Celebrating 20 years of partnership

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) marked an important milestone as it celebrated the 20th anniversary of its longest-running overseas training detachment - the Peace Carvin (PC) II F16C/D detachment in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, on 11 Dec.
In a parade held at Luke Air Force Base, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen witnessed the unveiling of commemorative tail flashes of two F-16C/Ds by Singapore's Chief of Air Force Major-General (MG) Hoo Cher Mou, and Commander of US Pacific Air Forces General (GEN) Herbert Carlisle.



The occasion was also graced by Ms Heidi Grant, Deputy Under Secretary of the US Air Force, International Affairs. Also in attendance were Dr Lim Wee Kiat, Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs, and senior officers from the Singapore Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence. 
Addressing the RSAF and US Air Force (USAF) personnel in PC II and their families, Dr Ng noted: "Arizona offers the RSAF vast training airspace and excellent range facilities – and we have made full use of it. Over the past 20 years, the RSAF here has clocked over 50,000 flying hours."

The RSAF also benefitted from training with USAF pilots, many of whom have seen combat themselves. Detachment Commander of PC II, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Maxmillion Goh, said training with the USAF pilots has helped to sharpen their tactical skills.
He said: "When we train and employ those tactics, we know that they work because they are used by operators who have gone through combat. So that gave us tremendous confidence."

Through the years, the RSAF pilots have won much praise for their outstanding performance in training and for successfully completed numerous large-scale exercises such as Exercise Red Flag which involved more than 100 aircraft.

Commander of USAF's 425th Fighter Squadron LTC Kevin Cruikshank, who was responsible for the combat training of RSAF F-16C/D pilots, said: "We see a lot of young RSAF pilots... We do the same thing - day-to-day, training-wise with them - they are really good."

He added: "There is no question about the fact they are (combat-ready),"

The ground crew of PC II also proved to be highly proficient, having won Luke Air Force Base's Weapon Load Crew of the Year for three consecutive years. Their maintenance and inspection programme is regarded as one of the best in the air base. 

PC II Command Chief Military Expert 4 Chia Loy Ngee, who was part of the pioneer batch when PC II was set up in 1993, said the detachment has matured over the years and has become a popular unit for USAF ground crew for attachment under an exchange programme. 

The success of PC II laid the foundation for other RSAF detachments to be set up across the US, such as the Peace Vanguard AH-64 Apache, Peace Prairie CH-47 Chinook, and PC V F-15SG detachments.

Ms Grant commented that the PC II and PC V detachments have had a great impact on US-Singapore defence relations. 

"As RSAF service members rotate through the squadrons over the years, relationships are built between RSAF airmen and USAF airmen. Lifelong friendships are made...and those connections only serve to strengthen both services," she said.

Ms Grant had earlier observed RSAF airmen and the Army soldiers in the ongoing Exercise Forging Sabre held in Phoenix, and was impressed with their sense of duty. 

In closing, Dr Ng said: "20 years of partnership and excellence would not have been possible without the support and commitment of many here today. I wish to extend my deepest appreciation to the US Government and the USAF for allowing the RSAF to train in the US."

He also thanked the families of RSAF servicemen and women for their support and sacrifice.