Latest news with #SAF
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Mindef to set up new volunteer management unit to grow volunteer pool
SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Defence will start a new volunteer management unit to better coordinate opportunities for civilians who can contribute to the nation's defence. This is part of an effort to broaden and strengthen the ministry's volunteer ecosystem. Announcing this at the annual Mindef volunteers' dinner on July 24, Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said this comes as the ministry has to operate across an expanded spectrum of operational challenges today, with the difference between peace and war no longer as clear-cut. Remarking that the ministry now deals with 'many shades of grey' in between peace and war, he said it would thus need people with different skill sets to chime in across a range of operations, no matter their background or fitness level. In particular, the new unit would work with the various existing units within Mindef 'to make sure that we expand the opportunities for our people to contribute to the defence of this country', he said. 'The power of the SAF is not just about the men and women in uniform,' Mr Chan added. 'It is about how able we are to mobilise the whole of society to look at every aspect of our defence.' He also said the most powerful message that Singapore can tell any party with harmful intentions is this: 'When you deal with Singapore, you don't just deal with the SAF. You deal with the entire Singapore.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Live: People evacuated from border regions amid deadly Thailand-Cambodia clash Asia 11 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports Asia Deadly Thai-Cambodian dispute puts Asean's relevance on the line Singapore Singapore says prolonged suffering of civilians in Gaza is 'unconscionable' Singapore Khatib Camp to make way for housing, with its functions moving to Amoy Quee Camp Singapore First BTO flats in Greater Southern Waterfront, Mount Pleasant to go on sale in October Singapore Primary 1 registration: 29 schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2B Currently, volunteering opportunities with Mindef are largely limited to industry experts in areas such as training safety, medical advice, legal counsel, strategic communications, technology, sustainability and public outreach. They are routinely brought in to serve on 38 Mindef boards, committees and councils. More than 400 of them were honoured at the volunteers' dinner, held at Paradox Singapore Merchant Court Hotel. The dinner has been a yearly tradition since 1998 to thank volunteers for their contributions and support for Mindef and the Singapore Armed Forces. There were also non-expert volunteers in the midst, but they were few. They included Ms Gloria He, a 36-year-old senior strategic initiatives manager at fintech start-up StraitsX, who volunteers as a guide with the Defence Collective Singapore (DCS) under the Friends of the Singapore Discovery Centre (SDC) initiative. Ms Gloria He volunteers as a guide with the Defence Collective Singapore under the Friends of the Singapore Discovery Centre initiative. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO The SDC is one of the three museums managed by DCS, a Mindef-related organisation with a mission to champion Singapore's defence story through immersive galleries and engaging experiences. Mindef said the current volunteers' contributions have allowed the ministry to stay updated on industry best practices and organisational processes. The volunteers also serve as a link between Mindef and the public by promoting public awareness on defence and inspiring support for national service, it said. Present at the dinner was Associate Professor Mark Leong, a 64-year-old doctor who has served as chairman of the SAF Emergency Medicine Specialist Advisory Board since 2017. The board was convened to help shape a professional and responsive SAF medical ecosystem. Associate Professor Mark Leong has served as chairman of the SAF Emergency Medicine Specialist Advisory Board since 2017. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO Prof Leong, a senior consultant for emergency medicine at the Singapore General Hospital, said he found the volunteering work meaningful as the plans he is roped in to provide his professional opinion on are 'real, solid developments – not just drawer plans or good-to-have ideas'. One example is the SAF emergency ambulance service, which the SAF Medical Corps introduced in 2015 to allow the direct evacuation of serious casualties at training areas outside SAF camps to the nearest restructured hospital while they receive appropriate medical treatment en route. Prof Leong said the advisory board provided views during the conception phase on how the plan could be implemented and resourced, as well as how the SAF's paramedics could be trained to provide the service. These days, the Medical Corps taps the advisory board more for its views on forward-looking areas such as how to prevent injuries in soldiers, he said. The pool of Mindef volunteers is not necessarily all citizens. For one, Ms He, who helps with the SDC's Defence Through The Ages guided tour, is a Chinese national. She got involved in the work in late 2023, not long after she moved to Singapore three years ago for work. As a guide, Ms He shares stories of Singapore's defence history with various community groups, including beneficiaries like nursing homes. She said she sought the volunteering opportunity as she is interested in history, and used to volunteer with museums in other countries where she lived. This is her way of making a positive contribution to Singapore now that she lives here, she said, noting that she influenced her Canadian husband to start volunteering with DCS too. Foreigners like her do have a part to play, she stressed. 'It is good for the region that Singapore is stable, strong and sends a signal that it has the ability to defend itself. It is good for Asean, good for Asia and good for peace in general,' she said. 'We both work in business, so when there is peace, it is easy to grow business as well. It's kind of like a connected circle.'
Asia News Network
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Asia News Network
Indonesia, Singapore agree to enhance defence ties, including cyber
July 24, 2025 JAKARTA – Indonesia and Singapore have agreed to intensify defense cooperation by increasing joint exercises between their land, sea, air and cyber forces, among other measures, as the two neighbors grapple with navigating the current geopolitical landscape. The enhanced bilateral defense cooperation was agreed on Tuesday at the Defense Ministry in Central Jakarta, where Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Vice Adm. Aaron Beng, Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), met on the sidelines of the annual dialogue between the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the SAF. Following a stately ceremony to welcome the SAF chief, Sjafrie and Beng discussed practical methods of strengthening the two countries' security ties during their closed-door meeting. According to a statement from the Defense Ministry after the meeting, the agreement is expected to boost the two countries' defense capabilities and support regional security. 'The ministry is optimistic that military interaction between the two countries will only play a more significant role in the future and enhance human resources for both sides,' it said. Volatile geopolitical tensions and a rise in global conflicts in recent years have spooked Southeast Asian countries into bulking up their militaries. Among these efforts, Jakarta and Singapore agreed in 2022 to intensify their security partnership by finalizing the long-awaited defense cooperation agreement (DCA). Indonesia has struggled to modernize and improve its defense capabilities, including in digital space, and is now setting its sights on beefing up its cyber defense capacities with Singapore, which consistently ranks among the world's best in cybersecurity. 'We discussed opportunities in cyber defense,' Defense Ministry spokesperson Brig. Gen. Ferdinand Wenas Inkiriwang said on Tuesday, as quoted by Antara. In its statement, the ministry emphasized that the two neighbors remained steadfast in their commitment to regional stability as the highest priority, underlining the need for dialogue and cooperation to maintain peace and stability in Southeast Asia. Prior to his meeting with Sjafrie, Beng attended the 26th Indonesia-Singapore Combined Annual Report Meeting (CARM-INDOSIN), where the two countries' military leaders held talks on an upcoming strategic agenda and a performance evaluation, as well as enhanced collaboration for intelligence and interoperability. During the CARM-INDOSIN high-level committee session on Tuesday, Beng said the two countries must continue to intensify their cooperation while upholding mutual respect. 'This forum has strengthened our commitment to continue collaborating in building regional stability, as well as deepen the two countries' strategic understanding,' he said.
CBC
19 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Renewable energy megaproject on Eastern Shore prepares for environmental assessment
A proposed jet fuel megaproject on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore is inching forward, with the proponents saying they plan to submit for environmental assessment before the fall. The proposal is to produce sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, a lower-emission alternative to conventional jet fuel, and ship it by boat to distributors and airlines. The project would include two components in Guysborough County — a joint wind and solar farm in St. Mary's and a plant in the community of Goldboro. The plant would use the wind and solar energy, as well as wood chips, to power hydrogen production. The hydrogen, in turn, would power the production of SAF. Michael Galvin has been working on the idea for four years and said he's eager to make the project's first submission to the province. He expects the application for environmental assessment for the Goldboro plant will be made in early September. "It's really significant and it's also really significant for our investors to see that we have reached this milestone," he said in an interview. The project began with Irish firm Simply Blue Group, but changed hands this year. Galvin was chief operating officer at Simply Blue and moved, along with the project, to Octopus Energy Generation, which is now backing the project. A local entity, Nova Sustainable Fuels, was created to manage the project. Interest in sustainable aviation fuel has been growing in recent years, particularly in Europe where some governments have set mandates and created subsidies for its use. Galvin said that means the list of proposed SAF projects — and competitors — got very long. But he said that's begun to change. "A lot of the hype has started to die down. And now you're seeing the really serious players and really serious investors have now stepped forward, and I think you're seeing the strongest projects and the most likely projects to run to completion." Galvin said completion for his project is still at least five years away, assuming it receives all the necessary approvals and raises enough capital. He wouldn't put an exact number on it, but said the cost will be in the billions of dollars. "It's costing more than I wish it was going to cost. These are big numbers and big infrastructure projects," he said. This is not the only major industrial project proposed for Guysborough County. Other companies are eyeing the remote eastern corner of mainland Nova Scotia for wind farms to power hydrogen production, a commercial spaceport and a gold mine. Paul Long, warden of the District of the Municipality of Guysborough, said the local government is hungry for economic development. "We're a small, small municipality — there's only 4,500 people or so in the municipality," Long said in an interview. "So we can't rely just on the tax base, the residential tax base, to do the things we want to do and provide the services for our residents." Some past proposals for big industrial projects in the area have flopped, such as the LNG export facility that was abandoned two years ago. The company behind it sold its land and building permits to Simply Blue. Long said past failures have left some residents "leery," but he thinks generally people are open to new proposals. Nova Sustainable Fuels is hosting a community event this week to court community buy-in. Long said they already have council's support. He believes there's a unique window open now for new projects to get underway. He pointed to Premier Tim Houston's push for more resource development, and Prime Minister Mark Carney's focus on major projects. "Everything seems to be falling in line," said Long. It will be years before Galvin is ready to say whether everything has, in fact, fallen in line. He said he expects a final investment decision in 2027. He said groundbreaking would happen no sooner than 2028, which could lead to an operational plant in late 2030 or 2031.
Emirates 24/7
2 days ago
- Business
- Emirates 24/7
UAE's ‘Global Sustainable Aviation Marketplace' institutionalised as ICAO annual event
The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), during its 235th Session, has officially adopted the UAE's Global Sustainable Aviation Marketplace (GSAM) as an institutionalised annual event under ICAO's official calendar, marking a rare recognition for a state-initiated concept to evolve into a regular, internationally supported platform. First launched in Abu Dhabi in February 2025 on the sidelines of the ICAO Global Implementation Support Symposium (GISS), the GSAM initiative aims to accelerate sustainable practices in global aviation by bringing together stakeholders from across the ecosystem, including airlines, manufacturers, regulators and investors, to drive the adoption of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), low-carbon aviation fuels (LCAF), and climate finance solutions under the ICAO (Finvest Hub). ICAO's decision reflects the country's dedicated efforts to establish the event and secure its formal integration into the organisation's global calendar. It reflects the UAE's growing influence in shaping the future of sustainable aviation and its ability to deliver scalable, institutional solutions to global challenges. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), said, 'Thanks to the guidance of our wise leadership, the UAE continues to lead the civil aviation sector both regionally and internationally. This achievement reflects the UAE's prominent position on the global civil aviation map and reaffirms its excellence in developing future solutions and creating sustainable and innovative global initiatives that drive the growth and competitiveness of this vital sector while keeping pace with global development needs. "We have succeeded in transforming a national idea into a global institutional platform that supports ICAO's goals and contributes to building a more efficient and resilient aviation ecosystem, in line with the world's best practices.' Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the GCAA, stated, 'We are proud that the GSAM initiative, once a national vision, is now a formal ICAO-backed global event. This milestone is a testament to the UAE's strategic focus on sustainability and our belief in inclusive, multilateral collaboration to drive progress." The ICAO Council members praised the UAE's leadership and vision, noting the UAE has a forward-looking vision in taking decisive steps towards achieving sustainability and promoting innovation, presenting a model for the world in how to turn vision into tangible reality. The initiative was proposed by the UAE in 2024 through its permanent mission to ICAO, with a clear goal: to establish a global marketplace that connects policy, technology, and finance to support aviation's transition to net-zero emissions. The idea quickly gained traction and was brought to life by a coordinated effort between the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, the UAE Permanent Mission team in Montreal, and various local and international partners. Preparations are now underway for the second edition of GSAM, and the event is expected to attract a wide range of global participants and serve as a practical forum for advancing ICAO's Long-Term Aspirational Goal (LTAG) of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Business Wire
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
ATOBA Energy and Air Moana Forge Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Sustainable Aviation Fuel Deployment in French Polynesia
LYON, France & PAPEETE, French Polynesia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ATOBA Energy and Air Moana have signed an agreement to implement scalable solutions for the supply of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). This strategic collaboration aims to ensure long-term SAF availability while supporting local initiatives to develop sustainable fuel production in Tahiti. "ATOBA is an ideal partner for Air Moana thanks to its deep industry knowledge and technology-neutral sourcing solutions, well suited to remote regions like ours" said Lionel GUERIN, CEO of Air Moana Share It marks a major step forward in the decarbonization of aviation in the Pacific region. As part of this agreement, ATOBA Energy will work with Air Moana to build a resilient and competitive SAF supply chain, aligned with Air Moana's progressive sustainability goals from 2026 to 2035. The strategy will combine the 'book and claim' method (certificate-based) with physical SAF deliveries. The partnership also includes the ambition to support French Polynesia's SAF roadmap, with ATOBA bringing its expertise in SAF production technologies, market analysis, and implementation strategies. 'We are very proud to collaborate with Air Moana, as this partnership reflects the core of ATOBA's mission: to be a flexible, pragmatic, and customer-focused SAF provider,' said Arnaud NAMER, CEO of ATOBA Energy. 'Providing a hybrid approach of certificates and physical deliveries allows us to meet the needs of airlines while developing the SAF value chain. This is our first step in rolling out our ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region.' Air Moana has expressed its intention to enter into a 10-year SAF offtake agreement to progressively increase its supply of sustainable fuel between 2026 and 2035, with decarbonization targets aligned with the European SAF mandate. 'We are proud to partner with ATOBA to bring cleaner skies to French Polynesia,' said Lionel GUERIN, CEO of Air Moana. 'This Memorandum of Understanding reflects our long-term vision and our commitment to leading the sustainable transition of aviation in the Pacific. ATOBA is an ideal partner for Air Moana thanks to its deep industry knowledge and technology-neutral sourcing solutions, well suited to remote regions like ours. We are proud to be both the first ATR operator and the first Pacific-based airline to launch such a project.' About ATOBA Energy ATOBA is an intermediary aggregator of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that aims to accelerate the energy transition in the aviation sector by resolving the financial dilemma between airlines and producers. ATOBA offers long-term SAF contracts at optimized prices to airlines and fuel resellers. The company guarantees security and competitiveness to its partners through diversified supply sources and high-level expertise. ATOBA's aggregation strategy also helps develop the SAF industry by providing producers with long-term purchase agreements that support their final investment decisions for production plants. About Air Moana – Te mana no te ma'iti (The power to choose) Air Moana, a regional airline based in French Polynesia, began operations in February 2023 and currently operates three ATR 72-600 aircraft. Air Moana's mission is to make the Polynesian skies accessible to as many people as possible while offering a unique travel experience. Air Moana aims to become a key player in inter-island mobility while respecting the environmental balance of French Polynesia. Air Moana serves the islands of Bora Bora, Huahine, Raiatea, Moorea, Rangiroa, Fakarava, as well as the Marquesas Islands of Nuku Hiva and Hiva Oa from Tahiti. Air Moana is a family of over 240 passionate and dedicated people, united by the desire to provide the best possible experience. Our commitment goes beyond flying. Through our CSR policy, we aim to enrich the community, reduce our environmental footprint, support the local economy, and promote our territory and its people, playing a key role in the development of French Polynesia's future. We look forward to welcoming you on board!
