Speeches
Speech by Senior Minister of State for Defence, Mr Zaqy Mohamad, at the 29th SAF Senior Military Expert Appointment Ceremony on 29 Jul 2025
29 July 2025
Introduction
A very good evening to Chief of Defence Force, Vice Admiral Aaron Beng, senior commanders, graduands of the 29th SAF Senior Military Expert Course, ladies and gentlemen. Let me express my heartiest congratulations to all 202 newly appointed Senior Military Experts from the 29th SAF Senior Military Expert Course.
This year marks the largest cohort to be appointed since the inauguration of the Military Domain Experts Scheme in 2010. To achieve this milestone, let us not forget the dedication of your commanders, instructors and peers, as well as the strong support from your families and loved ones through this journey.
The Continued Need for Deep Domain Expertise in an Increasingly Uncertain Environment
Today, the rules-based international order, which formed the bedrock of peace and security, is increasingly being challenged by greater powers, with some believing that might is right. Just recently, our ministers announced that Singapore was actively dealing with an ongoing cyberattack by an advanced and persistent threat actor UNC3886 targeting our critical information infrastructure. If successful, such attacks could cause major disruptions to our daily lives because these threats are present and real. We must continue to be vigilant and build on our capabilities which can allow us to contribute to the detection and response to such threats. The SAF must always stand firm to deter any aggressor and achieve a Swift and Decisive victory if necessary.
Adding to the complexity of the current security climate is the growth of asymmetric warfare. A recent example is the weaponisation of small Commercial-off-the-Shelf Unmanned Aerial Systems or “COTS UAS”. These “COTS UAS”, some of you may know them as drones, yield devasting outcomes at minimal cost. In June this year, Ukraine conducted “Operation Spider’s Web” using just 100 small, CLASS I UAS drones that were launched from within Russian’s borders through disguised cargo trucks that destroyed over 40 Strategic Bombers. According to online reports, the cost of each drone was estimated at $2,000 dollars but the total cost in damages lost by the Russians was estimated at $7 billion dollars. The rise of asymmetric warfare is re-writing the defence playbook. Our responses to asymmetric threats must not only be robust, but also modular and nimble.
Hardware and Heart-ware – Our People
The Innovative Spirit is a Strategic Lever for the SAF, and your individual perspectives and unique backgrounds will help to drive this important strength of the SAF. Our people are at the Heart of everything we do, and today, I will be sharing some of the impressive feats from our graduands.
Firstly, ME4A Jessica Ho, a Military Medical Expert from the Army. Jessica joined the SAF as a Defence Executive Officer after working for four years as a nurse in Singapore General Hospital (SGH). She decided to become a Military Medical Expert to find new and exciting challenges to motivate her and to find areas that she could contribute meaningfully in with her previous skills she learnt as a nurse. ME4A Jessica has done well and today is one of the Sword of Honour recipients for the 29th SAF Senior Military Expert Course.
Another graduand with us today is ME3 Victor Lee Roberts, an Army Ammunition Engineer who has served in the SAF for 31 years. Despite all his experience, he has decided to upgrade himself by taking up a part-time degree in Infrastructure and Systems Engineering. ME3 Roberts hopes to apply his newfound knowledge to help his formation become better integrated through engineering and to stay relevant in the decades to come.
The SAF also acknowledged the threats within the digital domain and in October 2022 we created our fourth service, the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS). The DIS has been actively engaged ever since, working with Whole-of-Government agencies to deal with sophisticated and unseen threats in the digital. The recent inauguration of the Defence Cyber Command and the SAF C4 and Digitalisation Command in March 2025 will further sharpen our edge against aggressors in the cyber domain. Graduands, your efforts are crucial in defending Singapore and our critical infrastructure. One of the graduands here today who will be embarking on his journey in the DIS is ME4A Ling Zhi Peng, a mid-careerist with over 16 years of experience in the renewable energy and semiconductor sectors. Zhi Peng also holds PhD and bachelor’s degrees in electrical and computer engineering and strongly believes in continuous learning by upgrading himself through SkillsFuture.
We also have ME4A Nor Amsyar from the Singapore Army. He was fascinated from a young age on how engineering could make a positive impact to society. His aspiration towards becoming a leader and serving the nation, combined with his passion in engineering, led him to find his calling as an Army Engineer. Amsyar looks forward to contributing and learning more about Green Energy and a future role in power and energy management in the Singapore Army’s Land Technical Engineering Group.
I applaud Jessica, Roberts, Zhi Peng and Amsyar’s determination and passion for life-long learning and I look forward to their future contributions to the SAF, as well as every one of you here who have graduated from and done well in this course.
Today we also have 11 graduates who are part of the Enhanced Expertise Deployment Scheme or “EEDS”. Started in 2022, EEDS allows the SAF to redeploy NSmen with relevant civilian expertise to areas of operational needs. ME4A(NS) Chong Zu’an, a Veterinarian Doctor, is part of this scheme. ME4A(NS) Chong served as a Section Instructor in BMTC but disrupted service to pursue a bachelor’s in Veterinary Medicine. Upon completion of his studies, he was placed onto the EEDS in 2022 and now contributes his medical expertise to the SAF’s Military Working Dog Unit, bridging the gap between civilian veterinary expertise and military operational requirements.
EEDS together with our mid-careerists help to bring in industry expertise and unique perspectives for the SAF to grow from strength-to-strength.
Senior Military Experts – Our Future Leaders
As you embark on your journey as a Senior Military expert, you will also be entrusted with the authority to lead the next generation of military experts. Those under your charge will look to you for guidance and direction, so lead with conviction, lead with inspiration, backed up with strong and deep expertise in your domain. It is a tall responsibility and one that calls for you to step up to the mantle with tenacity.
Conclusion
This year, Singapore celebrates SG60. There is no coincidence that we commemorate 60 years of Singapore’s independence with the SAF’s 60th anniversary in the same year. Singapore is 60 and the SAF is also 60. There is an interdependency between Singapore’s success and the SAF’s success. Without a strong and credible defence force, the sovereignty of our nation cannot be guaranteed, and without the unwavering support and trust of the public there cannot be a strong SAF.
We stand tall on the shoulders of our pioneers and predecessors who worked tirelessly to bring the SAF to where it is today. It is now your turn to contribute and continue this journey and further strengthen the contributions of the MDES vocation.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to your families and loved ones of our graduands. Your strong support enables our servicemen and servicewomen to focus on the mission and do their best. So, please join me in expressing our appreciation to all our loved ones and families.
Once again, congratulations to all graduands of the 29th Senior Military Expert Course.
Thank you and have a wonderful evening ahead.
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