In its 3rd Generation transformation, the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has always been mindful of one fact: it is the people that make things possible.
In training for the Principal Warfare Officer (PWO) appointment, Captain (CPT) Neville Nah has often found himself in highly-demanding situations, juggling multiple sources of information and having to make prompt decisions.
"As a PWO, we are expected to be able to perform under stressful conditions and to manage all the information that is being pumped in, so as to make sense of the unfolding situation and, finally, to make the necessary calls to achieve mission success," explained CPT Nah, who is currently undergoing the Naval Warfare Officer Course (NWOC).
The NWOC is just one of several advancement courses that train RSN personnel to assume leadership roles. This course, in particular, trains officers to lead in the Combat Information Centre (CIC) of ships, where most of the war-fighting and coordination takes place.
In such situations, time is not a luxury that CPT Nah or any other PWO enjoys. Therefore the NWOC makes it a point to grill its participants by putting them through strenuous practical sessions.
In the transformation of any modern naval force, the acquisition of new vessels is undoubtedly the most visible and quantifiable advancement. But while the RSN may do its fair share of hardware purchases with the recent additions of the Formidable-class frigates and Archer-class submarines, the engagement and development of its people are never far from the top of the to-do list.
Said Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral (RADM) Ng Chee Peng recently: "Behind our mission success and transformation are the people who make things possible. Our people are the key to realising our vision of the 3rd Generation Navy."
Knowledge & experience
"As leaders, it is important that we are equipped with the necessary knowledge and expertise," said CPT Nah.
That said, he was quick to point out that while the NWOC adequately trains RSN personnel in the science behind naval warfare, such as doctrine and naval battle tactics and procedures, the art of warfare is something that requires practice, experience and time to acquire and master.
Much of the experience in the Navy lies within the Warrant Officer and Specialist (WOSpec) Corps. In recognition of that, the RSN has made the effort to revise its structure to increase upgrading opportunities for RSN personnel of every vocation. And Military Expert (ME) 5 Richard Goh, who is in the same NWOC as CPT Nah, is an example.
In the past, the NWOC was reserved for commissioned officers, but that has changed with ME5 Goh being the first military expert to attend the NWOC after the introduction of the Military Domain Experts Scheme in 2009.
At the moment, there are not many non-commissioned officers breaking new ground like ME5 Goh has done, but the number is certainly growing as the RSN increasingly views experience as a key consideration when empowering its personnel to take up leadership roles.
This was the case for Master Warrant Officer (MWO) Ong Siang Thai. The senior diver from the RSN's Naval Diving Unit (NDU) was recently appointed as a mission leader - an appointment usually held by a commissioned officer of Captain rank.
Even though MWO Ong did not go through leadership courses or graduate from the Officer Cadet School, his wealth of experience on the ground placed him in good stead to lead his men.
"The previous experience I have as a diver provides me with perspectives from both sides of the ground," said MWO Ong. "This definitely helps my current position in refining the working relationship between my men and me."
Experience is something that is increasingly valued not just by the RSN but the entire SAF, he added.
MWO Ong cited the recent appointment of Senior Warrant Officer (SWO) Lee Sung Cheng as an example of things to come for warrant officers.
SWO Lee made history for the WOSpec Corps on 31 Jan when he became the first-ever non-commissioned officer to take up the appointment of a Commanding Officer.
"This will pave the way for a new generation of WOSpecs to take on higher appointments of this nature and I am honoured to be one of the first among my peers to do so," said MWO Ong.
Nurturing future leaders
While these structural changes allow experienced personnel to take on roles with more responsibilities, RADM Ng believes that these alone will not suffice in developing the Navy's personnel.
He feels it is the responsibility of commanders and leaders at every level to make a conscious effort to inspire and nurture RSN personnel to achieve success.
"Starting from Day 1 when an individual joins the Navy, our nurturing framework must ensure that our people are groomed to develop and maximise their strengths," said RADM Ng.
Take for example Major (MAJ) Lim Huay Wen who joined the RSN and served as a navigation officer as well as a communications officer on board the missile corvettes.
She held the appointments for three years before moving on to serve as the operations officer of RSS Steadfast.
In January this year, she was put through a command preparation course, a 13-day programme that places a high emphasis on leadership and prepares naval officers for the command of a ship.
"What is good about the course is the personal interaction time with senior commanders in the Navy whom we, as junior officers and aspiring commanders, look up to," said MAJ Lim.
"Their sharing of past experiences with us, their command philosophies, guiding principles when they assumed leadership positions, coupled with perfect 20/20 hindsight, provide good food for thought."
The S-70B naval helicopter s integration with frigates will allow the RSN to undertake anti-surface and anti-submarine missions at longer ranges.
Success as a team
All the advanced weapon systems and capable personnel translate to nothing if they are not able to achieve mission success.
RADM Ng emphasised that the RSN must not just maintain a high state of readiness, but understand that the Navy cannot operate alone.
"We have to be clear that the Navy does not operate in a vacuum. We have to make sure that we can inter-operate seamlessly with the other Services and national maritime agencies."
With the formation of the Maritime Security Task Force in January 2009, the Navy is now able to better harness resources from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) as well as maritime agencies in the fight against maritime threats.
Beyond Singapore's shores, the Navy has been working tirelessly in contributing to regional and international maritime security.
In April, the RSN successfully concluded the 4th Western Pacific Mine Countermeasure Exercise, Diving Exercise and 3rd Naval Medicine Seminar.
These three events saw more than 1,000 personnel and 15 ships from 16 countries, working hand-in-hand to address maritime security concerns.
In addition, a team of 25 personnel led by RADM Harris Chan took over command of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 on 31 Mar.
This is the second time that the RSN is commanding CTF 151, a coalition task force which coordinates counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.
There will also be a third SAF task group, comprising a Landing Ship Tank with two helicopters, joining CTF 151 later this year.
On these overseas deployments, RADM Ng noted that the Navy must take nothing for granted. "We must draw on
the hard-earned experience and networks established in our previous deployments, plan well, train and prepare rigorously to ensure mission success," he said.
Significant effort has been invested to ensure mission success for today's challenges, but RADM Ng added that the RSN must remain ready for tomorrow's challenges as well.
With servicemen and women like CPT Nah, MWO Ong and MAJ Lim who strive to develop their skills and take on greater responsibilities, it is clear that the sea soldiers of the RSN are ready to step up to those challenges.
The Chief's take
A quick chat with Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Ng Chee Peng.
On attracting capable leaders and dedicated personnel.
"We recognise that to attract and retain the best talents, we must continually enhance our career schemes to provide meaningful and challenging careers that can meet our people's aspirations.
To nurture our people's capacities to learn and deal with new complexities, we are equipping them with leadership skills and learning tools to help them become self-directed learners, value-add to their work and implement critical changes to ensure the RSN remains a strong and effective force."
On the RSN s latest capabilities.
"We have made good progress in operationalising the naval helicopters and integrating them with our Formidable-class frigates.
The frigates and naval helicopters are significant force multipliers in our integrated maritime fighting force. They will provide us with decisive anti-submarine, anti-surface and anti-air war-fighting capabilities.
As key nodes in the Integrated Knowledge-based Command and Control network of the 3rd Generation Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the integrated capabilities of the frigates and naval helicopters will also reinforce the RSN's and the SAF's maritime force-level awareness and mission effectiveness."
On strengthening maritime security.
"In the next few years, we will be strengthening our national maritime security framework with the establishment of a new National Maritime Security System.
Led by the Maritime Security Task Force, it will promote even stronger information-sharing, situation awareness, decision-making and operational coordination among our maritime security agencies. This will enable Singapore to respond more effectively to a wider spectrum of maritime threats.
The RSN continues to strengthen this information-sharing network through various exercises and exchanges. One of them is the Maritime Information-Sharing Exercise which will be conducted in May, in conjunction with IMDEX Asia 2011."
