Transcript by Brigadier-General Tan Chee Wee on Appointment as First SAF Inspector-General

As the first Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Inspector-General, my immediate focus is to introduce concrete actions in three areas: promote the open reporting culture, ensure the quality of safety inspections and strengthen our safety culture. I will work closely with the SAF senior leadership to make sure our people continue to have a culture whereby people train safe and they are protected while defending Singapore. I want to make sure that our soldiers and our commanders work towards zero training fatalities while they conduct realistic training.

A key element of our strong safety culture is open reporting, of both accidents and near misses. The SAF has always relied on analysis of safety trends so that we can intervene earlier and try to prevent accidents from happening. Our soldiers have feedback channels where they can report safety breaches as well as unsafe practices. Open reporting must be a safety norm so that our soldiers and commanders can feel empowered and committed to do open reporting without fear of reprisal.

Our fighting units are charged with maintaining operational effectiveness in defending Singapore. However, they must also uphold high safety standards. My office will make independent assessments on the Services' safety inspection system. This will ensure that they adopt stringent benchmarks for safety performance and culture of their units.

However, our commanders and soldiers need to look after one another. It must be second nature for them to flag up unsafe practices or acts of non-compliance by their team-mates or even their commanders.

These are elements that are necessary to build a strong safety culture in the SAF. So, my immediate priority is to visit ground units across the SAF, and this will allow me to firstly assess the health of open reporting and safety culture in our units, and secondly, also evaluate the Service's safety inspection system. With these findings, I will then recommend to CDF proposals that will further enhance the SAF's safety management as well as strengthen its safety culture. My team and I are committed to improve training safety in the SAF.

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First SAF Inspector-General Takes Office on 27 February 2019