Chief of Defence Force,
Senior Commanders,
Graduates of the 17th SAF Senior Military Expert Course,
Families, loved ones,

A very good evening. It gives me great pleasure to join you today, a proud moment for our graduates of the 17th Senior Military Expert Course as they mark a key milestone in their military career. 

To all the family members and loved ones joining us here today, a very big thank you to all of you, can we give the family members a big round of applause. Indeed, you have been a pillar of strength and support to our graduates, as they focused on developing themselves professionally, in service of our nation. 

To the 95 of you who are appointed as Senior Military Experts, my heartiest congratulations to each and every one of you. Your deep domain expertise is invaluable to ensure the SAF remains at the fore-front of domains such as medicine, engineering and intelligence. Having completed the rigorous training of the Senior Military Expert Course, we now entrust you with the solemn responsibilities of leading your men and women to maintain the SAF's cutting-edge capabilities, and to achieve mission success for MINDEF and the SAF.

Evolving Security Threats

The security landscape in the world continues to evolve and grow in complexity from year to year, and we must be prepared to face these new challenges as well as those emerging challenges. Terrorism remains a threat to Singapore, as well as to many other countries worldwide. Earlier this year, the horrific attacks by a lone-wolf extremist at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand killed at least 50 people and injured dozens more. More recently, terrorists also orchestrated a series of bombings in Sri Lanka, targeting Christians attending church services and tourists staying in luxury hotels. The attacks were massive in scale, killing more than 200 people and injuring at least 500. These senseless attacks of indiscriminate violence remind us of the importance of preventing such extremism from ever taking root in Singapore. 

The SAF has an important role to play, working closely with the Home Team, in this fight against terrorism. The SAF remains vigilant round-the-clock to guard our borders, shores and skies and protect our key installations. Our military expert corps, working hand in hand with our Officers and Warrant Officers, have been integral to this effort. Be it the engineer who ensures the readiness of our advanced weapon systems and platforms, or the intelligence expert who keeps a watchful eye on the information battlespace, our MEs have been key to keeping us one step ahead of those who would do us harm.

Increasingly, we are also vulnerable to cyber security threats that pay no respect whatsoever to physical state boundaries. In Singapore, cyber-attacks can threaten us across all sectors, be it defence, public services, education or finance. As we become increasingly digitalised as a society, these threats will become even more acute. The SAF recognises the importance of strengthening our cyber defence capabilities and inaugurated the SAF Command, Control, Communications and Computers Command, otherwise known as the C4 Command, in 2017. C4 Command gives us confidence that we can more effectively conduct cyber defence operations and more systematically grow our capabilities in this area. MEs form the bulk of its ranks, helping to safeguard Singapore's digital borders, and ensuring that the SAF can deter and respond against cyber threats.

Value-Proposition of MDES 

The Military Domain Experts Scheme, or MDES for short, was started in 2010, so that the SAF can develop deep specialisations in critical domains such as engineering, cyber security and intelligence. This scheme is unique to Singapore, and we are thankful for it. Without this scheme, and without the deep technical expertise built up since 2010, we would have had a more difficult time trying to ride the wave of the 4th Industrial Revolution, and stay at the leading edge of technology. 

The many professional and personal enrichment opportunities provided under the MDES have made this a hugely rewarding journey for many of our MEs, including those who are here this evening. Take for example ME4 Chia Wen Bao, Jerich. As an Operational Specialist in 200 squadron, he was responsible for optimising the RSAF’s advanced sensors, and ensuring high network reliability to achieve mission success in Air Defence. Now appointed as a Senior Air Operations and Systems Expert, Jerich will lead others to build upon and enhance these capabilities so that we can continue to secure our skies. I am pleased to note that not only has Jerich progressed professionally in his military career, he has also made full use of opportunities to further upgrade himself. In fact, Jerich graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) this year with a degree in Computer Engineering under the MDES Study Award. Excellent work, Jerich! Congratulations!

We also have ME4 Muhammad Imran Bin Ismail who has always been passionate about joining the military. With his positive attitude and outstanding performance, Imran was awarded the Golden Bayonet as the top combat engineer specialist cadet for his cohort during his National Service. As a Naval Warfare System Engineer, Imran had the opportunity to pursue his interest in engineering and apply his skills as he worked with the Senior MEs to explore the 3D-printing of components onboard the Specialised Marine Craft. Such innovation efforts can potentially reduce the SAF's reliance on commercial suppliers and reduce the turnaround time for maintenance. I am sure Imran will continue to push the frontiers of technology for the Navy.

The MDES scheme also provides an opportunity for mid-career individuals from other sectors to join the SAF in an operational capacity. These individuals bring with them diverse experiences and fresh perspectives that can only add to the strength and depth of the SAF's human resource pool. For example, ME4 Emily Pwee joined the ME community as a Military Intelligence Expert. She was previously an immigration officer with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA). Having been positively influenced by her two brothers' National Service experiences, she decided to join the SAF's intelligence community, where she can continue to put to good use the strong analytical skills she honed while she was in ICA.

Conclusion

This year, we commemorate our Bicentennial. It is a time of reflection and ask ourselves what makes us Singaporean and how we can chart our future together. Throughout our 700 year history, three DNA traits have characterised us as a people – our multiculturalism, our openness and our self determination. A key lesson is that our destiny is in our hands and we have to be prepared to defend ourselves and what we believe in as others will not do it for us. A strong SAF has and will continue to give us the security and defend our sovereignty.  

To graduates this evening, as Senior Military Experts in the SAF you will be expected to not just be masters of your respective fields, but also be leaders, charged with the responsibility of inspiring and motivating those who serve with and under you. We have full confidence that you will live up to the task. So let the core values of the SAF guide you as you do your utmost to carry out your duties. 

Once again, my heartiest congratulations to the graduates of 17th Senior ME course. All the best in your future endeavours, and I look forward to your contributions to the SAF.

Thank you, congratulations and have a pleasant evening.