THE LONG VIEW Corps
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Much has been said about the transformation of planes – Hawker Hunters – which we bought the SAF from 1st Gen to 2nd Gen and then 3rd over from the British. We also bought second- Gen. At what part of the journey was your tenure hand air defence equipment from the British. We as Chief of Defence Force (CDF)? also started National Service (NS). There was no way, given our population size, to build a standing LG (Ret) WINSTON CHOO (Director General army of professional soldiers. Our challenge was Staff 1974 – 1976, Chief of General Staff 1976 to bring in national servicemen, motivate them – 1990, CDF 1990 – 1992): I was “minus 1G”. I and win over the parents, and to imbue them with wasn’t the first head of the SAF; there were three the importance of defending Singapore. people before me. First was Tan Teck Khim, To build up the SAF, we tapped on the Israelis a police officer who became the first Director to help us form an operational armed forces. General Staff. Then came Tommy Campbell, a The AMX tanks we showed in the 1969 National former school master who joined the Volunteer Day Parade (NDP) were recommended by the THE LONG VIEW Corps. The third was Kirpa Ram Vij, a civil Israeli advisors. They were used in the Six-Day servant and volunteer in the Singapore Royal War. There was a general consensus then that we Interviews with the Chiefs of Defence Force Artillery (Volunteer), seconded to MINDEF as could not operate tanks in our region. But the an officer. So I was the fourth. Israelis felt that the light tanks would meet our I was the first professional soldier to become requirements. So they sold us the idea and I think head of the SAF. I became Director General Staff it was a right thing. It was a good tank and it met in 1974 as a 33-year-old colonel. From 1965 to our requirements. It introduced an armoured 1974, the SAF was being built. We had to quickly force. We brought the tanks in secretly at night. We build up because of the way we separated from wanted to reveal them at the NDP. It was a means Malaysia. The situation around us required that to an end – to show countries in our region that we we form a defence force as quickly as possible. had an armed force that was worth a second look. First, for economic reasons, we could not expect Then it was necessary to build up the com- to attract investors unless we had the ability to mand element of the SAF. So we raised the levels secure Singapore with a credible force. Otherwise, of non-commissioned officers and officer corps no foreign company would have the confidence to manage the national service army. So I worked to invest in Singapore. Second, the regional dev- towards building a General Staff to start with elopments at the time meant that Singapore’s as we did not have a proper command and staff survival was far from certain. If we look at the structure. Subsequently, that led to the building- overall picture – the Konfrontasi had just ended up of the Joint Staff to manage the three Services. and it was the height of the Vietnam War – if we did not have an armed force, we would not be LG (Ret) NG JUI PING (CDF 1992 – 1995): My able to survive. tenure as CDF was from July 1992 to July 1995. My predecessors did a good job. For me, it However, it is fair to say that I was on the SAF first was to put in greater professionalism in the SAF team from September 1984 when I was appointed and to develop credible armed forces – Navy, Chief of Staff (General Staff) (COS-GS). Between Air Force, Army. At that stage, the Army was then and 1992, I was Commander 3rd Division, already quite well established. The infantry – Director of Joint Intelligence Directorate (DJID) two brigades and 1 People’s Defence Force – was and Chief of Army (COA), in which appointments well on the way to becoming a credible force. I was senior and influential in directing the The Navy was just being started and we brought development of the Army especially, and the in six ships. The Air Force then was made up SAF generally. These put me in the 2nd Gen SAF, completely of regular pilots flying second-hand perhaps the pioneering years of the 2nd Gen SAF. 384 385 LG (Ret) BEY SOO KHIANG (CDF 1995 – 2000): how do we help to mass screen people at the camouflage army fatigues, and as CDF from 2007 We were well into 2nd Gen and preparing the airport upon arrival? We came up with a novel to 2010, helped to operationalise the first spiral of plans towards 3rd Gen. We were working to fully solution of adapting night vision technology into the 3rd Gen SAF and introduce the pixelated No integrate the three Services into one fighting a thermal scanner. Necessity drives innovation. 4. So, you might say that my journey through the force. The 3rd Gen plan was to see how we can use We even had to consider how we can mass cull SAF over 28 years spanned all three generations, technology to improve the operational integration chickens should the bird flu become a problem. symbolised in a simple visual way by the different of the components of the Services. This was partly The SAF was asked to consider these because we types of uniforms that marked the distinct phases inspired by the “system of systems” concept that had the resources and capabilities. When it came of the SAF’s development. [LEFT] was discussed in the US around that time. to changes in the external environment, the SAF Then-CPT was expected to be able to respond. The SAF LG (Ret) NEO KIAN HONG (CDF 2010 – 2013): Winston Choo, LG (Ret) LIM CHUAN POH (CDF 2000 – 2003): was dealing with different threats – the potential Each generation represents a phase of growth Battalion Signals Clearly, the 1st Gen, 2nd Gen and 3rd Gen were “adversaries” were new. of the SAF. The first phase saw the formation of Officer of 1 SIR, categorised after the event when 3rd Gen SAF The second thing Peter Ho was far sighted basic units and the building-up of core vocational at Sebatik Island, Sabah, during was launched, and there are significant overlaps about was that we had to prepare for a smaller SAF skills which a military needs. In the second phase, the Konfrontasi. between them as the SAF evolved over time. The when the effect of the decline in population hit us. combined capabilities within each Service meant SAF has to continually evolve to take into account Can we make use of technology opportunities that more complex and larger-scale conventional the Air Force. This Air Force culture of high changes in the strategic context, operational that were becoming available – networks, drones, operations could be conducted. The 3rd Gen SAF standards, innovation and collective ownership environment, technological change as well as the sensors? How do you fashion the SAF going saw a full-spectrum force that is integrated and has strengthened the RSAF. profile of our most critical resource, our people. forward in the way that is adequate to the task? networked. Now, as One SAF, we are forging our plans The big changes in the SAF took a long time to We had to take advantage of technologies, to go I joined the SAF at the end of the 1st Gen ahead towards 2030. In the history of our SAF, be realised and the seeds of change were therefore beyond a service-centric dimension to take an (Temasek green), lived through 2nd Gen the two constants in the 1st Gen to 3rd Gen planted by many along the way. To illustrate, I integrated approach. How to get the Services (camouflaged) and played a part in the transition to transformation are our mission and our people. have had the good fortune of being right at the to work together? It was conceptually easy but 3rd Gen (pixelised). I was fortunate to witness the The SAF mission is the anchor that guides the beginning of the Army 2000 journey as a young mindsets were typically parochial when it came creation of Integrated Task Forces, re-organisation SAF. Our people are our most important asset staff officer and saw the substantive completion of to resources. Do our officers know each other’s from air bases to commands, and the formation and they are the indefatigable engines, our edge. that effort soon after I became CDF. As CDF, I was capability to produce an outcome? Technology is of the Command, Control, Communications, These constants have powered the SAF towards involved at the stage when we were shifting some an enabler – Technology not for technology’s sake Computers and Intelligence (C4I) community innovation, exploiting technology and making of our capabilities to prepare for transforming the but used to solve longer-term problems, taking for the additional domain of information. It is the them effective for our unique requirements. SAF before it was even called the 3rd Gen SAF. into account that the SAF has to be smaller. growth of the information domain that enables the Knowing that then, we did what we could do 3rd Gen SAF, making it a truly integrated force. LG (Ret) NG YAT CHUNG (CDF 2003 – 2007): to shape today. It was important to encapsulate Today, the force is flexible, adaptive and What do you think was the most defining The term 3rd Gen was something Peter Ho this with something or name.