Speech by Minister for Defence at The Launch of SAF50@Vivo

Let me acknowledge Minister of State, Dr Mohamad Maliki bin Osman here, Chief of Defence Force, Chief of Services - Army, Navy, and Air Force. And of course, you… there are many pioneers here. Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

All of you know that today, this year, the Golden Jubilee Year for Singapore and the SAF is a very special year. All of us who are here are very privileged to be alive at this moment on the RSS Endurance next to VivoCity. I say that factually and statistically because the next similar event will be 50 years later. Even if VivoCity and RSS Endurance are around, I suspect, except for the children in front, the rest of us may not quite make it. So let's count ourselves very lucky for being here as we witness this historic year to celebrate and to commemorate certain events. For the SAF, we are launching SAF50 today, but when we were thinking of how to commemorate 50 years of SAF, we felt that the best way is not just to recount the events, but really the best way is people like you - the walking, talking, breathing and full of stories. Every time I stop and talk to you, you have a few stories - very interesting stories, quite amazing. But we thought we should bring you back. We wanted to acknowledge the 740,000 NSmen - 740,000 NSmen who have served in the SAF since it was first inducted. I know some of you are the first, second and third batch, you were the most well-treated of all the batches we had. Because you didn't know better and the commander also didn't know better.

But as we look back, it's really special and that's why we wanted to ask pioneers to come back, to help us live through this journey. And if you look at the last 50 years, it's amazing how much the SAF has progressed. And if you read the military journals, for instance, many of them tout the SAF to be the most advanced military in Southeast Asia. And we don't disagree with them - we just smile and neither deny nor affirm.

The progress of the SAF in the last 50 years has been remarkable. And it would not have been possible without that special ingredient called the "Singapore pioneering spirit". And if you think about how this spirit, this "Singapore pioneering spirit", was forged. I think it was forged by the experiences of our pioneers. Even before the SAF was formed, they witnessed the British Surrender on 15 February 1942, who lived through the subsequent Japanese Occupation. I think there are some of you here who lived through the Japanese occupation right? And there you are. And those experiences taught us that if Singaporeans do not defend Singapore, no one will.

And you as pioneers became members of the Singapore Infantry Regiment when we were part of Malaysia, the Singapore Volunteer Corps (SVC), the Vigilante Corps, the Singapore Naval Volunteer Force (SNVF) and, of course the SWANS. I like that acronym - the Singapore Women's Auxiliary Naval Service. How many SWANS do we have here tonight? To call you back to remember when you were soldiers of 1 and 2 SIR. I remember each time I talk to you from 1 and 2 SIR, your memories are as fresh as they occurred yesterday. You can smell the jungle, you can smell the gun smoke I think. And you remember when Konfrontasi broke out in 1963, your comrades suffered casualties and deaths. The SVC and SNVF and the Vigilante Corps, together with the police guarded the home front during the repeated attacks by Indonesian saboteurs.

It was this experience, I think, that when the SAF was started, the pioneering spirit was invaluable. Because we needed you to institute the NS training system. The National Service was introduced in 1967, so there are some of you whom I met, who said you were the first batch of instructors, and you trained our General Staff, the first General Staff. Who were the first batch of instructors? So I ask you "Who were your trainees? Aiyah, people like Boey Tak Hap."

We also have representatives from all of you - the first three batches of OCS, 1^st batch of NS enlistees, and our defence scientists, who were the forerunners of DSO and DSTA. We decided to bring you back because that's the best way to capture how far we've come in the last 50 years. We brought back some of you who were involved in the very first missions of the SAF. Who can remember the first overseas mission for the SAF? Pakistan. You see these fellows know all the history. Pakistan was the first one. We were in the media as well. Remember the 1983 cable car? How many of you were involved in the cable car incident? We were there. Hotel New World? These individuals were involved in the making of the SAF today and it is too numerous to name but we have showcased some of your individual stories in the SAF50 exhibition.

The focus of SAF50 is not on specific individuals, but more importantly, what we have achieved together in this remarkable journey and accomplishments, when we as one people or one SAF, we put our hearts and minds into this indispensable task of defending our home. And because of their collective spirit, because of their collective effort, we've progressed very much. You see, we have never had a military tradition. That was why it was so difficult. You didn't come from military families, we came from a migrant stock - different people from China, India, from Indonesia, from other places. We bring them together, different races, we want to build a modern military. No military history or traditions, and we had to work with a disparate multi-racial, multicultural migrant stock in a Third World economy.

Today, we commemorate SAF50 on the flight deck of the RSS Endurance. Look at this. Back in 1965, when we started with two wooden hull boats, it would have hard for any of you who were there to believe that one day the Singapore Navy not only would have this type of ship, but that we would build it ourselves.

When the SAF was started 50 years ago, many doubted that Singapore could be defended at all, even if the citizens would be committed themselves to defence. Because people know it, it's an inexorable fact, Singapore lacked strategic depth, we were a poor nation, we lacked the means to acquire advanced technology. But today, no one doubts the ability of the SAF to be able to defend Singapore. No one doubts. And that's your major contribution.

The SAF has indeed given strength to our nation. Where does this strength come from? It comes from each individual NS soldier. I've talked about you in the past, today I want to talk about the present. Recruit Sim Wei Wen - early this month, was in the first batch of NS recruits in 2015 Golden Jubilee year. He boarded the ferry like many enlistees to Pulau Tekong to start his BMT. It comes from people like Specialist Cadet Trainee (SCT) Muhammad Sufyan Bin Azmi, Military Expert Trainee (ME1T) Felicia Tan and people like Officer Cadet (OCT) S Kurumbaesun, who are now training to be section commanders and officers. But this strength that the SAF gives to Singapore doesn't come only from soldiers. It comes from family members, from mothers and fathers who encourage their sons to give their best during NS. It comes from parents, grandparents, who encourage their families. Mothers like music veteran Ann Hussein, who believes that, as she says it, "necessary in the growing-up years of all males". Or like Wendy Yeap, a professional counsellor, who told us that NS taught her son to be more responsible. It comes from responsible employers like Tony Chew, who believes that business leaders must do their part to ensure that the nation is safe and secure.

So not only has the SAF given strength to our nation, I think it has also given character. You know when you use words like "Recce" it is understood right? Or "OTOT - own time own target". Sometimes we go on holiday and my children ask me "what you want to do?" and I say "OTOT" and they know what to do because they have been to the SAF. That's why you have movies like "Army Daze" and "Ah Boys to Men" play to thick crowds.

Unequivocally, we can be proud that the SAF is a success story. But we ask ourselves also on this 50th year, what of the future? Can we maintain strong support for the SAF to defend Singapore? We must. I am confident that if each of us plays our role to give strength to the nation, then the SAF will continue to progress.

And I know that many of you pioneers, now in your golden years, are recommitting yourselves to be ambassadors. We call you the "C2D", the Commitment to Defence Ambassadors. And I want you to tell younger Singaporeans of what was at stake during the Konfrontasi,

how you fought against the Communists, how you fought against racial riots. And for Singapore to remain strong, all of us must emulate the pioneering spirit and do our part, whether as NSmen, parents or employers. Because, together, we give strength to our nation. And this is the most important message for SAF50. Thank you very much.

More Resources

• SAF50 Celebrations Kick Off With SAF50@Vivo