Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Heng Chee How visited the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)'s 188 Squadron today. During the visit, Mr Heng witnessed the attainment of full operational readiness status by a crew of Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) who operate the RSN's Victory-class Missile Corvette (MCV). The visit was hosted by Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Lew Chuen Hong.

Mr Heng sailed on board the RSS Valiant, where he saw the NS crew executing a series of naval operations, as part of their In-Camp Training. These included navigating the ship in congested waters, fire-fighting and damage control, conducting surveillance operations, as well as identifying and neutralising simulated threats from the surface and the air. 

Speaking after his visit, Mr Heng expressed his confidence in the training and operational readiness of the RSN's national servicemen. He said, "Having sailed on an MCV fully crewed by NSmen and witnessing their abilities at sea, I am confident that should they be activated for operations, they are fully prepared and capable of fulfilling their mission." He also highlighted the important role the MCVs have played in safeguarding Singapore's sovereignty and sea lines of communication over the past 30 years. "The MCVs continue to be a formidable strike capability at sea and are the longest-serving class of warships currently in service. I look forward to the new Multi-Role Combat Vessels, which will replace the ageing MCVs. Leveraging the latest technology, they will be designed with modularity, unmanned systems and NS integration in mind" he added.