Speech by Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, at the 48th Command and Staff Course (CSC), 18th CSE (NS), and 8th and 9th CSE (E) Graduation Ceremony

Let me just wish everyone here, a very good evening, especially
The Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates,
Permanent Secretary (Defence),
Chief of Defence Force and
Service Chiefs,
Chief Defence Scientist,
Senior Commanders,
Graduates of the 48th Command and Staff Course
18th Command and Staff Course (National Service),
8th and 9th Command and Staff Course (Executive),
Spouses and employers,

It is very obvious from the two sharing that you have had a very good time -- in fact, a very productive time. Congratulations to the 225 graduates, of which 56 are national service (NS) commanders. The fact that you have successfully completed this tough, rigorous course, I am sure for each of you, marks a significant milestone as it prepares you for larger responsibilities and greater roles within your organisations.

I am very happy that you are here with your family and your employers, because many of you said, without them you would not have completed the course. I am really excited about the number of babies that were produced. I was doing a count with your commandant, and if the numbers he cited were correct, there were 18 born and 12 conceived during your course, so that's 30 babies for a cohort of 225 graduates. If you do the math, that is over ten per cent, which means that if I run the course for ten years, we will solve the fertility problem that we have in Singapore. You keep that up and I shall ask the Minister for Finance whether this will be a better alternative than the baby bonus we give. Congratulations to all, especially parents of newborn. I hear that for one of you, Captain (NS) Tang Wei Ye even had his firstborn, a son, born the day before the course began. I am very happy for him but I think his wife deserves all praise for taking care of both the newborn son and father these past months. So again, thank you to the spouses, the families and the employers and let us give them another round of applause.

We have heard from the two graduates and they gave a flavour of what the course was about. The fact that you had intensive discussions during this Command and Staff Course (CSC), would have been plainly obvious that the scope for commanders, in modern militaries and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) included, has expanded considerably in the 21st century. And we have international participants here. All of you understand, in both the nature and the terrain for deployment that, militaries might be called to deploy has expanded considerably because as you rightly points out, in an increasingly connected world, where threats are transnational, these threats are brought physically closer to each of our home countries, and citizens, wherever we come from, expect their security forces, whether it is the Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force, or our armed forces to keep them safe, even from threats that originate far away. That is the new norm.

This explains why, in the past decade, the SAF has become familiar with the terrains and histories of Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. It is a little surreal that, we living in Singapore, have to now become familiar with terrains that we read about in history books, more than we ever imagined. When we joined the international community in dealing with terror threat at source, we had to come up to speed. Our commanders and their men and women quickly update themselves about the places they will be deployed in, and on the complex and dynamic social issues in these places. Let me give you a current example, Iraq, where our medical and intelligence units are deployed -- we visited them with Chief of Defence Force few weeks ago.  When you go there, the terrain shocks you. We flew from Kuwait and for the first time in my life I saw the Euphrates. You read about the Fertile Crescent, but to see it is to understand it. But when you land and speak to the people there, especially the Iraqs, the current canvas of their society is recently painted. And all of us would have had those memories; the fall of Saddam Hussein, the statue falling down and breaking. And what follows today is post-Saddam society. But the current society hides a palimpsest, which is coloured by ancient tribal feuds centuries old that predate even the Ottoman Empire. Now, if you are deployed there, and you are unaware of or insensitive to these internecine rivalries, you risk getting caught in the fall-out that can ensue when the current flimsy canvas is rubbed off. If you go there and you are not sensitive to the tensions that are just beneath the ground, you can get yourself in trouble.

Similarly, and closer to home, the ongoing Marawi crisis in Southern Philippines, soon to be resolved, the Rohingya refugees pouring into Bangladesh are today's manifestations of historic conflicts confounded by race and religion. And these troubled spots will not easily be mitigated, let alone solved, for decades to come.

Now all this is fine and dandy, it could be treated as academic. Why do we have to know what happens elsewhere in the world? It is good for general knowledge, even more interesting if you are a history or geographical buff. Except that they have an impact on our security here and now, the same notion that in the interconnected world, what happens elsewhere, gets quickly transported to our doorstep. Let me give you an example. Recently, ISIS produced a video. It was circulated on social media. Singaporeans, quite outstanding in many regards, in this case the star was a radicalised Singaporean unfortunately. He made a video and he was the main proponent. Many of you would have seen that video. He made that video in the Middle East. Think about it. For decades, what has the Middle East been known for when you talk about Singaporeans? Singaporeans would go to these places to perform their haj, their ummrah or to train to be ulamas. That is the extent. But now, we have a born and bred Singaporean who has allowed himself to be a poster boy, urging individuals to join ISIS in East Asia or in the Middle East, and challenging Prince Harry personally. Security experts worry that the trouble in Southern Mindanao and Bangladesh could attract terrorists there, and indeed calls have already been made for jihadists to fight there. Why and how did these radical shifts occur? Simply because the flow of information and with it, its influence has become more pervasive than ever. At least 31 terrorist groups in this region have pledged allegiance to ISIS. In the last three years, our Internal Security Department (ISD) has arrested more radicalised individuals than the seven years preceding this.

Today's menu of possible threats is akin to an international buffet that we go for in hotels -- with a spread of dishes of diverse origins. If you go to the kitchen, it is a multinational cast of chefs brewing trouble in the kitchen. Public expectations of security agencies have gone up pari passu with threats. Singaporeans expect the SAF and the Home Team to keep them safe, and these expectations are eminently justified, even if the tasks and responsibilities for commanders have become more onerous.
 
So here is the question for commanders. How does the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the SAF meet these expectations? This is where the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College (GKS CSC) must train leaders to measure up to these tasks and responsibilities. I think in this day and age, commanders will need to be like helicopters, able to rise up to see the big picture -- and it is good if you can understand what happens in Iraq, Afghanistan, if you understand the genesis of the problem, if you understand how old the problems are -- but finally you have to descend like a helicopter, and bring your men with you to designated spots to complete their mission. You have to localise the complexities to mission-actionables; to translate complex issues to actionable and meaningful tasks for each unit you lead.

And here, strong leadership is paramount -- leaders who understand the risks, and who make good judgements on how to address threats effectively with resources available. And I like the quote one of your graduates cited from Dr Goh, that "the worst mistake was not to make any decision at all", because there is a risk, that when it becomes so complex, we go into maintenance mode. And we have to make good judgements, not infallible judgements; but good judgements, sometimes fallible ones, are better than no judgements or action at all -- akin to a helicopter constantly grounded, is really of no use to anyone. In this environment, we need leaders who are alert and nimble, who step up to own problems, and have that strong inner voice to want to keep Singapore and Singaporeans safe. As commanders within the SAF and your security organisations, you serve not a vocation, but a calling, with physical lives of your countrymen at stake.

And this is what the CSC has prepared you adequately to lead, and for international graduates, your own military organisations and your own home countries. The course would have updated your database, but the values and standards you set can only be self-engendered.

Good leaders build strong organisations, but no individual, military or civilian, no matter how well resourced, can battle these multifarious, sometimes amorphous, threats alone. As in life, all of us need good partners and friends. So I am glad that joining us here today are 14 international officers from 11 countries -- Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, UAE, and United States -- a testament to the strong partnerships we have built over the years.
 
Simply put, our effectiveness increases exponentially if we tackle security problems with regional and international partners through action and practical cooperation. The Malacca Straits Patrol is a prime example. Remember Lloyd's had classified it as a "war risk" zone, and premiums went up. But as a result of the Malacca Straits patrol, they declassified it in 2006.

As Singapore chairs the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus next year, we will expand military cooperation and strengthen defence ties among countries.

I am also particularly pleased that we have over 50 NS officers graduating today. Their achievements reflect the great strides that National Service has made, and there can be no better honour to celebrate 50 years of National Service than your graduation today.  

The roles and responsibilities of NS commanders must keep pace with that of the SAF. Over the past two decades, the SAF has successfully completed its 3G transformation. Our Order of Battle (ORBAT) and organisational structure are unrecognisable compared to when SAF was founded. Today, we have various task forces -- Special Operations Task Force, Maritime Security Task Force, Air Defence Task Force and the Island Defence Task Force -- that reflect greater responsiveness to threat scenarios. But to remain responsive and effective, even though we have changed considerably, the SAF will have to continually evolve into the Next Gen SAF, different from today.  For example, in July this year, the SAF inaugurated the Island Defence Training Institute to train and equip 18,000 servicemen every year with the skills to deal with various counter-terrorist and homeland defence scenarios. Just five years ago, the fact that we had to do this could not have been imagined for civilian-military affairs. So that is how quick changes occur.

As leaders, the SAF depends on you to lead your units through these changes -- and there will be many. As graduates of the GKS CSC, I urge you to lead your men with courage and conviction. Treat and train them well to guard Singapore, with their lives if need be, to keep Singaporeans safe.  

Let me again congratulate all of you on your successful graduation from the Command and Staff Course. For our international officers, we are delighted that you could spend many months with us, with your family members here too. I know that you forged friendships that will be invaluable, and for many years to come, something which you can draw upon and I am sure that you will meet each other in your careers further down the path. I wish all of you and your families, and your new babies and those who are about to be born, every success.

For our SAF officers, as each of you assume senior leadership roles, let me place on you the responsibility and duty to build up the SAF of tomorrow.

With that, let me congratulate and thank everyone for being here. I wish everyone an enjoyable evening. Thank you very much.

More Resources

225 Leaders Graduate from Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College