Rising through the ranks

A poly graduate who rose through the ranks to become a Brigadier General. A female warrant officer who's working on the Air Force's latest air defence system. A dedicated NSman whose unit has won Best NS Unit five times.

Meet Colonel (COL) Anand s/o Sathhi Kumar, Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Yuen Pui Leng and Senior Lieutenant Colonel (NS) Halmie Bin Hussein Mattar, who are among 1,206 Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel being promoted this year.

The promotees this year also include Chief of Air Force Brigadier General (BG) Kelvin Fan, who received his Major-General rank; five other Colonels who will be promoted to the ranks of BG and Rear Admiral (One Star); as well as four Senior Warrant Officers who will reach the pinnacle rank of Chief Warrant Officer.

Currently commander of 6th Singapore Division/ Headquarters Sense and Strike, COL Anand was a Singapore Polytechnic graduate who has risen through the ranks after joining the SAF at 16 years old under the Joint Polytechnic-SAF Diploma Scheme.

He attributes his success in reaching the rank of Brigadier General to the teams he's worked with along the way, and reminds himself to keep humble and always appreciate the people around him.

"Any tour that I've done; there is no individual success. I'm always grateful for my teams… They're the ones who make the magic happen."

While he was honoured by the promotion, he also felt it was a stark reminder of his duty to steward and lead in the organisation. "(More than ever,) it's my responsibility now to make sure that the Army continues to get stronger."

For the 45-year-old, who signed on as a Signals Specialist and later crossed over to the Intelligence domain, "every tour in the SAF brings about new challenges and adventures, which (in turn) brings a certain excitement".

He added: "We move around in our tours in the SAF, so you get renewed with new missions, new work and new outcomes to achieve."

He also thanked his pillars of support – his wife, his peers and his commanders who believed in him and gave him opportunities to excel.

"(My number one pillar of support) is definitely my wife. We've been parents for 12 years and we've been married for 22 years. She's seen me throughout (my time in SAF) and she has been my rock."

Why we serve

Family support is also a big reason why SLTC (NS) Halmie, 47, is able to juggle work and his role in National Service (NS).

He works in the National Environment Agency as Director of Public Health Policies, but in the SAF he is Brigade Commander of 24th Singapore Infantry Brigade (24 SIB).

"My family is definitely my pillar of strength. My wife helps take care of everything at home so I am worry-free (when I'm serving ICT)," said the father of two – a 20-year-old-son and a 16-year-old daughter.

"It (also) brings me joy to see my son's eyes shine when I share with him what I do in NS."

From 2011 to 2015, SLTC (NS) Halmie was Commanding Officer of 688th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (688 SIR). The battalion clinched a Best NS Unit Award for five years out of their 10-year cycle.

On the capabilities of Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen), SLTC (NS) Halmie said: "For those two weeks (of In-Camp Training), if you explain clearly to them (your NSmen) what is the outcome you want to achieve? They will deliver it for you.

"Outside, they are professionals and they carry the same commitment and professionalism when they come to NS."

Why does SLTC (NS) Halmie continue to contribute beyond his 10-year NS obligation? It's because of the strong friendships he's built with the NSmen whom he's served with.

For example, 1st Warrant Officer (NS) Peter Ng (pictured above, second from left), has been a lasting partner who served as his Sergeant Major in both 688 SIR and now at 24 SIB.

Beyond their operational duties, SLTC Halmie and his NSmen also take pride in other responsibilities such as helping out for the National Day Parade (NDP). In 2022, 24 SIB was in charge of organising the NDP Heartland celebrations.

"For MINDEF to give us NSmen an area to plan and coordinate a part of the NDP celebrations, I think it's something that shows (not only) the trust MINDEF has in us, but also our ability to organise things like clockwork."

Reaching greater heights

For MWO Yuen, the promotion is a recognition of her efforts and gives her greater confidence to perform her role and groom those under her charge.

The 46-year-old is currently Command Chief of Air Defence and Operations Command.

One of the most memorable experiences in her career was as Command Chief of 163 Squadron (SQN), when they were inducting the new Aster 30 ground-based air defence system in 2020.

The squadron faced manpower and time crunches as they had to man the old I-HAWK system while learning to integrate the Aster 30 platform as part of Singapore's 24/7 Island Air Defence network.

Despite this challenge, the squadron stepped up and even clinched the Best Ground-Based Air Defence Unit award in the same year.

MWO Yuen is also grateful for the opportunities to pursue further education during her time in the SAF. While she joined the Air Force in 1995 with only O-level qualifications, she has embraced life-long learning.

She got her diploma from Singapore Polytechnic in 2006, her bachelor degree from Nanyang Technological University in 2019, and is currently taking her Masters at the Singapore University of Social Sciences since January this year.

MWO Yuen said: "Over the years, the SAF has moulded me to be a leader with confidence. I had very good peers and colleagues; it's a brothership and camaraderie we (built) because we deployed together. That's why the SAF is a big family to me."