116 SAF Personnel Honoured for Contributions to Overseas Deployments

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen presented the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Overseas Service Medal (OSM) to 116 servicemen at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Defence this evening. These medals were awarded in recognition of the successful command of the multinational counter-piracy task force Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 in the Gulf of Aden (GoA), as well as contributions to the multinational coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Dr Ng thanked all personnel for accomplishing their missions and flying Singapore’s flag high. He also conveyed his deepest appreciation to the family members for supporting the servicemen so that they could focus on their missions with peace of mind.

Dr Ng acknowledged the efforts of the SAF team who commanded the CTF 151, noting that there were no successful piracy attacks in the GoA. Dr Ng also made special mention of three operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen) who set aside their full-time jobs to volunteer for the multinational counter-piracy operation.

On the war on terror, Dr Ng noted that Singapore’s efforts in Afghanistan helped to prevent extremists from exporting terrorism to the rest of the world, including our region. This was why Singapore needed to play a part in the multinational coalition to counter ISIS. Nonetheless, he warned that even as ISIS was weakened in Iraq and Syria through the efforts of the coalition, the regional terrorism threat would rise as radicalised individuals returned and linked up with other extremist cells in the region, and Singaporeans needed to remain vigilant and play a part. "We recognise that the war is ultimately an ideological one for the hearts and minds. We need to unite against misguided teachings, strengthen community cohesion, and establish robust networks of trust among the different races and religions… but as individuals we also need to play a part, which is why the SGSecure Movement launched in September is so important, to prepare us, individually and as a people, to respond effectively," he said.

In recognition of the SAF team’s successful command of the CTF 151 in the GoA, one of three task forces operated by the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), from 22 March to 30 June 2016, 51 medals were awarded. A further 65 medals were awarded in recognition of contributions to the multinational coalition against ISIS. During the deployment, Intelligence Fusion Officers (IFO) and Imagery Analysis Teams (IAT) provided intelligence analysis support to the HQ Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF), while a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) KC-135R air-to-air refuelling jet tanker performed air-to-air refuelling operations for coalition aircraft.

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Speech by Minister For Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Saf Overseas Service Medal (OSM) Presentation Ceremony, Mindef Auditorium, 21 November 2016