The Australian Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral (VADM) Mark Hammond, was conferred Singapore's prestigious military award, the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera) or Meritorious Service Medal (Military) [MSM(M)], by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen presented the award to VADM Hammond at an investiture held at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) this morning.

VADM Hammond was conferred the award in recognition of his significant contributions for strengthening ties between the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). Under his leadership, both navies interacted regularly through high-level visits, cross-attendance of courses, professional navy-to-navy exchanges and the conduct a wide range of bilateral and multilateral exercises, such as Exercise Singaroo, Exercise Trident and Exercise Kakadu. These interactions contributed to the deepening of mutual understanding, enhanced interoperability and strengthened the operational readiness of both navies. VADM Hammond’s strong support for Singapore-hosted information-sharing efforts, such as the deployment of an Australian International Liaison Officer to the RSN’s Information Fusion Centre, has also contributed significantly to regional maritime security efforts.

VADM Hammond is in Singapore from 13 to 16 October 2024. Prior to the MSM(M) investiture, he inspected a Guard of Honour, met with Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Sean Wat, and called on Dr Ng. He was also hosted to breakfast by Chief of Defence Force VADM Aaron Beng. As part of his visit programme, VADM Hammond addressed students at the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College at the SAFTI Military Institute, and was hosted to visits to Tuas Naval Base and Changi Naval Base.