Chief of Air Force Mervyn Tan Wei Ming will step down from his role on March 22, to be replaced by Chief of Staff-Joint Staff Kelvin Khong Boon Leong, the Defence Ministry (Mindef) said yesterday.
This change is part of the continuing process of leadership renewal in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), added Mindef.
Brigadier-General Khong, 43, joined the SAF in 1995, and was awarded the SAF Overseas Scholarship. An F-15SG pilot by training, he was the commanding officer of the first F-15SG squadron, 149 Squadron.
He held several key appointments in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), including head of Air Plans, commander of Air Combat Command, head of Air Operations, and Chief of Staff-Air Staff.
He was also the chairman of the RSAF50 steering committee, which oversaw the organisation of multiple events last year to commemorate the RSAF's 50th anniversary.
The statement did not mention Major-General Tan's plans after stepping down. He has led the RSAF since March 28, 2016.
"Under (Maj-Gen Tan's) leadership, the RSAF has maintained a high level of operational readiness to defend and safeguard Singapore's sovereignty, and achieved mission success across a full spectrum of operations," said Mindef.
Maj-Gen Tan, 46, joined the SAF in 1990, and was awarded the SAF Overseas Training Award (Graduating) in 1992.
Mindef said Maj-Gen Tan has served the SAF with distinction, including in several senior command and staff appointments. These included commanding officer of 121 Squadron, head of Air Plans, commander of Air Defence and Operations Command, and director of military intelligence and Chief Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence.
He led the attainment of full operational capability for the Heron 1 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Surface-to-air PYthon-5 and DERby (Spyder) ground-based air defence system, and oversaw the acquisition of the H225M medium lift and CH-47F Chinook heavy lift helicopters, as well as the A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.
Under his watch, the RSAF also conducted air defence operations during the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June last year, and handled the alleged bomb threat on board Scoot Flight TR634 in April last year.
