The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will be deploying another Task Group to the Gulf of Aden from March to June next year.
Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen announced this at the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College (GKS CSC) Combined 44th Command and Staff Course (CSC), 14th CSC (National Service) and 2nd CSC (Executive) Graduation Ceremony held at the Istana on 24 Oct.
Comprising a frigate and a naval helicopter, the deployment will be the fifth since 2009. The SAF has been actively involved in counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden, under the ambit of the multi-national Combined Task Force 151.
To date, the SAF has deployed four ships and over 1,200 personnel to the Gulf.
For Major (MAJ) Anna Teo, who was involved in Operation Blue Sapphire in the Gulf of Aden from 2010 to 2012, the deployment was a milestone in her 11-year career with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).
The 35-year-old naval officer said: "The deployment gave us a lot of exposure as we got to learn from the coalition forces... It also allowed us to test our capabilities and enabled us to tune our psyche to the Operating Theatre, and train in real-time operations."
Dr Ng presented graduation certificates to MAJ Teo, and 208 other Officers and Military Experts at the ceremony.
Addressing the graduands, Dr Ng urged the officers to help their units and men under their command to understand the world better, so that they can make important contributions when called upon to maintain peace and security.
He noted that, with the College's partnership with the Singapore Workforce Development Agency, graduands now also receive the Graduate Diploma in Organisational Leadership, under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications framework. The graduate diploma qualification is benchmarked against corporate leadership capabilities that lead to Chief Executive Officer and Divisional Director levels.
Dr Ng said: "This is a good initiative to ensure that competencies developed in military officers are also relevant and valued in the public and private sectors."
Top Air Force graduand of the CSC, Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Teo Soo Yeow, noted that the accreditation of the diploma spoke volumes of the curriculum of the course.
He added: "It's heartening to know that, whatever you learn and the competency you develop from the course, is recognised outside of MINDEF. It is a confirmation of the quality of training received and professional development gained from the course."
For Major (MAJ) (NS) Roysten Lee, who topped the CSC (NS), strong support from his employer and his family were crucial factors in allowing him to ace his course. For instance, his employer made arrangements for someone to take over his duties whenever he had course commitments.
The Associate Director for Crisis Management Planning at Marina Bay Sands is also extremely supportive in helping his employees fulfil their NS obligations: "I've always implemented handover lists as a standard operating procedure for those who need to go for NS.
"What this means to us is that the organisation does not lose its efficiency or effectiveness while these people are away. What this also means is that those who go for their ICT (In-Camp Training) can fully focus on what they need to do."
This year’s graduands consist of 149 SAF regulars, 45 SAF National Service (NS) officers, one Singapore Police Force officer and 14 international officers from 12 different countries.
MAJ Anton Bimo Risandy from the Indonesian Air Force, who attended the 10-month CSC, noted that the course was a great platform for him to understand the challenges in the military environment and international relations.
He added: "In the military aspect, the SAF soldiers are very professional, and we try to learn from each other as much as possible. Personally, I feel that the SAF officers have been very hospitable and helped me in every way possible to adapt to life here, especially since English is not my first language."
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