Mr Ng Chad-Son, currently Deputy Secretary (Technology) and Future Systems and Technology Architect, will take over from Mr Mervyn Tan Wei Ming as the Chief Executive (CE) of the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) on 15 May 2024.

Mr Tan, 51, has held the post of CE DSTA since 15 May 2021. During his tenure, Mr Tan led DSTA in enhancing the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF)'s and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)'s capabilities across a variety of domains. These range from the Invincible-class submarines, H225 and CH-47F helicopters, Hunter Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge, as well as the aerostat-based surveillance system, to digital capabilities in cloud computing, C3 systems, cyber defence and training simulators. Under his leadership, DSTA also organised the biennial Singapore Defence Technology Summits, which expanded DSTA's global network of partners in the military and commercial sectors, as well as in academia. Mr Tan invested significantly in people development, teamwork and innovation in DSTA, strengthening its position as leading employer of choice in the fields of science, technology and engineering.

The incoming CE DSTA, Mr Ng, 49, has led transformation efforts of MINDEF's defence technology community to be more agile in capability development and to engage new partners. He also led research and development master planning and investments to develop strong and sustained indigenous capabilities. In his career, Mr Ng has held other appointments such as Director of Military Intelligence, and Chief of Command, Control, Communications, Computer and Intelligence in the SAF, as well as Director of Research and Enterprise Division in the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Mr Ng holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2009, he was awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship and obtained a Master of Science in Management from the Stanford University.

The Ministry of Defence expresses its deep appreciation to Mr Mervyn Tan for his distinguished service, exemplary leadership and invaluable contributions to MINDEF/SAF, DSTA and the Defence Technology Community.