Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry Dr Tan Wu Meng reviewed the 40th Specialist Cadet Graduation Parade at Pasir Laba Camp this evening. A total of 1,087 cadets comprising 896 from the Singapore Army, 81 from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), 54 from the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and for the first time, 56 from the pioneer cohort of the Cyber Full-time National Serviceman (NSF) Scheme graduated as Specialists of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

Addressing all the graduands, Dr Tan said that National Service is the foundation of the SAF, and reminded them of their responsibilities as leaders in the SAF. "As you embark on your journey as leaders, the responsibility of building up the heartware of the SAF now rests upon your shoulders. Always lead by example and always have heart and empathy for the men and women under your charge… Train your soldiers to achieve high standards of operational readiness while keeping in mind that safety is a top priority. You have a duty to uphold the core values of the SAF and to engage and inspire all under your charge. The journey ahead of you may not always be smooth, but I am confident that no matter what adversity you may face, you will overcome it through teamwork and learning from those who have come before you.", he said.

Highlighting cyber security as a national imperative, Dr Tan reiterated the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the SAF's commitment to strengthen capabilities in this domain by harnessing cyber talents from the NSF pool. He said, "As there are new threats and these threats grow both in number and complexity, the SAF must continue to adapt, innovate, and remain vigilant and steadfast, so that Singapore can maintain our peace and prosperity. Last year, MINDEF and the SAF made the decisive move to tap on cyber talents from the full-time National Servicemen (NSF) pool by setting up the Cyber NSF Scheme. This scheme allows our Cyber Specialists to develop skills and expertise and deploys them to the frontlines to defend Singapore against cyber threats. I am proud to announce that the first cohort of Cyber Specialists cadets is graduating today. As the pioneer batch of Cyber Specialists, you will lead the way in building up our Cyber Defence capabilities, laying a strong foundation for the digital defence of our nation."

The graduation parade marked the completion of the 22-week Specialist Cadet Course for graduands from the Singapore Army, the RSN and the RSAF, where they trained under rigorous and realistic conditions to develop leadership and combat skills, and deepen their respective vocational expertise. Graduands from the Cyber NSF Scheme underwent a 35-week long Cyber Specialist Cadet Course at the SAF Cyber Defence School and the Singapore Institute of Technology to prepare them for technically demanding cybersecurity jobs within MINDEF and the SAF. Present at the parade were families and friends of the graduands as well as senior MINDEF and SAF officers.