Speech by Senior Minister of State for Defence, Mr. Heng Chee How, for the 26th Senior Military Expert Appointment Ceremony on 25 Jan 2024

Chief of Defence Force,

Service Chiefs,

Senior Commanders,

Graduands of the 26th SAF Senior Military Expert Course,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

INTRODUCTION

A very good evening and my heartiest congratulations to all 122 newly appointed Senior Military Experts. Together with the dedication of your commanders and instructors, as well as the steadfast support from your families and loved ones, you have worked hard to achieve this very significant milestone.  

A STRONG AND RELEVANT SAF AMIDST A CHALLENGING SECURITY ENVIRONMENT

The security environment today is increasingly uncertain and challenging.  Conflict continues to rage in Europe, in particular you would remember Russias ongoing invasion of Ukraine which started in 2022. And about three months ago, a terror attack in Israel re-ignited a cycle of violence, and raised tensions in the Middle East. These conflicts involved both conventional kinetic strikes and non-kinetic attacks in the cyber, electromagnetic spectrum, and information domains. Such unconventional tactics have far-reaching effects, propagating through digital means. They are a harsh reminder that armed conflict is not inconceivable even in todays context.

More recently, we are reminded of how events occurring half a globe away could affect Singapore. Following the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Yemen-based Houthi forces have launched dozens of missile and drone attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, including on a Singapore-flagged vessel, purportedly as a response to Israels offensive in Gaza. The disruption of the freedom of navigation in this key Sea Line of Communication linking Asia and Europe will have a great impact on global supply chains, and when global supply chains are affected, many things will also follow: inflation, uncertainty of goods and how lives are to be lived, and so on. So the impact goes well beyond just a particular ship being shocked, it sends a shockwave throughout the world.

In Singapore, while we are grateful to have enjoyed peace since our independence, we must never be lulled into a false sense of security. For Singapore to remain peaceful and secure, a strong and ready SAF is an imperative.

FAST-EVOLVING NATURE OF WARFARE

The SAF needs to be well-positioned for the complex and fast-evolving nature of warfare. Todays conflicts have shown that warfare will be increasingly sophisticated and hybrid in nature, where military and non-military instruments can strategically and effectively undermine the solidarity and resilience of nations. For instance, as a prelude to Russias full-scale invasion, a cyberattack was mounted on a commercial satellite network, which disrupted Ukraines Internet and information access. More recently, in the Israel-Hamas conflict, deliberate disinformation campaigns shaped international perceptions, and carefully crafted narratives from both sides have divided global opinions.

The speed and agility to operationally adapt technologies, including commercial-off-the-shelf and lower-cost options, have enabled the seizing of tactical advantage on the battlefield. For example, to offset Russias advantage in conventional warfighting, the Ukrainian forces modified thousands of inexpensive hobby drones for surveillance and strike. They also 3D-printed tailfins and attached them on grenades carried by these drones for greater in-flight stability.

Digitalisation also served as an important force multiplier for Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces integrated voluminous data from multiple sources such as Intelligence, satellite imagery, and even photos and videos sent by citizens, to pinpoint enemy troop movements. The Ukrainians also developed algorithms to improve their understanding of the battlefield and accelerate their decision-making. And just to be fair and honest about what has also happened on the battlefield, do not just assume that the Ukrainians have all the smarts and that the Russians are just at the receiving end of the equation. In time, the Russians have also learned and innovated. So, you should really watch how these wars are fought. Open your eyes and see what are the changes, and ask 'Can that also be something that we have to face up to and if so, what can we do better?

MDES AS A STRATEGIC CAPABILITY FOR THE SAF

Our Military Domain Experts Scheme (MDES) is a strategic capability for the SAF. Senior Military Experts such as yourselves are trained to execute crucial roles that enable the SAF to continue to build decisive capabilities to defend Singapore.

MDES was introduced in 2010 to meet the SAFs growing need for deep expertise in key military domains, such as cybersecurity, Intelligence, engineering, and medical. Since then, the scheme has steadily contributed to the strengthening of the SAF.

The scheme has played an important role in attracting well-qualified professionals to the SAF. Amongst our graduands here today, we have ME4 Phoebe Ong Bee Ping, who pursued a double major programme in Southeast Asian Studies and Political Science. As a Senior Military Intelligence Expert in the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS), Phoebe works with cutting-edge technologies and leads her team to uncover threats to Singapores sovereignty and security. Another example is ME4 Tan Jing Hern. Jing Hern pursued a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering with a specialisation in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, and serves in our Navy as a Naval Warfare Systems Engineer. And we have ME4 Samuel Lim, who pursued a Bachelor of Engineering in Aircraft Systems Engineering, and he serves in the RSAF as an Air Force Engineer. Both Jing Hern and Samuel lead teams in keeping our state-of-the-art fighting systems primed and ready.  

MDES has also been able to attract talented mid-career professionals to join the SAF. Amongst our graduands today, we have ME4 Heng Zhiyang, who worked as an occupational therapist for five years before joining the Army as a Medical Military Expert. Having mid-career professionals like Zhiyang in our midst is an important step in bringing different perspectives and experiences into the SAF. This adds richness and rigour to our work, and allows us to better benchmark our capabilities against industry standards.  

The Scheme continues to progress and advance to ensure that we can continuously build the necessary competencies within the SAF to counter evolving hybrid security threats. In 2019, MINDEF introduced a new MDES vocation, called the Command, Control, Communications, and Computers Expert Vocation, or C4X in short, to anchor the SAFs cyber defence capabilities. More recently, the C4X vocation expanded to include a Digital track to further anchor Digital competencies within the SAF, including software engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, and cloud architecting.

ME4 Tan Jia Le, our C4X Sword-of-Honour recipient from the DIS, found his calling while serving as a Cyber Specialist during his National Service. Building upon his training and exposure as a Cyber Specialist, Jia Le went on to hone his craft and pursued higher education before returning to contribute to Singapores defence as a C4X and it is our hope that the Scheme will continue to strengthen the SAFs ability to attract the right talents to build a range of deep expertise across our Services.  

YOUR ROLE AS SENIOR MILITARY EXPERTS

Now to all our graduands, I wish to emphasise that your role as leaders of the SAF really begins here, and further expands and deepens from here. As leaders, you will be charged with the responsibility to lead men and women, who will look to you for direction and guidance, to carry out their duties well and effectively. You will be looked upon to lead your units to develop innovative capabilities to overcome the challenges of today and those of tomorrow, as threats evolve to undermine Singapore.  

So, lead them well. Stay humble and always uphold the core values of the SAF. Take care of your people by investing in their growth and development. Look after their welfare. Give them a Mission and a purpose to serve. The strength of the SAF comes from our collective commitment to defend our country,  to defend Singapore. The road ahead, I am sure, will be fraught with many tough challenges. But lead with courage and gumption, and you will overcome them. Embrace continuous learning and the spirit of innovation so that you will not stagnate, because our potential adversaries are not stagnating; we must keep ahead. It is hard work, but it is something that we entrust to you to do, so that you break new grounds for the SAF. And never forget why you serve, the duty you hold, and always strive to make meaningful contributions whichever role that you serve in.  

CONCLUSION

So once again, congratulations to our newly appointed Senior Military Experts. With the determination and effort that you have demonstrated in arriving at this significant milestone, I have every confidence that you will discharge your duties well and I wish you all the very best as you embark upon the next phase of your military journey and career.

Thank you very much and enjoy the rest of the evening.

More Resources

122 Appointed as Senior Military Experts