Speech by Minister of State for Defence and Education Lawrence Wong, at the Overseas Service Medal Presentation Ceremony

Chief of Defence Force,
Chief of Navy,
Families and friends,
Ladies and gentlemen,

A very good morning to all of you. To all the men and women of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Task Group, a very good and warm welcome home! It was just about a month ago when I visited Dubai and saw many of you. During my visit, I was impressed by the high state of operational readiness as well as the strong sense of camaraderie on board the RSS Endeavour. Despite being at sea for more than three months, your enthusiasm and dedication to the task was unwavering. This morning, I am very happy to have the chance to see you all again. All of you have done Singapore proud - you have stood tall and served our nation; you have flown our flag high through your many contributions to the global fight against piracy in the Gulf of Aden. While the Gulf of Aden is some 4,000 nautical miles from Singapore, it is a key waterway connecting Asia and Europe. It accounts for a significant portion of global trade, especially crude oil. Each year, some 30,000 vessels, many of which transit through our port, traverse these waters. By threatening the freedom of navigation and the safety of international shipping, piracy in the Gulf of Aden has direct implications for Singapore's security and our economic well-being. Therefore, it is in our interest to be in the Gulf of Aden and Singapore will continue to do our part by contributing to the international counter piracy effort in the Gulf.

Since April 2009, three SAF task groups, each comprising one Landing Ship Tank and two Super Puma helicopters, have worked under the ambit of the multinational Combined Task Force 151, or CTF 151, to enhance the security of ships transiting through the Gulf of Aden. We have also sent two Command Teams to lead CTF 151. Earlier this year, the SAF also deployed for the first time an RSAF Maritime Patrol Aircraft detachment to Djibouti, to conduct maritime surveillance operations along the Gulf of Aden.

Today, we recognise the contributions of the 279 servicemen and women from the Navy, Army and Air Force who had been deployed on the latest SAF Task Group to the Gulf of Aden. While in theatre, RSS Endeavour spent a total of 77 days on active duty, responded swiftly to five calls for assistance and flew a total of 110 helicopter sorties to provide air surveillance and warn off suspicious boats, often in very difficult sea circumstance. The task group also helped to coordinate operations within CTF 151 by acting as a key node for information sharing between the task force and other multinational naval forces as well as independently-deployed navies in the region. I think many of you would have read about the Task Group's successful disruption of attacks by suspected pirates on two merchant vessels transiting through the Arabian Sea on 1 Nov. This bears testament to the high standards of professionalism in the SAF -you have proven yourselves competent, effective and operationally ready. Your performance has also impressed others who have been watching you, and we have received positive feedback and accolades from other professional navies including the Combined Maritime Forces HQ. I would like to commend all of you for your professionalism, dedication and hard work. Many of you have made personal sacrifices to be part of this mission. For example, 2SG Given Tng, an Operationally-Ready National Serviceman left his job as an IT consultant to join the Task Group. 2WO Rudy Tan, who will be coming back to meet a new family member because he missed the birth of his daughter in October while on deployment. Now he is back a new father and he will be seeing his baby daughter. There were also eight NSFs who extended their national service just so that they could participate in this mission. They volunteered and decided to extend their national service. All of you have shown deep personal commitment to the mission and the SAF. All of you stand as a shining example to others. Let me also take this opportunity to thank the friends and families of our servicemen and women.

All of you who are gathered here today. The unstinting support and encouragement you give to our soldiers have contributed to the successful completion of this mission. Many of you posted notes of encouragement and words of affirmation on the "Sea of Support" website. This is a website that the SAF has put up, I think many of you are familiar with this. We allow you to post your words of encouragement to the servicemen and women. Some just wanted to send their well wishes, like one girl who said, "I don't really know what kind of encouragement to give because I don't have the roughest clue what you people are going through. But I wish you all the best!" Others penned down some heartfelt thoughts, like this person who said: "You are not unknown.

You are not far away. You are in our heart of hearts. During this time of holiday in Singapore, your sacrifice is not hidden as we stand with you side by side in spirit and thoughts". These messages show how much your friends and families, and indeed many ordinary Singaporeans, care about the mission you have undertaken. When you go through the website, you will see the outpouring of prayers, love and support from Singaporeans of all races and from all walks of life. So to our servicemen and women, when you were out at sea, you had the whole nation behind you and supporting you in spirit. Now that your mission is accomplished, we are proud to welcome you home; we salute all of you for a job well done. All of you have been steadfast and true in answering the call of duty. On behalf of MINDEF and the SAF, I would like to thank each and every one of you for serving our country and keeping Singapore safe and secure.

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