Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development Ms Sun Xueling inspected the 54th Specialist Cadet Graduation Parade at Pasir Laba Camp this evening. A total of 1172 graduands, comprising 980 from the Singapore Army, 78 from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), 46 from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and 68 from the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS), graduated as Specialists and Military Experts of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

Addressing the graduands at the parade, Ms Sun emphasised the need for a strong and nimble SAF in a complex and volatile world with evolving security challenges and developments. She said, "As a small city-state, Singapore will always be susceptible to external threats. These developments demonstrate the need for us to have a strong and nimble defence force that is able to respond quickly and effectively to the evolving external environment."

 Ms Sun also underlined the important roles the Specialists and Military Experts play as future leaders of the SAF. She said, "It is imperative that we have capable and committed individuals serving at every level in the SAF to keep our country safe and secure." She also called on the graduands to "lead by example, and to anchor your decisions firmly on the SAF Core Values".

The graduation parade marked the completion of the 22-week Specialist Cadet Course for graduands from the Singapore Army, the RSN, the RSAF, and the DIS, where they trained under rigorous and realistic conditions to sharpen their respective vocation expertise. The newly graduated Specialists and Military Experts will go on to assume command, training and staff appointments in the SAF. Present at the parade were senior SAF officers, as well as families and friends of the graduands.