Speech by Senior Minister of State for Defence, Mr Heng Chee How, for the 24th Senior Military Expert Appointment Ceremony (SMEAC), at Temasek Club on 19 January 2023

Chief of Defence Force,

Service Chiefs,

Senior Commanders,

Graduands of the 24th SAF Senior Military Expert Course,

Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

INTRODUCTION

A very good evening. Since we are so very near the Lunar New Year, may I also take this opportunity to wish everybody a very happy Year of the Rabbit. We are gathered here to celebrate the successful completion of the 24th SAF Senior Military Expert Course. Let me begin by expressing my heartiest congratulations to all 109 newly appointed senior Military Experts. Together with the dedication of your commanders and instructors, as well as the unwavering support from your families and loved ones, you have worked very hard and you have achieved this very significant milestone today.

A STRONG AND RELEVANT SAF IN AN INCREASINGLY UNCERTAIN WORLD

Looking back at 2022, this past year, it is quite obvious that we have witnessed many key shifts in the security landscape. These shifts have showed us that we are operating in an increasingly volatile and complex world. Just as we were emerging from the global COVID-19 pandemic, we saw one of the biggest conflicts in recent history unfold in the European continent, between Russia and Ukraine. It is not just the scale, or by now, the duration of the conflict. It was also the fact that prior to that, for many years, it was deemed unthinkable that there could be a war on the European continent by just about everybody. Yet, the unthinkable has happened. This speaks to the volatility and the uncertainty of the world that we now live in and that we have to be prepared for. This conflict that has gone on for almost a year – come 24th of February, it will be one year. It holds valuable lessons for all of us here in Singapore. It demonstrates the need to be prepared for a different kind of warfare, one that is increasingly sophisticated and indeed also hybrid in nature, comprising conventional forces as well as non-kinetic means such as the use of disinformation and cyber attacks to sow distrust and create chaos in the target nation. Most importantly, it shows us that we must depend on no one else, except ourselves to defend our country, to defend our way of life, and to defend our loved ones.

Looking ahead, unfortunately, the security environment is likely to continue to be complex, and fraught with uncertainties. Although hybrid conflict is not a new concept, the very nature of hybrid threats are to be by design, unexpected, and they will keep on morphing. There is no one single response to hybrid conflicts, nor a template that we can follow mechanically to achieve mission success. Thus, it is vital for the SAF to be well-positioned to undertake complex missions, and to counter all forms of threats, including hybrid threats, in order to continue to safeguard Singapore's peace and security, and our sovereignty.

Amidst such a complex security environment, the SAF's establishment of its fourth service last year, the Digital and Intelligence Service, or DIS in short, is surely timely to fortify our defences against hybrid threats in the digital domain. The DIS complements the other three Services – the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force – by providing accurate and timely operational intelligence, enhancing the connectivity of the SAF as a networked force, and strengthening the psychological resilience of our personnel. This is part of the transformation to realise the Next Generation SAF to better defend Singapore's peace and security, without which we would surely be easily trampled upon.

ROLE AND VALUE OF MILITARY DOMAIN EXPERT SCHEME TO THE SAF

Your role as senior Military Experts is an important one to ensure that the SAF continues to build and acquire capabilities and the technological edge to defend Singapore. In the face of ever-changing hybrid tactics by potential aggressors, you would be looked upon to create new and innovative advantages for the SAF. Over the years, the Military Domain Expertise Scheme, or MDES in short, has contributed to deep expertise in key military domains such as engineering and intelligence, and continues to evolve as a scheme to meet the SAF's operational needs. It is also worthwhile to note that the scheme has been able to attract talented mid-career professionals from other industries to join the SAF. Amongst our graduands today, we have ME4(A) Ng Pei Shan who was a Licensed Aircraft Engineer with SIA Engineering Company before joining the Air Force, and also ME4(A) Leong Ying Xian who worked at a Keppel ship yard before joining the Navy. Having colleagues such as these amongst us is an important step as they bring with them different perspectives, which will add value to our work in the SAF and in the whole defence ecosystem. This will add richness and rigour to our work, and allow us to better benchmark our capabilities against fast evolving industry standards.

New MDES vocations were also created to ensure that we can continuously build the necessary competencies within the SAF to counter evolving hybrid security threats. The C4 Expert Vocation, or C4X in short, was created to anchor the SAF's defence in the digital domain. One of our graduands, ME4(A) Foo Chi Fa, originally signed on as a Military Intelligence Expert in 2017 and he subsequently pursued a Bachelor of Computing with the NUS, and it was there where he discovered his interest in software engineering and data science. With the creation of the C4X Vocation, ME4(A) Foo switched from a Military Intelligence Expert to being a C4X and in that way, he can better hone his skills as well as further manifest and express his passion in order to help address emerging digital threats straddling across operations and digital infrastructures.

While we will put every effort into our regular manpower, at the same time, it is important for us to also know, remind ourselves, and to re-iterate that National Service continues to be the backbone of the SAF and I thank past and present generations of National Servicemen for their service and sacrifices. Our thanks also goes out to their family members, to their employers and to their colleagues who have supported them. Amongst us today, I am happy to highlight that there are 18 NSmen who have been appointed senior Military Experts under the Enhanced Expertise Deployment Scheme. This Enhanced Expertise Deployment Scheme, which started as the Expertise Conversion Scheme in the year 2014, augments the MDES and taps on niche expertise – such as in the law, medicine, and psychology – areas which our NSmen have acquired in their civilian education and careers. A key change following the National Service Review that has concluded last year is the creation of a dedicated Expertise Deployment Centre. This new set-up identifies emerging areas where specialised skills are required, and enable the earlier re-deployment of suitable NSmen to relevant specialised domains in their Operationally Ready National Service (ORNS) cycles. And in this way, we maximise our NSmen's contributions, and the SAF can also better meet its operational needs. We look forward to the contributions of our NSmen, and as an example of one, ME4(A) Lin Hong Yao, who is a veterinarian working in an international pharmaceutical company. His expertise would be highly valuable in contributing to the care, for example, of our SAF sniffer and guard dogs in our Military Working Dog Unit.

SERVING AND LEADING EVERYDAY

In conclusion and to all our graduands, I wish to emphasise the important journey that you are embarking on as senior Military Experts and as leaders of the SAF. I am confident that this course has prepared you for the demands and challenges of leadership. After today, you will be looked upon to steer your respective unit and command to overcome the challenges of today's complex security environment, while you prepare to navigate the uncertainties of the future. You will be leading men and women, who will look to you for direction and guidance on how to discharge their duties well and effectively. So lead them well, and take care of your people by investing in their growth and their development, and look after their welfare. The strength of the SAF comes from our people's commitment and our joint will to fight. When the road ahead looks daunting, never lose heart. Instead, take heart in the training that you have, in the passion that you bring to your role, and the support that you know your loved ones will give you, and in the trust that our country Singapore ripples in you.

CONCLUSION

So once again, congratulations to all our graduands and I wish you all the very best as you embark upon an exciting and rewarding journey to forge a new path for yourself, for the SAF.

Thank you very much and enjoy the rest of the evening.

More Resources

109 Appointed as Senior Military Experts