Fact Sheet: PRIDE Symposium 2018 Award Winners

(A)       Minister for Defence Award (MDA)

1.         The MDA is presented to a unit or department in the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) for their outstanding achievements in all four components of the MINDEF PRoductivity and Innovation in Daily Efforts (PRIDE) Movement, namely, productivity and innovation, organisational excellence, resource optimisation and staff well-being. There are two tiers to the MDA – the Division/Command and Brigade/Formation /Group/Unit level.

2.         This year, five units will be awarded the MDA. At the Division/Command level, the Air Combat Command (ACC) and Air Power Generation Command (APGC) of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) have been awarded the MDA, while the 7 Air Engineering and Logistics Group (7 AELG) and Fighter Group (FG)-ACC of the RSAF and Maintenance and Engineering Support (MES) Formation of the Singapore Army will be receiving the MDA at the Brigade/Formation/Group/Unit level.

ACC

The ACC, with both fighter and transport squadrons, directs all the central planning, control and execution of the air battle in operations. To attain its mission of achieving and sustaining air superiority over the SAF’s area of operations, ACC aims to train its air crew, ground crew, pilots and Air Force Engineers (AFEs) to think and operate in a fully integrated way.

With a strong emphasis in innovation, ACC actively engages and develops its people to think out-of-the-box and try new methods of solving problems, resulting in the a steady pipeline of high quality and impactful innovations that helps to improve processes and optimise use of resources. One example is the alternative compass swing procedure developed by ACC’s AFEs to calibrate the F-15SG’s standby compass without the need for a certified compass pad. (See below for write-up on the project.)

APGC

APGC, the largest operational command of the RSAF, performs two key roles: (i) to generate and sustain effective and timely air power to ensure that all aircraft are in the right configuration, and to take off at the right time for missions; and (ii) to ensure that each air base is effective and efficient in generating and sustaining air power for the continuous launch and recovery of aircraft.

APGC leverages a strong innovation culture, the diversity of its functional groups, and the operational experience of its people to generate a wealth of cross-functional and innovative ideas. These go a long way towards supporting the SAF’s operations and various high key events to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

APGC is the testbed where concepts and prototypes for the RSAF’s Smart Air Bases of the future are tested and validated. By embracing innovation in the rapidly evolving digital age and providing a conducive environment for ground-up innovations, it allows the RSAF to prepare to operate with a leaner workforce in the future.

7 AELG

7 AELG provides engineering and logistical support to the RSAF’s F-15SG and C-130 aircraft to enable the continuous launch and recovery of these platforms to meet the SAF’s mission. United by their identity as One Wolfpack, 7 AELG taps on the collective wisdom, professional competencies and technical knowledge, creativity and commitment of its personnel, who persevere in their innovation efforts, to work smarter and achieve organisational and operational excellence.

7 AELG has made consistent achievements over the years. In 2015 and 2016, 807 Squadron, a unit under 7 AELG, was recognised as the SAF’s Best Air Engineering Unit. Most recently, 817 SQN was recognised as the SAF’s Best Air Engineering Unit in 2018. Behind every F-15SG launch and recovery, and C-130 humanitarian mission is a wolf from 7 AELG who stands ever ready to rise to the call.

An initiative that 7 AELG put in place to help their personnel work smarter is the Wolfpack Training Mobile Application. Before an AFE could work on maintaining the F-15SG, he would have to undergo specialised training to perform his role. The previous process to track his training development was time-consuming due to the large number of personnel and training hours involved. The mobile application automated the tracking process, hence shortening the time required for training by 80%.

FG-ACC

FG-ACC is responsible for the professional and skills development of the fighter force by ensuring that both the air and ground crews are trained to a high level of proficiency to carry out their assigned missions effectively. The FG-ACC management’s emphasis for innovation and resultant nurturing culture gives its personnel the confidence to share and try out their ideas without fear of failure. These have helped the men and women of FG-ACC to develop solutions that solve practical needs and improve operational effectiveness. One example is the Ops-Log integration between the air and ground crews whereby both parties provide feedback to each other and help improve operational work processes.

MES Formation

The MES Formation performs three key roles: (i) provide maintenance and engineering support for all land platforms in the SAF to ensure high equipment serviceability; (ii) ensure that SAF’s land platforms are safe for use in training and operations; and (iii) raise, train and sustain competent technicians and Army Engineers to carry out maintenance duties for the SAF.

Recognising the need to innovate in order to achieve mission success, the MES Formation has created a safe environment for Army Engineers to experiment with new ideas, deepen their expertise and learn new skillsets. An example is the ARC Lab, a space for MES innovators to conduct rapid prototyping and test ideas, such as the redesign of the Leopard Main Battle Tank (MBT) Turret Indicator and training inert grenades. MES also formed a sandbox which is a testbed that allows for the testing of ideas and its corresponding processes. This has greatly enhanced the evaluation of ideas for implementation. The sandbox has been highly effective for the implementation of various initiatives such as the Telemetry and Analytics System for SAF’s land platforms and the Battlefield Damage Assessment and Repair for our MBTs.

(B)       MDA (Innovation)

3.         The MDA (Innovation) is awarded to the MINDEF/SAF unit or department that best develops and implements innovative projects with significant impact, while nurturing the outstanding qualities of its people. Similar to the MDA, there are two tiers to the MDA (Innovation) – Division/Command level and Brigade/Formation/Group/Unit level. In addition to the MDA, APGC, ACC and MES Formation will be receiving the MDA (Innovation) because of their strong culture for innovation. Special Warfare Group (SWG) of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) will also be receiving the MDA (Innovation) at the Brigade/Formation/Group/Unit level respectively.

SWG

SWG’s elite warriors are trained to execute highly complex operations across land, air and sea. They leverage technology to give them the operational edge over their adversaries. This is demonstrated by their project – the in-house designed and produced “Diver Recovery Board” which not only reduced the time required to recover divers from the water onto the boats by more than 80% but also enhanced its divers’ safety. The “Diver Recovery Board” was showcased at the 2018 National Day Parade to recover divers who had made the free-fall jumps into the waters of Marina Bay.

(C)       MINDEF Innovation Project Award (MIPA)

4.         The MIPA is conferred on project teams that have produced projects that are impactful, scalable, user-centric and bold. The award also seeks to inspire innovation in MINDEF/SAF. This year, ACC will be conferred the MIPA for their project “Alternative Standby Compass Swing Procedure Without Certified Compass Pad”, while SAF Ammunition Command (SAFAC) and the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) will receive the MIPA for their project “Ammunition Stockpile Management”.

Alternative Standby Compass Procedure Without Certified Compass Pad

The F-15SG’s standby compass provides directional heading during flight and also serves as a backup navigation system in the unlikely event the primary navigation system goes offline. A compass swing has to be performed in order to calibrate the standby compass and ensure its accuracy after maintenance works. This involves towing the aircraft to a certified compass pad and moving it multiple times in relation to the compass pad, which requires manpower and reduces the aircraft’s availability.

The team from ACC developed an alternative procedure to perform the compass swing without the need for the certified compass pad. As a result, aircraft availability was improved as the Turn-Around-Time (TAT) to perform the compass swing was reduced. There was also a 50% reduction in man-hours required. The initiative has been shared beyond MINDEF/SAF and the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Boeing, is looking into how the procedure can be incorporated into the other types of aircraft it manufactures while the US Air Force will adopt it for its fleet of aircraft.

Ammunition Stockpile Management

Ammunition is a strategic and critical resource in the SAF. However, the conventional supply chain management of ammunition is not sustainable due to decreasing resources such as manpower and land, and high cost of ammunition stockpile turnover.

The Ammunition Stockpile Management (ASM) concept was developed jointly by SAF Ammunition Command and DSTA to optimise resources and reduce cost of stockpiling ammunition. This is achieved through two ways – (i) by forming close partnerships with local defence partners or OEMs through long-term contracts to achieve a sustainable stockpiling approach; and (ii) by leveraging local production capabilities to reduce deadweight by storing ammunition in various forms. The team leveraged smart technology such as robotics and advanced sensors to automate the production of ammunition through purchasing the required components and assembling them into ammunition, instead of purchasing the entire ammunition.

The ASM concept is projected to reap cost savings of up to $13.5 million for the initial phase, and will also result in a 75% reduction in the time required for the acquisition process.

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

5.         The MINDEF SAVE Award recognises the contributions of excellent Economy Drive initiatives by MINDEF/SAF units, departments and project teams. This year, the SAVE Award goes to the following initiatives:

a.         “Overcoming Obsolescence of MDM3001 Modem” by the RSN’s Naval Logistics Department (NLD).

b.         “Aggregation of RSN and Police Coast Guard (PCG) Requirements” by DSTA and the RSN’s Naval Warfare Centre (WARCEN) and Naval Plans Department (NPLD).

Overcoming Obsolescence of MDM3001 Modem

The RSN is constantly reviewing its systems to ensure that ships are kept operationally ready to perform their roles. As our ships are typically in service for many years (the Missile Corvettes have been in service for about 30 years; the Landing Ships Tank have been in service for about 20 years; the frigates have been in service for more than 10 years) one of the issues that our engineers have to deal with is the obsolescence of systems as technology evolves. Spares for the MDM3001 modem, an essential component used across RSN ships, shore units and Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) for both voice and data communications, are running out as the OEM had stopped production of the modem.

Replacing the MDM3001 with the OEM’s proposed alternative is not viable as the alternative needed a fleet-wide replacement of all MDM3001 modems in order to fully integrate with the existing systems. The team from NLD sourced for alternate replacements of the modem and worked with other OEMs to rewrite and customise existing firmware to overcome integration issues. The alternate modems and customised firmware were tested in in the RSN’s workshop to ensure their compatibility with existing communication equipment. The team’s efforts gave rise to cost savings of more than S$1.5 million and reduced reliance on a single OEM.

Aggregation of RSN and PCG Requirements

Being a maritime nation situated amongst many small islands, one of the issues that we face is maintaining a good awareness of the situation at sea. With both the RSN and Police Coast Guard (PCG) looking to procure coastal surveillance systems, NPLD, WARCEN and DSTA seized the opportunity and worked together with PCG to develop an integrated maritime surveillance capability for Singapore. The initiative not only enhanced our maritime defence capabilities, it also resulted in total cost savings of more than S$6.4 million for MINDEF and the SAF.

More Resources

• Transformation and Innovation Key to Raising Productivity and Maintaining SAF's Deterrent Edge

• Fact Sheet: PayNow Pilot for Immediate Payment of IPPT Incentive Awards to SAF NSmen

• Speech by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at PRIDE Symposium 2018 Awards Presentation Ceremony and Exhibition

• Infographic: Receive IPPT incentive award immediately with PayNow

• PIONEER Magazine: MINDEF, SAF saves $158m through innovation; launches IPPT PayNow