Minister, Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman reviewed the Officer Cadet Commissioning Parade at the SAFTI Military Institute this evening. A total of 417 cadets, comprising 329 from the Singapore Army, 52 from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), and 36 from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), were commissioned as officers of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). This is the first full graduation parade at the Officer Cadet School (OCS) since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Maliki emphasised the importance of having an operationally ready SAF amidst evolving challenges to guard against geopolitical uncertainties and growing digital threats. He said, "Even as Singapore transitions towards COVID resilience, we are faced with the geopolitical uncertainties caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The conflict has also shown us that digital threats continue to grow in scale and sophistication… I am confident that the SAF will continue to rise to meet new challenges. A strong and credible SAF is the sole guarantor for our sovereignty, peace and security."

Dr Maliki also highlighted that this year marks 55 years of National Service (NS) and reminded graduands of the critical role NS plays in Singapore's defence. He said, "NS has always been a bedrock of Singapore's defence. Since its inception in 1967, more than a million Singaporeans and permanent residents have served NS… we must remember that our military will not be able to succeed without the contributions of our NSmen. It is now your turn to follow in the footsteps of those before you who had shouldered the responsibility of defending Singapore, our pioneers who served NS and kept Singapore safe for the last 55 years."

The parade marked the completion of 38 weeks of rigorous training at the OCS. The realistic training conducted during the course sharpened the cadets' combat, planning and leadership skills. The newly commissioned officers will go on to assume command, instructional and staff appointments in the SAF. Also present at the parade were senior SAF officers, and families and friends of the graduands.