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

Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Morning.

The primary mission of the SAF is the defence of Singapore. While this mission has remained our key focus over the years, the security challenges we face have evolved. In today's interconnected world, threats such as terrorism, piracy and pandemics can easily spread from one country to another. Concerted multinational cooperation is therefore vital to tackle these threats before they are transmitted across national borders.

As a responsible member of the international community, Singapore is committed to playing our part in international security operations that protect our interests, and help bring peace and stability to other regions. Today we recognise SAF servicemen who have served in Afghanistan and Timor Leste. Their contributions have helped to enhance the security of Singapore and our region.

This is the fourth year that the SAF has sent its servicemen to Afghanistan to participate in the multinational reconstruction and stabilisation efforts there. We have deployed dental and construction engineering teams over a period of four years to help build medical capabilities and develop health facilities in Bamiyan province. We have also deployed to Uruzgan province for two years with medical, surgical and Weapon Locating Radar teams. Our most recent deployment to Uruzgan is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) task group. So far, we have made 16 deployments involving a total of over 230 personnel who have served in Afghanistan. Our servicemen have accumulated valuable experience with each successive deployment. They have honed their operational capabilities operating in different and unfamiliar conditions, in partnership with other armed forces.

While not large, our deployments represent niche capabilities where we have expertise which our coalition partners find operationally useful. For instance, the Weapon Locating Radar team provides early warning of rocket attacks to enhance force protection measures for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) personnel deployed at a base in Tarin Kowt, the capital of Uruzgan. Its second rotation, a 22-man detachment, was led by LTC Vincent Lim from January to June this year. I visited last November during the first rotation, and so have seen the challenging conditions under which LTC Lim and his men were operating. They have carried out their duties professionally, demonstrating vigilance and skill in successfully tracking incoming rockets and giving ISAF members the critical seconds needed to get to safe cover. This capability is highly valued. As a result, our international partners have requested for an extension of its deployment beyond our initial committed deployment period.

From April to May this year, an eight-man SAF surgical team was deployed to a field hospital at the same base in Tarin Kowt. Led by MAJ(Dr) Muhammad Idu, the team performed 85 operations and provided over 100 outpatient reviews for both ISAF personnel and local Afghans. They carried out these operations under tough and austere conditions, and with far smaller teams than usually available in operating theatres back home in hospitals in Singapore. I would like to commend the surgical team, which included three NSmen - MAJ(NS)(Dr) Philip Lau, MAJ(NS)(Dr) Matthew Cheng and CPT(NS)(Dr) Tan Wah Tze - for volunteering for this mission and for rising to the challenge. You adapted well to a hostile and rugged environment and brought much value to the team's operations, with your expertise and wealth of experience from public service and private practice. While this is the first time our NSmen have volunteered for deployment in Afghanistan, other NSmen have previously volunteered for international peace support missions in Timor-Leste, Iraq and Kuwait.

Our SAF servicemen deployed for operations overseas perform important work. There are always risks associated with such missions. When our helicopter detachment and combat peacekeepers deployed to Timor-Leste in 2002, our servicemen faced a number of situations involving civil unrest and encounters with the militia. In Kabul and Uruzgan, where our servicemen are deployed, attacks from rockets and Improvised Explosive Devices are commonplace. In Bamiyan, such attacks are less frequent but the risks are still present.

To mitigate these risks, we make sure that our servicemen are well trained for their deployment, and are well prepared to deal with any contingencies. From November 2009 to June this year, we also initiated the deployment of a five-man Singapore National Command Element (NCE), led by COL Desmond Tan, to exercise command and control over all SAF troops deployed in Afghanistan. In the event of a contingency, the NCE will perform the vital role of coordinating operations with HQ ISAF to ensure the well-being and, if required, the repatriation and replacement of the affected servicemen so that the mission can continue and our servicemen are well looked after at the same time.

This morning we are also recognising MAJ Ang Kwang Chien and MAJ Chia Geok Koon, who were deployed for a year from September 2009 as part of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) to support the country's national reconciliation and the restoration of public security.

I would like to thank all 39 of you for a job well done. You have risen to the challenging missions in Afghanistan and Timor Leste, discharged your duties professionally, and done Singapore and the SAF proud.

On behalf of all Singaporeans, I would also like to express our deep appreciation to the family members of our servicemen. You have made sacrifices while your loved ones carried out their duties for our country. Your steadfast and constant support has allowed our servicemen to focus on their mission, and contributed significantly to their success. Thank you.

More Resources

39 SAF Personnel Honoured for Overseas Contributions