decided to customise the circuit breaker replacement for each ship type, deviating from marine industry practice of replacing the entire MSB. Despite the varying MSB configurations on different ship types, the team managed to determine the specific scope of modifications needed for each ship type. An extensive selection and testing process was also conducted to ensure the replacement circuit breaker met the RSN's requirements and also to ensure proper integration and compatibility with existing controllers. Following an 18-month in-depth engineering study, customised solutions were developed and implemented across the various ship types.

The project yielded a cost savings of S$24.76M and ensured that the RSN's ships continued to be operationally ready despite the challenges posed by the obsolescence of a key component in the MSB. It also demonstrated the tenacity and expertise of the team to develop their own solutions instead of relying on existing industry practices.

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