SAF ‘constantly re-examining operations' to deal with new threats: Chan Chun Sing

Straits Times

7 days ago

(From left) Minister of State for Defence Desmond Choo, Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamed and Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing meeting ADF troopers at Nee Soon Camp on May 27. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
SINGAPORE – As sirens rang, uniformed personnel sprinted across the lawns of Sembawang Country Club's golf course to a staging area, where two Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Apache AH-64D attack helicopters were scrambled to deal with a simulated threat.
Within minutes, the helicopters also known as Apache Longbows were in the air.
The operation, part of an ongoing drill known as Exercise Rover run by the RSAF's Air Power Generation Command, was witnessed on May 27 by new Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing.
Also present were Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamed, newly-appointed Minister of State for Defence Desmond Choo, as well as Chief of Defence Force Aaron Beng and permanent secretaries for defence Chan Heng Kee and Melvyn Ong.
The visit with the RSAF was one segment of Mr Chan's 'reacquainting' with the SAF on May 27, as Singapore's new defence minister also visited units involved in counter-terrorism operations in the Army, Navy and the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) and witnessed their training.
At Nee Soon camp, Mr Chan spoke to troops from the Army Deployment Force (ADF), a 'high readiness' unit equipped with niche skills and capabilities to carry out a diverse range of operations, including responses to homeland security threats and disaster relief.
Soldiers from the Army Deployment Force (ADF), a 'high readiness' unit equipped with niche skills and capabilities to carry out a diverse range of operations, including responses to homeland security threats and disaster relief.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
He also observed the unit, all of whom are regulars, mounting equipment into armoured Peacekeeper Protected Response Vehicles as part of routine training.
Before that, he observed the RSN's Maritime Security Task Force neutralising a simulated terrorist attack from the sea.
He also visited the DIS's Joint Intelligence Command (JIC), where he received a briefing on its intelligence support for counter-terrorism operations.
There, he interacted with personnel there who conduct round-the-clock intelligence monitoring.
The DIS is the SAF's newest service and was inaugurated in October 2022, serving as its front-line force in the digital domain to detect, mitigate and repel potential aggressors.
Two Republic of Singapore Air Force Apache AH-64D attack helicopters in action during Exercise Rover at Sembawang Country Club on May 27.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Speaking to reporters following his visits, Mr Chan, a former army chief, said he was happy to see how the SAF has progressed over the years, and that it was not resting on its laurels.
Instead, the SAF knows that its role is not just about today's operations but also about planning forward.
Noting that armed forces capabilities often take years to go from conceptualisation to becoming operational, Mr Chan said what he saw gave him confidence that the SAF will be able to deal with emerging threats.
'Many of the things that I saw this morning – some of them were capabilities that we were talking about many years ago, and today it's a joy to see them be operationalised,' he said.
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