Speech by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean at the Combined 41st Command and Staff Course and 11th National Service Command and Staff Course Graduation Ceremony held at the Istana

Graduands of the 41st Command and Staff Course (CSC) and the 11th National Service CSC,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening.

The Singapore Command and Staff College was established in 1970 as the premier training institute of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Besides equipping officers with the necessary skills for higher command and staff appointments in the SAF, the Singapore Command and Staff College aims to produce officers who are capable of understanding the impact of political, social and economic events on military operations and doctrines.

Four decades on, the ability of SAF officers to grasp and respond to the changing realities of our security landscape and the evolving nature of military operations continues to be as important. The global financial crisis two years ago has only accelerated the strategic shifts in the geopolitical landscape. Asian economies have weathered the crisis relatively well. While the US has stated its resolve to remain a resident power in Asia, China and India, in particular, have emerged with a greater sense of confidence, and with the desire to play a larger role in global and regional affairs. This eastward shift in the geostrategic balance of power brings about its own array of challenges and uncertainties, which are compounded by pressing transnational issues, such as maritime security, terrorism, and natural disasters. In the midst of this strategic flux, one thing is clear - countries need to actively embrace a cooperative paradigm, not only to deal with common security challenges more effectively, but also in order to foster the mutual understanding and trust that will serve as a strong foundation for regional peace and security. It is in this spirit of cooperation that the 10 ASEAN countries and eight Dialogue Partners, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States, inaugurated the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Hanoi, Vietnam, two weeks ago. This meeting is a historic step towards the building of a community of cooperation based on a confluence of shared interests. The ADMM-Plus aims to go beyond dialogue and build confidence and promote practical cooperation between ASEAN and its key security partners on a wide range of defence and security issues, starting with the five identified areas of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, maritime security, military medicine, peacekeeping operations and counter-terrorism.

Armed forces have a crucial role to play in multilateral defence dialogues, and more importantly, in turning dialogue into action. On our part, the SAF has already demonstrated our willingness to act as a responsible partner in multilateral security cooperation. We are an active member of the Five Power Defence Arrangements, Malacca Strait Patrols and the Proliferation Security Initiative.

We have also been working in partnership with other military forces around the world in international security operations. Our current overseas missions include deploying SAF task groups to assist in the multinational reconstruction and stabilisation efforts in Afghanistan; an SAF Task Group in the Gulf of Aden as part of the multinational counter-piracy efforts under the ambit of Combined Task Force 151; and two officers as part of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste. We have also established the Information Fusion Centre in the Changi Command and Control Centre, which provides several platforms for the SAF and other armed forces to work together to collate and share maritime information among an international network of partners. The 3rd Generation SAF can expect to operate even more extensively with both regional and international partners on a wider spectrum of missions, as this trend towards multinational cooperation continues.

The officers leading the 3rd Generation SAF will thus need to be trained to operate within this new strategic environment, where countries forge multinational cooperation in areas of shared interests. They will need to be alert to the shifts in the security landscape and have a sound understanding of our national interests and objectives, in order to think and act independently, confidently exercising their judgment to make sound operational decisions in the field. Our officers will also need to be proficient in working with coalition partners, other national security and civil agencies, and non-government organisations, and conduct themselves well under the media spotlight.

The fundamental qualities that the Singapore Command and Staff College seeks to instil and develop in our officers have therefore remained unchanged over the years. SAF officers must possess a keen mind and display leadership of the highest quality. They must also be self-critical, honest and tough. These qualities date back to our first Minister for Defence, the late Dr Goh Keng Swee, who believed that officers who lacked the "steel in their soul" would falter when making hard decisions in the heat of war, endangering not only the lives of their men, but the safety of the entire SAF and of Singapore itself.

In honour of Dr Goh, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced at this year's National Day Rally that this premier training institution of the SAF will be renamed the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College. This shows Singapore's firm resolve and commitment to uphold Dr Goh's legacy of developing a "thinking SAF". The formal inauguration of the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College will be held next year. As SAF officers, you must continue to exhibit these qualities, such as keenness of mind, leadership and the ability to be self-critical, honest and tough, and transmit them to the men and women you command.

I am really quite happy to see the way that the Command and Staff College has developed over the past 20 years. I was involved in the re-creation of the Command and Staff College at its present location at SAFTI Military Institute. At that time we envisaged maybe a maximum number of 75 students, 50 to 60 Singaporean SAF officers and maybe about 10 to 20 of our friends from around the world. But I am glad to see that we have now expanded to 122, with many more friends from around the world joining us. This reflects the certainty that we want to build a "thinking SAF". The most important thing that any leader in an organisation can do is to bring up the next generation of people to run the organisation and lead. There are three things you need to teach - principles, values and processes. Processes you need in order to operate in the organisation, in the SAF in this case, of the day because that is what keeps the organisation running. But processes may change from time to time, from era to era depending upon the kind of circumstances you are in, the kind of operations you're conducting and the equipment. But principles and values don't change. Those are the most important things that your military education can leave with you. You can come up with an answer which is completely the opposite of what your predecessor has decided, in his time, in his era and in the circumstances that he faced, because you face a different set of circumstances, a different set of resources and you have a different decision to make. But I am confident that if you have the right principles, the right values, that even though the actual action that you take may be the complete opposite of what was taken in an earlier era, that you would have come to the right decision. For those are the most important things you leave with the next generation of leaders that will come through - the principles and the values.

I would like commend two graduands who have exemplified the qualities expected of the 3rd Generation SAF officer. MAJ Lee Peh Gee, one of the four women officers on course, is one officer who faces challenges head on and turns difficulties into opportunities. As part of the Singapore Women's Everest Team, MAJ Lee endured years of tough physical training, and overcame a profound fear of heights and other daunting challenges to successfully scale Mount Everest last year. She emerged the better for this experience, gaining deeper insights into leadership and teamwork that her course mates greatly benefited from.

MAJ (NS) Allen Chan also deserves mention. Our NS officers in the NS CSC have to manage both work and family on top of course requirements for nine months, of which five and a half weeks are residential. The course has a steep learning curve, requiring you to very quickly and thoroughly acquire and apply advanced doctrine in exercises and discussion. Exercises also start early and often stretch into the night, requiring much hard work and sacrifice on the part of our NS officers. MAJ (NS) Chan went beyond NS CSC course requirements to attend the lectures, visits and speakers' programmes arranged for our regular cohort. His dedication reflects his firm belief that NS officers must be as proficient in the various aspects of military craft, as their role is no less critical than regular officers.

I congratulate all the graduands of the 41st CSC and the 11th National Service CSC for successfully completing your courses. It marks a significant milestone in your military careers. You now possess the necessary knowledge and skills to take on the duties and responsibilities of senior officers in the 3rd Generation SAF.

I am also delighted to note that we have 13 officers from 10 countries amongst our graduands today - from Australia, Brunei, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand, and the United States. To our international friends, I hope you have found this course fulfilling on both the professional and personal fronts. Even as you return to your countries, the friendships that you have forged here will remain invaluable, especially when your armed forces and the SAF are next called upon to work together - be it in joint exercises, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, or international security operations. We also welcome our colleague from the Singapore Police Force.

In closing, I would like to thank the spouses, family members and employers of the graduating officers for your support. We deeply appreciate your understanding and encouragement in helping our officers manage the rigours of this course so they may contribute towards Singapore's defence. We look forward to your continued support, as the graduating officers will now be expected to take on heavier responsibilities in their new command and staff appointments.

Thank you.

More Resources

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