758 Graduate as SAF Specialists

Graduands from the Specialist and Warrant Officer Institute saluting the Officiating Officer, Commander, 9th Division / Chief Infantry Officer, Brigadier-General Chua Jin Kiat for the Army’s 45/20 Specialist Graduation Cadet Parade (SCGP) held at Pasir Laba Camp this afternoon.

A total of 758 cadets comprising 635 from the Singapore Army, 39 from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), 77 from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), and seven from Joint will graduate as Specialists of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) on 3 December 2020.

The cadets will receive their bayonets at decentralised smaller-scale indoor parades held at their respective vocational Training Institutes from 25 November to 3 December 2020, in recognition of this significant milestone in the cadets' journey as new commanders in the SAF. Parades will be live streamed on the Specialist Cadet School Facebook Page so that the graduands' families and friends can also participate in the proceedings. The cadets were also allowed to bring home their ceremonial uniforms to capture the symbolic graduation photo where their family members and loved ones affixed their new ranks on them.

Addressing the graduands in a recorded video message as the Reviewing Officer of the proceedings, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Communications and Information Ms Sim Ann lauded the commitment and contributions of the men and women of the SAF and the wider defence community in the fight against COVID-19. She said, "The SAF, together with the wider defence community, has stood shoulder to shoulder with the rest of government and society, to fight COVID-19. You have leaned forward and provided your expertise, resources, and know-how to help Singapore combat and control this threat. Many of you have worked tirelessly, and gone over and above the call of duty… And you have done so even as the SAF continues to be focused on its foremost mission to defend Singapore and protect our borders, whether on land, in the air, at sea, or in cyber space."

Ms Sim highlighted the importance of ensuring the well-being and safety of every serviceman and woman as they train to keep Singapore safe, and expressed her confidence in the SAF's COVID-19 safety measures. She said, "The comprehensive safety measures and virus testing regimes put in place during your Specialist Cadet Course, and the various innovative adaptations to the training programme, give me the confidence that the SAF will continue to discharge its mission well, while keeping our servicemen and women safe."

Ms Sim also congratulated the graduands on completing their training to join the Specialist Corps, and reminded the graduands on the need to always be ready and prepared for the unexpected as they embarked on their new leadership journey. "Many of the challenges that you will face in our future environment will be wicked problems with no easy solutions. Often, information will be imperfect. And yet you will not have the luxury of time to wait for the situation to clear up before making a decision to act. So as leaders in this new environment, the most important attribute is to be able to adapt and respond to change, to think out of the box, and to be prepared to make decisions based on imperfect information, monitor the execution and adjust the plans when necessary," said Ms Sim.

The graduands from the Singapore Army, the RSN, the RSAF and Joint have completed the Specialist Cadet Course, where they trained under rigorous and realistic conditions to develop leadership and combat skills, and to deepen their respective vocational expertise.

Senior Minister of State for National Development and Communications & Information Ms Sim Ann (on-screen) delivering her speech in a recorded video to the specialist cadets of the Navy Military Expert Institute during the 45/20 SCGP held at Changi Naval Base this afternoon.

Commander Naval Military Expert Institute, ME7 Koh Cheok Wei (right) presenting the Golden Bayonet to Specialist Cadet (SCT) Michael Lee from the Republic of Singapore Navy.

SCT Devin Nair (centre) having his rank affixed in the presence of his mother (left) and father at home.

SCT Muhammad Adli (centre) during his in-camp training.

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Speech by Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information and Ministry of National Development, Ms Sim Ann, at the 45/20 Specialist Cadet Graduation Parade