Fact Sheet: IGNITE Innovation Symposium 2025 Award Winners

The Minister for Defence Award (MDA) is the pinnacle award that recognises MINDEF/SAF units or departments for their outstanding achievements in the areas of Innovation, Organisational Performance Excellence, Staff Well-being, and Future Workplace Experience.

Participation Command from the RSAF and Armour from the Singapore Army are awarded the MDA (Combat Category) at the Division and Unit Level respectively. CSSCOM and MES from the Singapore Army are awarded the MDA (Non-Combat Category) at the Division and Unit level respectively.

1. Participation Command (PC), RSAF, MDA Winner – Combat Category (Division/ Command/ Formation Level).

   • PC’s innovation strategy to Lead, Educate, Accelerate and Promote (L.E.A.P) yielded savings of over 5,000 manhours and over S$1.4M in 2024. Their technological integration is particularly noteworthy, with the successful implementation of digital solutions to facilitate real-time airspace management and alleviate duty planning challenges while maintaining a balanced focus on operational excellence and staff welfare through regular engagement activities. PC showcased a matured innovation ecosystem that effectively leverages cross-command collaboration and ground-up innovation, creating a culture of continuous improvement.

2. Armour, Army, MDA Winner – Combat Category (Unit/ Squadron/ Group Level).

   • Armour demonstrated exceptional strength in three core areas: innovation culture, people development, and digital transformation. Their systematic innovation framework and Innovation-as-a-Service (IaaS) initiative has generated over 40 ideas across two years. Their digital transformation journey is particularly impressive, being the first in the SAF to implement fully digitalised fighting platforms. The formation's resource optimisation efforts have yielded significant cost savings, including S$4.8M annually through strategic vehicle basing in Germany.

3. CSSCOM, Army, MDA Winner – Non-Combat Category (Division/ Command/ Formation Level).

   • CSSCOM presented its innovation strategy through the "SCALE" strategy (Safe Smart Strong CSS, CSS 2040, Ambidextrous CSS, Leaders of our Field, and Energised CSS Community). The command's success is evidenced by significant achievements in digital transformation, including the MOBIUS transport management system and Smart Store System (S3). Their strong industry partnerships and learning ecosystem have enabled effective knowledge transfer and capability building. Notable is their systematic approach to sustainability, resulting in substantial cost savings and reduced environmental impact. The division's balanced focus on technological advancement while maintaining strong emphasis on people development through professional accreditation and upskilling showcases a matured innovation ecosystem.

4. MES, Army, MDA Winner – Non-Combat Category (Unit/ Squadron/ Group Level).

   • MES presented their innovation strategy through their "Engine of Excellence" framework, which drives exploration, capitalisation, value creation, and continuous improvement. Their partnerships with IHLs and industry leaders have yielded significant technological advancements, particularly in additive manufacturing and sustainable energy solutions. The formation excels in resource optimisation, achieving cost savings and an estimated increase of organisational efficiency by up to 90% in time through various innovations. Their commitment to professional development is exemplified by the Army Engineering Professional Pathway (AEPP) and strategic collaborations with institutions like SIT for continuous education and training.

MINDEF Exemplary Innovator Award

Aligned with the Public Sector Transformation's Exemplary Innovator Award, the MINDEF Exemplary Innovator Award recognises individuals who have injected innovation into their work, made a real difference to improve physical and virtual workplace environments, and advocated the spirit of innovation in their teams and in MINDEF/SAF. This year, 47 outstanding individuals and teams received this award while another 17 were commended. Notable projects included:

1. Realisation of Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Support to RSN, Digital and Intelligence Service.

   • This cross-service collaboration between Navy and DIS resulted in a streamlined workflow that provides potential applications in various maritime and humanitarian missions. Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), a climate and land cover study tool for military operations, overcomes previous limitations in area coverage, cost, and latency, revolutionising naval operations. By leveraging on existing technologies, this project innovatively exemplifies cost-effective solutions to operational challenges.

2. ME4 Teo Si Cheng, Lead Engineer (Underwater Systems) Systems Readiness Engineering Centre (Weapons), Navy.

   • As a young engineer, ME4 Teo showcased his drive for improvement in projects such as the Modified Towed Array Drum that incorporated rubber padding, reducing manpower requirements for its operations by half, while improving the structural integrity of the drum. He also drives innovation culture as the secretary for RSN’s IGNITE Symposium in 2024 and leads the Force Readiness Squadron Innovation Publicity Team.

MINDEF Dare to Do Award (MD2D)

Aligned with the Public Sector Transformation's Dare to Do Award, the MD2D recognises teams/individuals for their spirit in risk-taking and perseverance such as in identifying new opportunities to do things better, having the courage to attempt new ways of doing things, and persevering even when they faced difficulties. This year, 48 outstanding individuals and teams received this award and another 16 were commended. Notable projects include:

1. Automatic Air-to-Air (A3R) Refueling, Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) Team, RSAF and Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA).

   • The MRTT Team took the leap to collaborate with a leading industry partner (Airbus) to advance the development of the world's first operational Automatic Air-to-Air (A3R) refuelling system, making a revolution in military aviation aerial refuelling.

   • This innovation harnesses Computer Vision technology with real-time boom control in dynamic flight conditions to automate a manual and tedious process. The journey was not all smooth-sailing and numerous challenges were encountered, e.g. complex aerodynamic challenges, particularly with asymmetric aircraft configurations. However, with the strong team spirit and the relentless effort put in, these were overcome and today, the A3R is successfully deployed by the RSAF.

2. Medical Assessment Criteria (MAC), Digital & Corporate Transformation Division (DCTD), MINDEF.

   • Medical Classification Centre collaborated with the Data Science & Strategy Department to improve processes in analysis and assessment of medical data. The data driven strategy utilised (i) data engineering and statistical analysis; (ii) systematic data collection protocols which unified datasets and referral data from multiple hospital systems; and (iii) regular expression models which helped data analysis of complex medical text such as medical terminology and abbreviation. The analysis framework was also adjusted to be scalable, such that it can accommodate additional data. This value-based care initiative reduced enlistment delays and achieved an estimated annual cost savings of over S$1.9M and time savings of 9,600 and 3,600 man-hours for pre-enlistees and public healthcare institutions, respectively.

More Resources

Speech by Minister for Defence, Mr Chan Chun Sing, at the IGNITE Innovation Symposium on 30 Jul 2025 at the Ministry of Defence Auditorium

Innovation is Vital for Maintaining MINDEF/SAF’s Capabilities and Future Readiness