Command and Staff College Graduates Ready for Senior Leadership Roles in the SAF

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen (first row, fourth from the left) and senior SAF officers with the top graduands and their spouses at the Command and Staff Course 2015 Graduation Ceremony.

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen presented certificates to graduands at the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College (GKS CSC) Command and Staff Course (CSC) 2015 Graduation Ceremony held this evening at the Istana. This year's ceremony marked the completion of the 46th CSC, 16th CSC (National Service), as well as the 4th and 5th CSC (Executive). The 230 graduands comprised 154 regular officers, three warrant officers, and 58 National Service (NS) officers from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), one officer from the Singapore Police Force and 14 international officers from nine countries - Australia, Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Oman, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. This is the first time that officers from the Republic of Singapore Navy have attended and graduated from the CSC (National Service).

In his speech, Dr Ng spoke about the increasing scale and spectrum of security threats that countries have faced over the years, as "lines across previously separated domains are now increasingly blurred - that between military and civilian; peacetime and periods of tension; the real and virtual world…" Dr Ng expressed confidence in the SAF's strong core of leaders to continue tackling and overcoming such challenges, and said to the graduands, "I charge each of you to provide that kind of leadership that offers clarity amid uncertainty; hope in despair; persistence amid difficulty and success against the odds." Dr Ng also announced that the SAF will lead the Combined Task Force 151 in the Gulf of Aden for the fourth time next year, and will be inviting international officers to work with the SAF there as with the previous deployments.

Dr Ng also presented awards to seven top graduands: Major (MAJ) Du Zixian Ivan, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Tee Zhen Shou Daniel and MAJ Kam Kai Qing, who received the Top Army, Navy, and Air Force Graduate Awards respectively in the 46th CSC; Captain (CPT) (NS) Alan Tham and MAJ (NS) Quek Chun Hou Terence, who received the Top Army and Navy Graduate Awards in the 16th CSC (National Service); as well as MAJ Cheong Chee Wai John and LTC Lim Kwok Ann Auslia, who topped the 4th and 5th CSC (Executive) respectively. The CSC, CSC (Executive) and CSC (National Service) prepare officers for senior command and staff appointments in the SAF, and are the highest level of formal military education offered in Singapore for Regular and NS officers.

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen (right) and Commandant GKS CSC Colonel Ng Wai Kit (centre) interacting with the top graduands at the Command and Staff Course 2015 Graduation Ceremony.

Dr Ng presenting the top Army graduate award to Major Du Zixian Ivan during the presentation ceremony.

More Resources

• Speech by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, at Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College Command and Staff Course 2015 Graduation Ceremony