President Hosts Reception in Recognition of MINDEF and SAF Personnel

President Tony Tan Keng Yam, accompanied by Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Ng Chee Meng (fourth from right), interacting with an NSF, Regulars and NSmen at the garden reception held at Istana this evening. From left: Lieutenant Colonel Huang Miaw Yi, Military Expert 3 Yap Chee Meng, Corporal Bellson Tan, 2nd Sergeant (NS) Chong Sun Hui, 1st Warrant Officer Harbhajan Singh and Captain (NS) Abdul Jaleel Bin Shahul Hamid.

President Tony Tan Keng Yam hosted about 700 personnel from the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to a garden reception at the Istana this evening. Held since 1992, the annual reception serves to recognise the commitment of MINDEF personnel and SAF servicemen and their valuable contributions towards the defence of Singapore.

During the reception, President Tan interacted with Full-time National Servicemen, Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) and Regular Servicemen. They shared different perspectives on National Service based on their experiences and contributions. This ranged from participation in bilateral exercises and overseas deployments, to balancing National Service duties with personal commitments. SAF NSman of the Year award winner Captain (NS) Abdul Jaleel Bin Shahul Hamid, the Battalion Second-in-command of 68th Combat Service Support Battalion said, "My motivation comes from seeing my soldiers give their best for the defence of our nation. I feel that every Singaporean must put in their best during In-Camp Training so that they are ever ready to contribute towards Singapore's peace and security."Guests present at the reception included Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, Second Minister for Defence Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister of State for Defence Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, Permanent Secretary (Defence) Mr Chan Yeng Kit, Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Ng Chee Meng, Permanent Secretary (Defence Development) Major-General (NS) Ng Chee Khern and Service Chiefs. Members of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs (GPC-DFA) and the Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence (ACCORD) also attended the reception.

President Tan thanking the SAF NSmen of the Year award winners for their contributions to national defence over the past year.

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen sharing a light moment with personnel from the Army.

Second Minister for Defence Mr Chan Chun Sing interacting with personnel from the Air Force.

Minister of State for Defence Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman interacting with invited guests at the annual garden reception.

Permanent Secretary (Defence) Mr Chan Yeng Kit interacting with personnel from the Army.

Permanent Secretary (Defence Development) Major-General (NS) Ng Chee Khern speaking with servicemen at the reception.