SAF honours its best units

SINGAPORE: It’s nine wins in a row for the Commandos, who emerged tops again this year as the Singapore Army’s "Best Combat Unit".

The RSS Valiant snagged the "Best Ship" award for the Navy, while 145 Squadron is the Air Force’s "Best Fighter Squadron".

It’s a race against time to protect Singapore’s airspace.

But the men of 145 Squadron have stayed ahead of the competition, leading the pack in protecting the nation’s skies.

The hardware possessed by 145 Squadron is impressive, like the F—16D+. But the men say it is more than just the machines that matter, in making them the best at what they do.

LTA Devdutt Sasidharan said: "The level of teamwork is quite high. We work together on almost every task, whether it be flying duties or ground duties — we’re always working together. If we need help, we’ll never be shy to ask and we’re never too shy to offer help as well."

Never too shy either, are the commandos in striking terror behind enemy lines.

Having nerves of steel, it’s no surprise that they’ve topped the "Best Combat Unit" contest a record 26 times.

However, Second—in—Command of the Commandos, Major Chew Ern Pau, said his men are not resting on their laurels.

"Every year it’s a different set of people coming in. Although the competition largely remains the same, the people coming in are very different. We will still continue to engage them with positive experience, positive learning. And with that I think the performance will come naturally," he said.

Peak performance too, from the RSS Valiant crew.

The Victory—Class Missile Corvette is among the first ship of its type in the Navy to get significant upgrades.

They include enhanced radar capabilities and the inclusion of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle system to see further.

But Lieutenant—Colonel Francis Goh, the ship’s Commanding Officer, said there’s another reason why his boat is top—of—the—fleet.

"It is not just a case of having different hardware or effort just to bring up the systems to the Navy. It is a collective effort, collective assessment of what we have contributed in the entire year — our gunnery performance, our performance out at sea and the various exercises," he said.

RSS Valiant was commissioned in 1991.

— CNA/cc