Speech by Senior Minister of State for Defence, Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, at the 14th Senior Military Expert Appointment Ceremony

Good evening,
Chief of Defence Force,
Director Military Intelligence/Chief C4I,
Senior Commanders,
Graduates of the 14th SAF Senior Military Expert Course,
Families and loved ones,

I am very happy to be here this evening, to witness the appointment of 99 Senior Military Experts (ME) in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). To all the family members and loved ones present this evening, thank you for being the pillar of strength to the graduates. You have provided the support and peace of mind for the graduates to focus on learning and serving our nation. You are the reason why our servicemen are committed to serve and defend the country. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in giving a round of applause to express our heartfelt appreciation to our family members who are present here this evening.

This momentous occasion is also another milestone as we recognise the deep domain expertise that you bring to the SAF. Back in 2010, our leaders believed that the Military Expert Corps would help the SAF stay ahead of our future challenges. The SAF looks to you for leadership in critical domains such as engineering, intelligence and cyber security. You give the SAF the cutting-edge capability and enable the SAF to be operationally ready to achieve mission success, in our ever-changing threat environment.

Challenging Times

The current security situation in the world remains tense, even while threats are constantly evolving. The North Korean nuclear situation has caused great concern amongst the nations of East Asia and the US. Tensions in the South China Sea persist as countries assert their claims over the disputed waters. In the Middle East, the status of Jerusalem is a sensitive and complex issue with a long history. Any premature and unilateral action to alter the status will impede progress for a peaceful resolution of the Middle East and the precedent problem. Washington's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital last week has already sparked anger across countries in the Middle East. This will further de-stabilise the region and make efforts to combat terrorism all the more difficult. The ripple effects may be felt in our region and we must be prepared should tensions build up.

On the terrorism front, new terror methods employed by terror groups remind us that we need to be ever-vigilant and agile to adapt our means of defence against these threats. The mass shooting incident during a music festival in Las Vegas this October saw more than 58 concert-goers killed and around 400 injured. In Europe, this year saw at least eight terrorist attacks involving vehicles being driven into crowds, causing hundreds of deaths and injuries. In our region, the return of ISIS-trained fighters from the Middle East to Southeast Asia poses serious security concerns for us in Singapore. As these terrorists return from the Middle East, they can continue to carry out attacks in their home countries, or further the violent agenda of ISIS by forming their own terror groups and radicalising our countrymen.

On the non-kinetic front, increased digitalisation has contributed to a rise in the risk of cyber threats that have the potential to cause much disruption. In May this year, hackers broke into the networks of two of our universities, presumably to steal government-related data. On a much larger scale, in October this year, Yahoo disclosed that three billion of its accounts were hacked in a 2013 data theft, the largest data breach in history. To meet this emerging threat, the SAF has inaugurated the SAF C4 Command and the Cyber Defence Group in Nov 2017 to strengthen our defence against attacks in the digital domain. To deepen our expertise in this area, the Military Domain Experts Scheme (MDES) scheme facilitates the SAF('s ability) to groom the existing uniformed cyber security experts through professional upgrading, and recruit individuals with relevant academic background or experts from the cyber security industry.

MDES Scheme as an Enabler

The MDES enables individuals to excel in their own field while allowing them to constantly improve themselves professionally. I am heartened that many of our MEs have risen to the challenge, to push themselves further and higher in your respective fields. Take for example, ME3 Lim Tong Heong. ME3 Lim honed his engineering skills and knowledge when he was posted to the Missile Corvette, RSS Valour. In 2009, he was awarded the Continuous Learning and Study Scheme Award (CLASS) to pursue a diploma in Marine Engineering, and emerged as the top graduand in 2012. In 2014, he assumed the appointment of Platform System Cluster Chief and oversaw the integration and testing of our first Littoral Mission Vessel, RSS Independence. During this period, he continued his lifelong learning journey by completing a part-time Mechanical Engineering Degree. Well done, Tong Heong.

Another noteworthy mention is ME3 Chen Yi'Neng, Ivan, an Air Imagery Intelligence Expert (AIRIX), who is well accustomed to the challenges of balancing work commitments and his part-time studies. On several occasions, he had to return to his Squadron after his night classes to assist in duties. Things became tricky when his Squadron was deployed for an overseas support mission. Ivan even had to sit through two examinations before heading for his departure flight on the same day. Ivan, your dedication is indeed an inspiration to all of us.

In your cohort, there are individuals who joined the ME community with experience and knowledge from the private sector and our local defence industry. These individuals bring along refreshing ideas and valuable perspectives. For example, ME4 Wong Kang Ming, is one of such individuals. He joined Singapore Technologies Kinetics after completing his university studies and was involved in the design team working on the development of the Leopard tanks and our next generation armoured fighting platforms. Wanting to stretch his technical and system engineering skills, he is now with the SAF as an ME, taking on the responsibilities of ensuring the operational readiness of our current fleet.  

ME4A Deepa D/O Pannirselvam was a data analyst in an established financial company. She switched her career to become a Military Intelligence Expert (MIE). Besides her love for the uniform, she believes that her experience and knowledge gained as an analyst will be relevant to the SAF's Intelligence and Cyber Security communities. ME4A Deepa, together with her fellow MIEs, can look forward to an exciting time in deepening the SAF's domain expertise in Intelligence and Cyber Security.

Conclusion

The SAF's diverse community of Senior MEs provides the technical leadership, alongside our Officers and Warrant Officer Corps, that will keep our systems running optimally. As a Senior ME, you must leverage your deep domain expertise to stretch the operational and technological boundaries of the SAF. Bring forth the necessary game-changers that will allow the SAF to achieve mission success. In the academic domain, graduation ceremonies like today are often now known as commencement ceremonies. This is because the ceremony marks the beginning rather than the end of your journey of continuous learning. So always continue to learn, innovate and inspire. I have full confidence that all of you will discharge your duties with distinction.

Once again, my heartiest congratulations to all of you, and all the best in your future endeavours! To the family members here, my heartiest congratulations to you too for the success of your spouse, your son, your daughter is your success too. Thank you and have a pleasant evening.