54 SAF Personnel Honoured for Overseas Contribution

MAJ Cai Dexian receiving the SAF Overseas Service Medal from Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the presentation ceremony.

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen presented the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Overseas Service Medal to 54 servicemen at a ceremony held at Pasir Laba Camp this afternoon. This was in recognition of their contributions towards the SAF's overseas operations in Afghanistan and Timor-Leste.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Ng praised the medal recipients for their contributions in their respective deployments. He said, "I am proud of each serviceman as they demonstrated a high level of skill, professionalism and resilience while carrying out their duties." Dr Ng added that the servicemen helped establish the SAF's reputation as an operationally-ready, reliable and professional partner amongst the international community.

With the Afghan National Security Forces on track to progressively take over full security responsibilities for Afghanistan from the International Security Assistance Force, Dr Ng announced during the ceremony that the SAF will be concluding its deployments in Afghanistan in June 2013. He also announced that the SAF had completed its contributions towards the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste in December 2012, as the UN mandate for the Mission had ended.

The medal recipients comprised 52 personnel who were deployed to Afghanistan as part of Singapore's contribution to the multinational stabilisation and reconstruction efforts there, as well as two officers who were deployed in Timor-Leste as Staff Officers in the United Nations mission headquarters. The medal recipients who were deployed to Afghanistan include a ten-man team of Military Institutional Trainers who trained the Afghan National Army (ANA) at the Kabul Military Training Centre Artillery School; two five-man teams of Military Institutional Trainers who partnered the Australian Defence Force in Oruzgan to train ANA commanders to detect and identify Improvised Explosive Devices; and two six-man Imagery Analysis Teams who provided imagery interpretation and analysis support in Oruzgan. 

Also present at the Overseas Service Medal presentation ceremony were Chief of Army Major-General Ravinder Singh and other senior officers from the SAF, as well as family members of the medal recipients.

Dr Ng, accompanied by Chief of Army MG Ravinder Singh (left) interacting with medal recipients and their family after the ceremony.

3WO Aloysius s/o Joseph (left) training Afghan National Army personnel on the detection and identification of Improvised Explosive Devices in Oruzgan, Afghanistan.

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Speech by Minister For Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Overseas Service Medal Presentation Ceremony