Speech by Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, at the Overseas Service Medal Presentation Ceremony

Distinguished Guests,Ladies and Gentlemen,Good Evening.

The SAF participates in a number of challenging overseas deployments. These range from being part of the coalition force in Afghanistan to taking command of a counter-piracy task force in the Gulf of Aden. These diverse missions underscore the widening spectrum of missions the SAF has undertaken to ensure peace and stability in our region and beyond.

In an interconnected world, security problems in other parts of the world such as terrorism or piracy can affect the peace and stability of Singapore. As a responsible member of the international community, Singapore has to do our part to help - indeed it is in our national interest to do so. While the SAF's primary mission must still be the defence of Singapore's sovereignty and territorial integrity, we remain committed to contributing to international security operations as these too can affect the vital interests of Singapore.

Our contributions in Afghanistan are not large, but they are in niche areas where we can make an operationally useful contribution to the coalition effort. From September 2009, we deployed for the first time a Weapon Locating Radar Team in Tarin Kowt, the capital of Oruzgan province. The decision to deploy this capability was in response to a request from the coalition forces, following an increase in the number of rocket attacks on Tarin Kowt and the coalition base there. The team's task is to provide early warning of rocket attacks to enhance force protection measures for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) personnel deployed at the base.

I visited our men last November to see for myself the conditions under which they are operating. The team has performed well, demonstrating their professionalism and capability by quickly adapting to the local terrain and threat profiles to successfully track incoming rockets. As rocket attacks can occur at any time, and every extra second of early warning is precious, our team has to maintain very high vigilance for long hours under tough and challenging conditions.

I would like to commend MAJ Koh and his team for rising to the challenge. Their skill, professionalism and dedication to duty provided reassurance to the ISAF members at the base that they can go about their duties with confidence, knowing that they have more warning time to get to safe cover in the event of a rocket attack. While MAJ Koh and his team have returned, a second SAF team continues to provide early warning for the Tarin Kowt base in Oruzgan.

A 13-man SAF medical team, led by MAJ (Dr) Leonard Ho, was also deployed to the field hospital at the same base in Tarin Kowt, from November 2009 to March this year. As with previous medical team deployments to Tarin Kowt, they provided emergency medical support, primary healthcare, and pre- and post-operative medical care to ISAF personnel and Afghans. During their four-month deployment, the medical team attended to over 2500 patients and more than a hundred emergency cases. Their tireless efforts earned them the trust and appreciation of our ISAF partners and the local Afghan population.

In the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin, the SAF took command of the multinational counter-piracy Combined Task Force 151 for three months from January to April this year. More than 2500 personnel and vessels from nine nations participated in CTF 151 during the SAF's tour of command. Rear Admiral Bernard Miranda's position as commander of CTF 151 marks the second time that a senior Singaporean officer has led a multinational task force. The SAF is honoured to have been entrusted with this responsibility.

During its tour of duty, the SAF command team introduced new initiatives which built on existing procedures to enhance CTF 151's counter-piracy efforts. These included improvements to the Task Force’s procedures to detect and deter acts of piracy, and a new exercise to improve the proficiency, readiness and inter-operability of Task Force units.

From 23 February to 4 April, CTF 151 also assumed the role of coordinator for the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor in the Gulf of Aden, or IRTC, taking on the additional responsibility for coordinating resources from other multinational naval forces as well as independently-deployed navies to combat piracy in this operational area. No successful pirate attacks in the IRTC were reported during this period. The number of pirate attacks throughout the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin also dropped by 26% compared to the same period last year.

This improvement in the maritime security situation is a result of the good teamwork and growing mutual understanding amongst the navies and maritime organisations operating in the region. Several attempted pirate attacks including one on merchant vessel MV Evita on 31 March 2010 were disrupted with this operation involving the combined efforts of the vessel’s own crew, maritime organisations such as the International Maritime Bureau (IM) and UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), as well as resources from CTF 151 and the EU Naval Force. This illustrates the importance of all stakeholders doing their part to safeguard the freedom of navigation for ships transiting through the Gulf of Aden and other vulnerable waterways.

Today, we recognise the contributions of 85 SAF servicemen and women who have done their duty for the multinational peace support and counter-piracy operations in Afghanistan, the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin. In these complex and challenging missions, you have served with the highest standards of discipline, professionalism and personal commitment, upholding the reputation of the SAF as an operationally ready and competent force. You have done the SAF and Singapore proud.

On behalf of the people of Singapore, I express our gratitude to each and every one of you, and to your families who have supported you while you were away. Thank you.

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