Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen presented the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Overseas Service Medal (OSM) to SAF personnel at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Defence this morning. 66 medals were awarded to SAF personnel in recognition of their contributions to humanitarian assistance to Gaza, maritime security operations in the Red Sea, and counter-terrorism efforts in the Middle East.

At the ceremony, Dr Ng commended the recipients for discharging their duties with professionalism and dedication, highlighting that they had done the SAF and Singapore proud.  

Dr Ng noted the complexity and urgency of the humanitarian aid mission in Gaza, and highlighted the SAF's operational readiness and capabilities to successfully execute the mission. He also commended the SAF's partner – ST Engineering's Defence Aerospace for their strong support. Dr Ng said “You have done us proud with your sterling efforts and accomplishments and also alleviated the suffering of affected communities in Gaza on behalf of Singapore. Through this mission, we demonstrated that the SAF can respond quickly and effectively to contingencies. More importantly, this ability gives confidence to the SAF and Singaporeans at large that Singapore can play a positive role in a troubled World. This confidence is much needed as the security environment will continue to be difficult. We must expect surprises and more contingencies that the SAF will have to respond to in the future.”

Recipients of the OSM also included personnel who were deployed for Operation Prosperity Guardian, as part of the ongoing multinational efforts to keep the Red Sea open and safe for maritime trade. The SAF personnel were deployed to support information sharing and operations planning under the ambit of the Combined Maritime Forces and Combined Task Force 153, which consists of more than 20 participating nations. Dr Ng noted Singapore's dependence on the global maritime system for its survival and security, thanked the servicemen and women, and said that they demonstrated Singapore's long-standing commitment to multinational efforts that ensure freedom of navigation in key sea lines of communication.

The medals were also presented to personnel supporting counter-terrorism operations to the Middle East. Dr Ng also said that the SAF will continue to focus on the threat of terrorism, which remains a significant threat in Singapore and beyond.

Chief of Defence Force Vice Admiral Aaron Beng, Chief of Army Major-General (MG) David Neo, Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Sean Wat, Chief of Digital and Intelligence Service MG Lee Yi-Jin, Chief of Air Force Brigadier-General Kelvin Fan and senior SAF officers as well as family members of the OSM recipients were also present at the ceremony.