Fact Sheet: IGNITE Innovation Symposium

A. Minister for Defence Award (MDA)

1. The Minister for Defence Award (MDA) is the pinnacle award that recognises MINDEF/SAF units or departments for their outstanding achievements in the areas of Innovation, Organisational Performance Excellence, Staff Well-being, and Future Workplace Experience.

2. This year, five units are awarded the MDA. The MDA 2023 winners are: 

3. APGC and ADOC from the RSAF are awarded the MDA (Main Category) and the MDA (Combat Category) respectively at the Division/Command level. 6 AELG from the RSAF and Guards Formation from the Singapore Army are awarded the MDA (Main Category) and the MDA (Combat Category) respectively at the Formation/Group level. This is the second consecutive year that Guards Formation is awarded the MDA. PERSCOM is the first recipient of the inaugural Continuous Effort Award that recognises the unit for its consistent spirit to innovate year-on-year.

       a.  APGC, RSAF – MDA Winner (Division/Command Level – Main Category)

Air Power Generation Command (APGC)^[1] has a strong structure supporting top-down, across and ground-up innovation, and has in place a psychologically safe space to experiment and innovate. APGC's innovation structure comprises the iLead (innovation team), Data, Digitisation and Digitalisation Office (D3O), and Sustainability Office. In their pursuit of innovation, APGC tapped on the wider ecosystem for continuous development and learning, from in-house expertise as well as external partners, vendors, and industry best practices. All these led to innovations such as (i) various Smart Air Base initiatives to continuously transform the way APGC conducts operations and to provide a next generation workplace experience, (ii) digitalising processes including the airfield permit process to save 6,000 man-hours annually, and (iii) developing an F-16 Internal Fuel Tank Depressurisation Procedure to save 2,788 man-hours annually.

      b. ADOC, RSAF – MDA Winner (Division/Command Level – Combat Category)

Air Defence and Operations Command (ADOC)^[2] has built a sustainable innovation culture that encourages continuous development and learning, which includes the provision of physical spaces, experimentation tools, and a psychologically safe environment to innovate. With a clear focus to improve operational effectiveness and work efficiencies on the ground, ADOC continuously strives to share innovations and best practices both internally and across other Commands. Through collaboration with other Institutes for Higher Learning, ADOC equips their personnel with relevant and the latest knowledge to upskill their capabilities. Notable projects from ADOC include (i) the defence weapons Enhanced Generative Integrated Scheduler (AEGIS) – a manpower planning tool utilising rule-based algorithms to save duty planners 75% in man-hours from planning of duty cycles; (ii) Controller Ops and Scheduling Tracking Application (COSTA) – a centralised tracking, information dissemination and scheduling tool for Air Traffic Controllers that reduced 60% of administration efforts; and (iii) Digital Technical Publications, which uses Microsoft 365 to update and digitally access technical publications, removing the need for bulky hardcopies.

      c. 6 AELG, RSAF – MDA Winner (Formation/Group Level – Main Category)

6 Air Engineering and Logistics Group^[3] (6 AELG)'s leadership introduced their "L-I-F-T" framework (Leadership emphasis, Inspiring and advocating, Facilitating innovation efforts, Training for continuous development and learning) to build the desired innovation culture and enable continuous learning. Initiatives were put in place to encourage and support its people with relevant knowledge through establishing strong linkages with stakeholders, creating a safe-to-experiment environment, providing new tools, resources and training such as design thinking and 3D printing. With leadership emphasis and the empowerment of people, this strong commitment to innovate and transform led to an increase of over 60 ground-up innovations to resolve work problems. Some of these innovations were recognised and adopted by international Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM). Notable projects, which accumulated more than 4,500 in man-hour savings as well as annual cost savings of more than $2.3M for 6 AELG include (i) the Distress Beacon Redesign, (ii) Digital-enabled work environment for Air Force Engineers, (iii) Aviation Maintenance E-Toolkit (AvMET), (iv) Digital Flight Line Status Board and (v) SWIFTEYE – Robotic Inspection Tool, Data Analytics for Diagnostic and future Predictive Maintenance.

    d. Guards Formation, Army – MDA Winner (Formation/Group Level – Combat Category)

        The Guards Formation's^[4] innovation strategy had three desired outcomes, namely (i) improve operations and training systems, (ii) support capability development, and (iii) develop innovative Guardsmen. Its objective was to create an innovation culture and ecosystem that provided collaborative workspaces and a conducive environment for creative ideation. These were achieved through open-door consultations and the establishment of a one-stop coordination office by the Formation's Logistics Branch. The Formation actively promoted a culture of innovation, learning and sharing from the individual to the Formation and Army levels, and even shared at international conferences. An example of a ground- initiated project was the 3D printed torchlight mount for the SAR21 rifle, using rapid prototyping to design and trial prior to actual production. This allowed soldiers to securely and swiftly operate mounted torchlights on their rifles while maintaining their firing posture, and react faster to imminent threats. Other notable projects from the Guards Formation include (i) Predictive Analytics for Natural Disaster (Geospatial Technology), (ii) Virtual Reality Training Kit for Disaster Preparedness Training in Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre, and (iii) Formation Innovation Monitoring System.

     e. Personnel Command (PERSCOM), Army – MDA Winner (Continuous Efforts Award)

PERSCOM^[5], the first recipient of the inaugural Continuous Effort Award, leveraged its leadership emphasis to drive innovation structures and frameworks to support and recognise its people. Their efforts contributed to year-on-year improvements in its HR processes and IT systems, improving efficacy in manpower operations and a sustainable HR admin baseload.

PERSCOM's notable projects include (i) Automated Make-Up Pay System and (ii) HR ISO Check. Automated Make-Up Pay System leveraged partnerships across the Whole-of-Government agencies to smoothen the make-up pay claims process for more than 150,000 NSmen and 21,000 employers annually. HR ISO Check contributed to an improvement of 17% in HR admin performances and the reduction of duplicative efforts. PERSCOM's numerous initiatives contributed to man-hour savings of 5,008 hours and an improvement in annual cost savings of $0.14M.

B. MINDEF Exemplary Innovator Award

4. Aligned with the Public Sector Transformation's Exemplary Innovator Award, the MINDEF Exemplary Innovator Award recognises individuals who have injected innovation into their work, made a real difference to improve physical and virtual workplace environments, and advocated the spirit of innovation in their teams and in MINDEF/SAF. This year, 22 outstanding individuals and teams received this award. Notable projects and individuals included:

a. Automated Make-Up Pay System – NSPAY 2.0 Project Team, PERSCOM, Army

The Automated Make-Up Pay System delivered a seamless and timely claim experience for NSmen and employers through Business Process Re-engineering. The team collaborated with Central Provident Fund Board (CPFB) and Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) to develop simplified computation rules to automate the claim process, and applied end users' feedback to enhance the system design and strengthen user experience. The Automated Make-Up Pay System benefited about 21,000 employers and 150,000 NSmen annually, reducing the time and effort to submit claims by more than 260,000 man-hours yearly. Since September 2022, 92% of the claims were paid out automatically via straight-through processing.

b. Improved FFDC – Safety Team, Fleet, Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)

Fleet's Safety Team improved shipboard Fire Fighting and Damage Control (FFDC) processes and tools by collaborating with the marine industry to co-create new tools and incorporate new concepts to optimise manpower deployment and streamline operations. Various enhancements, such as the Light Hose and Coupling System and Blazer Harness, worked together to reduce physical exhaustion for the fire-fighters while enabling better control of the hose with reduced stress and strain on the fire-fighter's body. These enhancements, in turn, allowed shipboard fire-fighters to fight fires longer and more efficiently. Rescue operations were also enhanced through accessories such as (i) Ninja, a portable fire-fighting tool that when thrown, quickly extinguished fires within a ship compartment; and (ii) Blueray, a state-of-the art blue laser that improved visibility and object identification in a dark and smoke-filled environment. The suite of projects developed by the team had made FFDC safer, more efficient and effective.

c. Automated Marking Software – Joint Intelligence Command, Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS)

Automated Marking Software (AMS) is an Artificial Intelligence solution implemented in one of the DIS Training Schools to automate the marking of open-ended questions. As open-ended questions did not have a fixed correct answer unlike Multiple Choice Questions, the AMS utilised Natural Language Processing Technology to understand the meaning, coherence and structure of the learners' answers and grade how similar they were to the correct answer. In developing AMS, the team leveraged an Open-Source Language Model and adapted it to the Training School's use case, achieving an error margin of under 10% compared to manual marking. Trainers only needed to verify the results, thus reducing marking time by 93% - from 30 minutes to 2 minutes per paper. The AMS can potentially be proliferated to other SAF Training Institutes to optimise manpower resources.

d. ME5 Chuang Tze Shiung, 807 Squadron, 7 AELG, RSAF

ME5 Chuang was a strong innovation advocate in the RSAF, who displayed innate passion to drive innovation and actively push for digital solutions as part of transformation efforts. One of his notable projects was the Mixed Reality Training System (MRTS) with Hololens that won the Gold award at the National Level Team Excellence Assessment (TEA), organised by the Singapore Productivity Association (SPA). ME5 Chuang also constantly advocated continual learning by conducting in-house 3D printing workshops and curating free courses to enable Paya Lebar Air Base personnel to upgrade themselves. He also volunteered as an RSAF TEA coach to train teams in innovation projects.

e.  Ms Ang Ze Zenn Annabelle, Nexus, MINDEF

Ms Ang strived and successfully developed a common whole-of-government dashboard that consolidated 13 raw survey datasets through matching algorithm to enable a more in-depth analysis of demographic factors. Ms Ang led the team to collaborate with the MINDEF Data Science Department in improving the work processes of consolidating findings, performing deeper analysis and generating insightful reports. The dashboard freed up approximately 316 man-hours per year (67% reduction). Additionally, the dashboard encouraged agencies to be more open with data sharing and public officers from various agencies could access the real-time and interactive database at their convenience.

C. MINDEF Dare to Do Award (MD2D)                                                                                                                                                                 

5. Aligned with the Public Sector Transformation's Dare to Do Award, the MD2D recognises teams/individuals for their spirit in risk-taking and perseverance such as to identify new opportunities to do things better, have the courage to attempt new ways of doing things even when there are no precedence, and persevere and continuously try even when they faced difficulties. This year, 12 outstanding individuals and teams received this award. Notable projects and individuals include:

a. Jet Fuel Starter (JFS) Diagnostic Kit,817 Squadron, 7 AELG, RSAF

The current troubleshooting process for aircraft Jet Fuel Starter (JFS) related defects require extensive maintenance work due to system complexities. The aircraft engine needed to be running as part of the troubleshooting process. This required the tedious process of towing the aircraft to a designated location, tying down the aircraft to anchor points, and working in loud environment that was challenging for effective team communications. As a result, the whole troubleshooting process was both manpower intensive and with inherent risk, taking up to 60 hours to complete. The JFS diagnostic kit eliminated the need for engine runs by directly hooking to the JFS system to determine its defective parts for replacement. The degree of innovation by the team was a paradigm shift which led to the elimination of potential safety hazard and required fewer servicemen to complete. This translated to a 50% manpower reduction and achieved a savings of 83.3% of man-hours.

b. CPT Ng Jing Xi, RSS Kallang, RSN

CPT Ng challenged many established norms in the development and operationalisation of the RSN's one-of-its-kind Biodegradable Small Arms Target (BSAT). As part of the RSN's sustainability efforts, CPT Ng explored options for an alternative shooting target made with environmentally-friendly materials instead of the current PVC material. Through extensive research and an unwavering attitude, CPT Ng worked closely with his Flotilla's innovation team to successfully develop a bespoke biodegradable target and new procedures for the launching of the target from ship. With the strong support of the RSN's Formation and Flotilla commanders, this new target was rolled out for use across different ship platforms. The BSAT not only reduced the safety risks faced by the ship crew during the launching of such targets, it also reduced the preparation time for gunnery shoots by 80% and the number of crew required to set-up the target from four to two. In additional, the BSAT achieved 80% cost savings for each target.

c. ME6 Ling Chong Teck, HQ MES, Army

ME6 Ling recognised the high repair cost and long repair lead-time of the SAF Leopard 2SG engines, and decided to do an in-depth study on the design of the engine and repair process for improvements. Through his study, he concluded that the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the engine relied on old standard, used in the 1980s, that had conservative failure tolerances. He worked with the OEM to use the new ISO 286 standard, promulgated in 2010, to establish a higher wear limit on the engines. Consequently, the operational lifespan of the engines was lengthened without compromising the engine's performance, and thus lengthening the time to send engine for overseas repairs. This improves engine availability, and resulted in a significant cost saving of more than $1.6M.

^[1] APGC is responsible for generating and sustaining effective, timely, and robust air power and oversees air base operability within each RSAF air base to ensure the successful launch and recovery of aircraft. 

^[2] ADOC's mission is to safeguard the integrity of Singapore's territorial airspace, and provide air defence to ensure the security of Singapore's airspace. ADOC is responsible for planning and executing RSAF's peacetime operations and to ensure the readiness of the RSAF for a seamless peace to war transition. In addition, ADOC oversees the development and operational readiness of the RSAF's Command and Control forces, and ground-based air defence (GBAD) units.

^[3] 6 AELG provides engineering and logistical support to the RSAF's helicopter fleets, and supports the RSAF's helicopter maintenance training efforts to enable the smooth and continuous launch and recovery of helicopters.

^[4]The Guards Formation is an elite formation with specialised warfighting competencies and a highly mobile force that is proficient in heliborne and amphibious operations. Besides the capability of planning and mobilising forces for operations, the Guards Formation supports homeland civil incidents as well as humanitarian disasters within the region.

^[5] PERSCOM is the executive command for SAF manpower operations and MINDEF/SAF shared services. In peacetime, PERSCOM serves as the SAF Senior Specialist Staff Officer HQ for HR practitioners. It is responsible for the MINDEF/SAF HR business architecture, including the IT processes and works closely with HR policy-makers to deliver a tight HR policy execution interface, as well as uplift HR capabilities for its people.

More Resources

MINDEF and the SAF Empower Personnel to Innovate to Push Operational Boundaries

Speech By Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Ignite Innovation Symposium 2023 on 11 July 2023