Fact Sheet: Innovation Symposium 2021 Award Winners

A.  Minister for Defence Award (MDA)

The MDA is presented to units or departments in the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) for their outstanding achievements in the four components of innovation, organisational excellence, resource optimisation and staff well-being. There are two tiers to the MDA – the Division/Command level, and Brigade/Formation/Group/Unit level. Since the last edition of the MDA competition, the MDA (Overall) and MDA (Innovation) have been consolidated into a sole pinnacle award, the MDA.

This year, four units will be awarded the pinnacle MDA. This is the first time that all four units are winning the MDA. The Combat Service Support Command (CSSCOM) of the Singapore Army has been awarded the MDA and the Participation Command (PC) of the RSAF has been awarded the MDA (Combat Category), both at Division/Command level. The 5 Air Engineering and Logistics Group (5 AELG) – Air Power Generation Command (APGC) of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the SAF Ammunition Command (SAFAC) of the Singapore Army have been awarded the MDA at the Brigade/Formation/Group/Unit level.

(i) CSSCOM, Army – MDA Winner

Combat Service Support Command (CSSCOM) is an integrated Division HQ that is responsible for (1) providing material supply chain, engineering, transport and medical services for the Army/ SAF, (2) conducting vocational training for active servicemen and Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen), and (3) driving governance and innovation efforts for the Army. CSSCOM also supports national level events such as the Southeast Asia (SEA) games and Youth Olympic Games, national level crises such as SARS and distribution of masks during the 2015 haze situation, as well as Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions. Recently, CSSCOM played integral roles in COVID-19 operations, ranging from mask distribution to setting up facilities and providing testing and medical care, as well as being at the frontline to curb the COVID-19 outbreak. CSSCOM has made extensive efforts to collaborate with and learn from other commercial entities and public sector agencies to excel in what they do, as well as upskill their people. In particular, CSSCOM's sandboxes and rapid prototyping laboratories were key to their speed and success in generating game-changing innovations. An example of such innovation efforts is the Mobile Swab Station, where CSSCOM repurposed Multi-Utility Vehicles and Cross-Country Ambulances to facilitate mass testing of migrant workers at dorms within three weeks from conceptualisation to deployment.

(ii) Participation Command, RSAF – MDA (Combat Category) Winner

Participation Command (PC)'s mission is to deliver effective air power in order to decisively influence the ground and maritime battles, and to raise, train and sustain helicopter, divisional air defence and air power integration units who are ready to respond to the full spectrum of SAF operations. PC adopts a novel innovation approach in the form of a ground-up movement, where a group of airmen and women from across the command came together to form PITBULL (PC Innovation Team on a Bull Run) to transform the lives of the PC personnel by energising the innovation movement and culture in PC. The PITBULL focuses on ground issues and pushing boundaries through engaging personnel via various initiatives, such as the "Koyok" Pain Point Competition, a competition designed to allow ground personnel to identify "pain points" and crowd-source solutions. The PITBULL focused on ground issues that resulted in capacity to train harder, enhanced safety, and better work-life balance. It generated around 115 projects.

(iii) 5 AELG, RSAF – MDA Winner

5 AELG's provides engineering and logistical support to the RSAF's F-16C/D/D+ fighter jets, G550 Airborne Early Warning, Fokker 50, and A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft. 5 AELG's innovation stems from the need to ensure mission success and operational readiness, and adopts a comprehensive STAR framework that focuses on (a) Sustaining its Innovation Journey, (b) Training its People, (c) Advocating Creativity and (d) Resourcing its Innovation Efforts. The key success factors include promoting a learning and agile culture which allows the personnel to accept failure fast and adapt for future success, implementing a systemic approach to encourage innovation and trials (e.g. time off for learning, collaboration), and establishing a rapid prototyping environment to speed up product development (e.g. setting up 3D printing Centre-of-Excellence and innovation space for one-stop programming and prototyping). Implemented projects that they have developed include the SMART Padlock, a customised electronic padlock and programmable Smart Key that allows 5 AELG to customise and control the areas accessible by each key, as well as provide a digital log of the keys which have accessed each lock. These capabilities has enabled 5 AELG to enhance operational efficiency while providing greater visibility and control over access to areas.

(iv) SAFAC, Army – MDA Winner

The SAF Ammunition Command provides the SAF with the latest ammunition, explosives supply chain managements as well as technical support for ammunition that the SAF uses in operations and training. SAFAC led the establishment of an AmmoZone Ecosystem and Operational Sandboxes in 2020, with around 35 projects created in the five Sandboxes. One of the projects is the Enhanced Projected Line Charge (PLC) Carrier Strap. To tackle difficulties such as sore shoulders, abrasions and restriction in movement while operating the PLC, SAFAC worked closely with stakeholders to produce the enhanced strap that improved stability during manoeuvre, provided a higher level of comfort, and could be quickly released during emergencies.

B.  MINDEF Exemplary Innovator Award (MEIA)

Aligned with the Public Sector Transformation's Exemplary Innovator Award, the MEIA recognises exemplary individuals or teams that have injected innovation in their work, made a real difference to their stakeholders and advocated the spirit of innovation in their teams. This year, 25 outstanding individuals and teams will receive this award. Winners of the MINDEF Exemplary Innovator Award include:

(i) Innovating Airfield Operations by Air Power Generation Command

The team worked on a wide range of innovation projects, from repairing of equipment, to the review of maintenance and building up of in-house capability to improve the operational efficiency and effectiveness of the airbase Civil Engineering community. Examples include leveraging data analytics to reduce the maintenance schedule requirements for airfield lighting, developing selected in-house repair capabilities to improve turn-around time, and the implementation of a portable flooring system for towing equipment over soggy ground.

(ii) Smart Store System by HQ Supply

The armskote process was redesigned with digitalisation, leading to tremendous increase in efficiency and accuracy, and significant cost savings. The team digitalised and automated armskote and controlled equipment store processes to improve efficiency, and add value for their customers throughout the SAF.

(iii) Total Integrated Dive System (TIDES) by Naval Diving Unit

The team at NDU developed an integrated dive system to enhance the safety of our divers when they dive underwater. The system not only automates the logging of dive time for each diver, but is also able to track the location of the diver while underwater. Additionally, dive supervisors on the surface are able to communicate with the divers during operations and training. Through a network of underwater wireless beacons, two-way communication is established such that divers can be directed with updated operational intent and to provide feedback to the dive supervisors, should they encounter issues while underwater.

(iv) MAJ (Dr) Chua Qi Han Aaron from Air Power Generation Command

MAJ (Dr) Chua worked tirelessly to develop several products that transformed healthcare experiences in the medical centres, especially amidst the ongoing COVID-19 situation. These products include (1) an RSAF digital swab management system for COVID-19 swabbing operations, (2) a mobile app for more efficient in-base medical response to casualties, and (3) telemedicine.

(v) ME2 Briane Vivaegananthan from Maritime Security Task Force

ME2 Briane played a key role in promoting and managing the innovation efforts of the Maritime Security Task Force (MSTF) as the Innovation Team Lead. His proactiveness nurtured a thriving innovation community with over 70% participation rate and 600 unique suggestions reaped. His efforts in problem-to-solution matching has generated over 55 projects, all of which are supported by the Innovation Team. One such project is the Killer Lemon which standardises small arms targets across MSTF, achieved significant time savings from 9 hours to 40 mins, and enhances safety in target deployment.

C.  MINDEF Dare to Do Award (MD2D)

Aligned with the Public Sector Transformation's Dare to Do Award, the MD2D recognises individuals or teams that (1) were able to identify new opportunities to do things better, (2) had the courage to attempt new ways of doing things even when there was no precedent, and (3) were able to take measured risks, and had the perseverance to try and try again, even when they faced with difficulties. To encourage a culture of resilience in MINDEF/SAF, demonstration of successful outcomes is not a pre-requisite for nominations. This year, 9 outstanding individuals and teams will receive this award. Winners of the MINDEF Dare to Do Award include:

(i) Alternative method to test proximity switch by Air Combat Command

The team demonstrated their creativity and conviction to improve the process of measuring the functionality of the F-15SG landing gear proximity switch, by creating a new process that is safer and more time efficient. The revised process is also recognised internationally by both the Original Equipment Manufacturer (Boeing) and the US Air Force.

(ii) Army Declare by Army Digitalisation Office, Systems Integrated Office and Current Operations and Readiness Branch, General Staff (Operations)

The team digitalised the travel declaration and entry records of visitors into Army camps through an application within the first month of COVID-19, prior to the development of SafeEntry.

(iii) Telemedicine in RSAF by Air Force Medical Service

To address the need to provide healthcare services more readily and in a timely manner whilst bridging the constraints of distance, the team analysed the risks involved in the various healthcare activities and constantly sought ground feedback to improve the implementation, all with the aim of providing high quality medical care while optimising medical manpower resources.

D.  MINDEF Savings and Value Enhancement Awards (SAVE).

The MINDEF SAVE Award is the highest accolade recognising the exemplary efforts of entities in achieving resource optimisation with realised cost-savings of at least $1M in the nominated projects. This year, 7 deserving units/initiatives have been awarded the SAVE award for FY19 and FY20, with combined savings of over $200M achieved over the two FYs. Winners of the MINDEF SAVE Award include:

(i) Contracting Approach for Cookhouse Contract Renewal by Army and DSTA

For the contract renewal of management and operation of SAF cookhouses, suppliers were required to refresh the SAF's cookhouses through a new Design, Equip and Operate (DEO) cookhouse concept to centralise and automate kitchen operations. The new concept will increase the SAF cookhouse cooking capacity by 52%, while reducing manpower needs by 30%. Contractors can now afford to be more creative in meal preparation for improved quality and receptivity to meals by soldiers. The new DEO concept with long-term contracting and negotiation allowed the Project Management Team to achieve significant recurrent savings.

(ii) Economising Operation Cost with Green Transformer by DSTA

DSTA continuously examines existing MINDEF/SAF infrastructure for potential to realise improvements in energy efficiencies and reduce electricity consumption. One of the initiatives is to replace the power transformers that are near their end of life with those of higher efficiency. A period contract was used to amalgamate the total quantities of ageing transformers that are to be replaced over the next 5 years. This leverages economies of scale for the partial fleet change to achieve competitive prices for the transformers and recurrent savings from higher energy efficiency. The team also conceptualised the use of power filters alongside the green transformer to convert electrical noise into useful energy to power-up equipment.

More Resources

MINDEF and the SAF Empower Personnel to Innovate and Boost the SAF's Transformative Edge

Speech by Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, at the MINDEF Innovation Symposium