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Tag: SAF

  • Confessions Of A Gay Officer In The SAF

    Confessions Of A Gay Officer In The SAF

    I’m an officer with the saf. And I am gay. I was being investigated by the MSD for allegations of “bringing disrepute to the saf” by visiting a gay club earlier last year, and further, being penalized by confessing I am gay.

    I was deemed a security threat, had my security clearance downgraded, transferred to a non-ops unit and my promotion stalled among all the ridiculous “measures” to “manage” me. The most humiliating thing was to sign a form which basically says i can’t be gay & to refrain from engaging in any homosexual activities.

    But, there was a stark clause which says I can’t have a gay partner. I politely told them to exclude that clause because I ve been in a relationship with my partner for 6 years. I was not going to allow an “sop” to dictate who I want to be with. MSD agreed.

    I just want to encourage servicemen esp nsfs who are gay and are afraid of coming out – you are not alone; never let anyone put u down for who u are. Have the courage to stand up for yourself. Now, go be fabulous.

    [Admin note: the veracity of the claims here cannot be verified]

     

    Source: Gay SG Confessions

  • Paper Generals Should Be Left Out Of Politics

    Paper Generals Should Be Left Out Of Politics

    The Singapore Cabinet comprises the PM, 2 DPMs and 15 ministers. 5 of them, or slightly more than a quarter, had been generals/equivalent in the military before becoming politicians.

    Another country with many high ranking military officers in the government is North Korea. Myanmar which used to parachute generals into top positions in the government have recently begun a cabinet reshuffle to replace ministerial positions held by the military with scholars. It appears Singapore has regressed – the number of ex generals increased after the last election (ex general George Yeo replaced by Chan Chun Sing and Tan Chuan Jin).

    Military men do not make good leaders in the government for the simple fact that they are used to giving orders. They are not listeners but control freaks. This is evident in Singapore where the mainstream media, grassroots organisations and government bodies continue to be controlled by the PAP.

    Our leader, PM Lee, is himself an ex general, the youngest in Singapore’s history. That PM Lee does not listen is obvious from his ‘solutions’ to our chronic problems ie.

    – Overcrowding/increased cost of living – increase the population to 6.9 million under PAP’s PWP.
    – CPF retirement shortfall – sell HDB homes and downgrade with assistance from HDB.
    – CPF and statutory board failure – edit government web pages and continue to conceal data from the public.
    – High cost of public housing – change the Resale Price Index to make prices look lower.
    – Rat infestation – HDB, town council and NEA not responsible but blame feeding of stray dogs.
    – Foreigners displacing Singaporean employees – employ more foreigners because Singaporeans are overpriced and foreigners help to create jobs for us.
    etc.

    Ten years under ex-general PM Lee’s leadership, Singaporeans have only experienced policy failure after failure. Instead of addressing them, the PAP only masks its failure with the implementation of the PGP, dishing out more grants, shoves its own ‘right’ version of Singapore’s history down our throat, attempts to control online media, silence the CPF ‘noises’ at Hong Lim Park, etc.

    What’s worse about our system is that ALL the generals DO NOT have any combat experience. These paper generals have been fast-tracked because of their stellar academic results and nothing else. What are their real achievements? Transformation of the army by throwing tax dollars at costly state-of-the-art weapons? Introducing pixelised uniforms which have been ditched by the US army? It’s a waste of tax dollars to have about 20 to 30? paper generals on a little red dot.

    SAF/President’s scholars are destined for top jobs in the military since day one. These scholars are ‘untouchable’ and their superiors are acutely aware of their limitations. They simply are not able to understand what the rank and file/ordinary citizens go through.

    The 5 (ex) paper generals in our cabinet are:

    1 (Major General) Chan Chun Sing

    Chan is a PAP MP of Tanjong Pagar GRC which was a walkover in the 2011 election. As such, the popularity or unpopularity of Chan is unknown. Chan has not even spoken at an election rally but from this video, you can be certain he will be a flop without the GRC system.
    Chan has not worked a single day in the private sector and his understanding of local issues is suspect. He served in the army from 1987 to 2011 and was (coincidentally) promoted to army chief during his last year in the army.

    Chan was promoted to Brigadier General (BG) in June 2007. Three short years later, he was promoted to Major General (MG) without accomplishing anything significant. He stayed on as the chief of army and ‘retired’ after only 1 year of service/OJT, wasting precious tax dollars. If Chan had already decided to go into politics, he should have allowed others who would have stayed on to contribute to the army. Or was Chan promoted to look better in politics? Combat experience – zero.

    2 (Brigadier General) Tan Chuan Jin

    Like Chan, Tan also served in the army from 1987 to 2011. Among all the newbie ministers, Tan was the most respected. But from Tan’s handling of the CPF issue and the MOM’s reluctance to address the flawed immigration policy, Tan’s credibility has taken a beating. Tan’s fast-tracked career in the military has disconnected him from ordinary citizens. He has yet to realise PAP’s policy failure and prefers to continue with tweaks.

    3 (Rear Admiral) Lui Tuck Yew

    As an SAF scholar, Lui was fast-tracked to top navy position within 20 years, including his taxpayers-funded studies of course. He was also the CEO of HDB in 2005.

    4 (Rear Admiral) Teo Chee Hean

    Like scholar Lui, Teo’s military career saw him promoted to head the navy within 20 years.

    5 (Brigadier General) Lee Hsien Loong

    Lee joined the SAF in 1971 and rose through the ranks to become the youngest BG in 1983 within a mere 13 years. Excluding the 5 years of studies funded by taxpayers, Lee achieved his miraculous promotion within 8 years. According to Dr Michael Barr, Lee “graduated in 1980 …by this stage he had risen to the rank of Major .. despite having only served for about three years on operational duty”.
    The interesting thing is Lee’s final years in the army where he had received a promotion every year from 1981 to 1983 without a single day in combat!

    In other democratic countries, it takes ‘forever’ to be promoted when one is already holding a very high ranking position. Guess our generals are not known as ‘paper generals’ for nothing.

    Lee’s phenomenal rise in the SAF?

    With a military career as smooth as silk, it is not that PM Lee doesn’t want to understand the reality of mere mortals like us but he really can’t.

    The table (below) is a summary of our paper generals.

    NAME ENLIST RESIGN YEARS RANK
    LEE HSIEN LOONG 1971 1984 13 BRIGADIER GEN
    TEO CHEE HEAN 1972 1992 20 REAR ADMIRAL
    LUI TUCK YEW 1983 2003 20 REAR ADMIRAL
    CHAN CHUN SING 1987 2011 24 MAJOR GEN
    TAN CHUAN JIN 1987 2011 24 BRIGADIER GEN

    * Lee Hsien Loong holds the world record for attaining the rank of BG in the shortest time, without any combat experience, in a democratic country. Our military is designed by scholars, for scholars. Every Tom, Dick and Harry scholar will become a general so long as he toes PAP’s line.

    PM Lee and DPM Teo were both born with a silver spoon in the mouth. One shouldn’t expect them to understand the struggles of ordinary/low wage citizens and PAP’s flawed policies confirm their disconnect.

    Real leaders should never be fast-tracked to top positions based on academic results. Currently, all paper generals are not really elected because of our unique GRC system designed to perpetuate PAP’s power.

    Running a government requires a consultative approach while it’s a top-down approach in the military. After years of a top-down approach, it becomes impossible to teach old dogs new tricks. Paper general George Yeo has already paid the price for not listening. Paper generals are failed politicians as is evidenced by their refusal to engage in a meaningful manner with their ‘wayangs’.

    Without a doubt, generals are army-trained and best left in the military. If paper generals can run our country, pigs should be able to fly.

     

    Source: http://likedatosocanmeh.wordpress.com

     

  • New Airborne Trooper Facility Launched

    New Airborne Trooper Facility Launched

    The SAF’s new airborne-trooper training facility (ATF) at Pasir Ris Camp was launched on Monday. The new training complex allows for all-weather, day-and-night training at its Parachute Training Facility (PTF) and Rappelling Training Facility (RTF), and aims to train about 640 trainees every year.

    Where specific skills once required travelling and training at separate facilities across the island, the ATF offers a one-stop consolidation of various elements of training at a single location. These are taken care of at the RTF’s basic, intermediate and advanced training clusters, as well as the PTF’s landing, rotational and airborne trainer systems.

    Most of the training is also no longer at the mercy of bad weather, with the RTF having several indoor elements, and the PTF entirely indoors. The SAF says these features make the ATF the first-of-its-kind in the world, with other military establishments still limited to specific skills training at different facilities, mostly located outdoors.

    Colonel Simon Lim, Chief Commando Officer, Commander, Special Operations Task Force, said: “Having visited some of these foreign airborne schools, understanding our limited land space that we have, we wanted a one-stop integrated training facility. I think it is the whole idea of how we develop a design that is something that caters to our needs and our soldiers of this generation.”

    COL Lim declined to comment about the cost to develop and build the facility.

    The PTF also incorporates several automated elements, reducing the manpower requirements of training while improving on its effectiveness. For example, trainees using the new Rotational Trainer System no longer require another trainee’s assistance to simulate the complications and conditions of landing. The new system also helps to eliminate areas of human error – a trainee performing an incorrect procedure will encounter the same problems he would face in the air, where under the old system, his assistant might incorrectly judge the procedure to be correct and act accordingly.

    AIRBORNE TRAINER SYSTEM SIMULATES LIVE DESCENT

    Going a step further, the PTF’s Airborne Trainer System offers a complete experience closely simulating all elements of a live descent – from jumping off an aircraft to landing safely. This takes place along a monorail system designed in collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Agency, and draws inspiration from vehicle manufacturing plants.

    Such a system also allows trainers control over simulated elements encountered in an actual jump, such as the speed of descent, wind direction and drag. Cameras installed at the facility also record each trainee’s jump on video, allowing for visual review and feedback.

    The SAF said the ATF’s facilities allow soldiers to progressively build up confidence and competencies in their airborne-trooper skills, with the first batch of 80 Basic Airborne Course (BAC) trainees using the ATF since Nov 17. While the SAF said it has seen an improvement in the speed and effectiveness of training, it says it has no intention to reduce the current BAC duration nor change the batch size and instructor to student ratios. Instead, the time saved will be used to give trainees more opportunities for practice before they take their first leap in the air.

    “When there’s a need for manpower, some of us tend to lose out on this kind of training,” said 2LT Muhammad Faris Asnin, Operational Trooper, 1st Commando Battalion. “So when there’s the automated system in place, more trainees are able to do the training. When they go through more training, they get a boost to their confidence for the real flight itself.”

    The SAF added that it is open to allowing foreign forces to visit and examine the ATF, as well as inter-ministry use of its facilities.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Ng Eng Hen: About 60 SAF Personnel To Join In Coalition Effort Against IS

    Ng Eng Hen: About 60 SAF Personnel To Join In Coalition Effort Against IS

    The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will be sending about 50 to 60 personnel to take part in the multinational coalition efforts to combat the terrorist threat from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said as he officially opened the new training facility for the republic’s airborne troopers at Pasir Ris camp on Monday (Dec 1).

    Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said planning and liaison officers have already made their way to the United States Central Command to get “a sense what the mission’s requirements are”. He said coalition partners have welcomed Singapore’s involvement and are looking forward to Singapore’s professional input.

    Dr Ng said the SAF will now “synchronise” where its help is most needed.

    “I would say that the reaction to our involvement is a positive one. They know that as we did in Afghanistan, we contributed very positively, by our KC-135 refuelling tankers as well as our imagery analysts,” said Dr Ng. “So coalition partners have welcomed our involvement because they expressed the opinion that we have helped previously and they look forward to our professional input.”

    Dr Ng, who had a go at one of the stations at the new training facility, said the facility is a worthwhile investment as it will ensure soldiers are trained well, such as in the event of a terrorist threat.

    “We take our special forces training with extra care and there are a few reasons for it,” said Dr Ng. “As you know since 911, the threat of terrorism is real and present and with the recent terrorist threat from ISIS in Iraq and Syria, this threat is uppermost in our minds, when we plan and prepare. As you know our neighbours, both Malaysia and Indonesia, have expressed concern that those who have returned from Iraq and Syria can cause harm to the residents in their countries and I would include Singapore in the same threat scenario.”

    Earlier this month in Parliament, Dr Ng had said that Singapore’s efforts will include deploying a KC-135R tanker aircraft for air-to-air refuelling and an Imagery Analysis Team. He said there will be no combat troops on the ground in Iraq and Syria.

    The SAF soldiers will operate from surrounding countries together with other coalition forces.

  • Khidmat Cemerlang SLTC Mohd Fahmi Aliman Diiktiraf SAF

    Khidmat Cemerlang SLTC Mohd Fahmi Aliman Diiktiraf SAF

    KESUNGGUHAN dan kecekapan Leftenan-Kolonel Kanan (SLTC) Mohd Fahmi Aliman berkhidmat dalam Angkatan Bersenjata Singapura (SAF), semasa bertugas baik di dalam mahupun di luar negara, diakui.

    Lantaran keberkesanannya memikul pelbagai tugas sepanjang berkhidmat dengan SAF, beliau dianugerahkan Pingat Kepujian oleh Kementerian Pertahanan (Mindef) dalam Anugerah Hari Kebangsaan.

    Sejumlah 81 Pingat Kepujian, 114 Pingat Kecekapan dan 415 Pingat Perkhidmatan Bakti Setia diberikan kepada anggota tentera dan bukan tentera.

    Seramai 14 kakitangan menerima kedua-dua Pingat Kepujian/Kecekapan dan Pingat Khidmat Bakti Setia.

    Seramai 596 kakitangan Mindef/SAF diiktiraf dalam Anugerah Hari Kebangsaan tahun ini.

    Menteri Kedua Pertahanan, Encik Chan Chun Sing, serta Menteri Negara (Pertahanan), Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, menghadiri majlis tersebut di Mindef minggu lalu.

    Ketika ditemui, SLTC Mohd Fahmi, 42 tahun, berkata beliau berbesar hati sumbangannya diiktiraf.

    Beliau menyertai SAF 22 tahun lalu kerana ingin “menyentuh kehidupan orang ramai” dan menyumbang kepada masyarakat.

    Dalam tempoh khidmatnya, beliau antara lain mengetuai Batalion Pengawal yang meraih anugerah Unit Infantri Terbaik pada 2009.

    Pada 2011, beliau menjadi pegawai SAF Melayu/Islam pertama menjadi Komander Perbarisan Hari Kebangsaan sejak 2000.

    Pengalamannya tidak terbatas di dalam negara sahaja.

    Beliau dikerah ke Aceh pada 2005 dan Afghanistan pada 2012.

    Beliau terlibat dalam pasukan yang menyumbang kepada pelucutan senjata, demobilisasi dan integrasi semula Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM) ke dalam masyarakat Aceh.

    Di Afghanistan, beliau bertugas sebagai perancang strategik di Ibu Pejabat Pasukan Bantuan Keselamatan Antarabangsa (ISAF).

    “Setiap pengalaman yang saya raih mengasah kecekapan saya dan mendorong saya agar terus menyumbang kepada SAF,” ujarnya.

    Apabila dikerah ke luar negara, beliau berjauhan daripada keluarga selama enam bulan.

    “Cabaran terbesar adalah membahagikan masa antara keluarga dengan kerjaya. Saya bertuah mendapat sokongan keluarga dan isteri penyabar,” ujar bapa empat anak berusia empat hingga 17 tahun itu.

    Isterinya, Cik Rohana Salleh, adalah guru sekolah menengah.

    SLTC Mohd Fahmi turut dirangsang pasukannya dan berpegang pada tiga ciri ketua yang cemerlang.

    “Kepercayaan, kehormatan, serta memperkasakan bakat dalam pasukan penting.

    “Di SAF, saya dibimbing oleh pegawai kanan dan diberi peluang mengembangkan kemahiran,” ujar SLTC Mohd Fahmi.

    Melalui SAF, beliau diberi peluang melanjutkan pelajaran hingga meraih ijazah Sarjana Muda dalam Kejuruteraan Elektrikal daripada Universiti Liverpool pada 1999.

     

    Source: www.beritaharian.sg