The Chief of Army, Royal Thai Army (RTA), General (GEN) Pana Claewplodtook called on Chief of Defence Force Vice Admiral (VADM) Aaron Beng at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) earlier today. During the meeting, VADM Beng and GEN Pana reaffirmed the close and long-standing defence relations between Singapore and Thailand, and discussed the deepening of defence cooperation between the Singapore Army and the RTA.

The Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army [Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD)], General (GEN) Maruli Simanjuntak, 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 GEN Maruli at an investiture held at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) this morning.

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) regularly review our career schemes to ensure that they remain competitive to attract men and women who can strengthen our capabilities to defend Singapore. 

In view of the urgent need for aid, the Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre (Changi RHCC) coordinated the delivery of a second tranche of humanitarian aid via two Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) C-130 transport aircraft today. In total, Singapore has delivered more than 19 tonnes of humanitarian aid to help communities in Myanmar affected by the recent 7.7 magnitude earthquake.