SINGAPORE - Rear-Admiral Lai Chung Han will step down as the Singapore Navy's chief, with RADM Lew Chuen Hong, currently the Chief of Staff - Naval Staff, set to take over the post on June 16.
This change is part of the continuing process of leadership renewal in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the Defence Ministry said in a statement on Monday (May22).
After leaving the navy, RADM Lai will be appointed the Ministry of Education's Second Permanent Secretary on June 19, a statement from the Public Service Division said.
The incoming Navy chief, RADM Lew, 40, joined the SAF in 1995.
Some of the appointments he held included Commanding Officer of the Missile Corvette RSS Vengeance, Deputy Commander of the Maritime Security Task Force, Head Joint Manpower Department, Head Joint Plans and Transformation Department, and Fleet Commander.
He has been Chief of Staff - Naval Staff since August last year.
Outside of the Navy, he was also the director of the research and enterprise division in the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
RADM Lai, 44, joined the SAF in 1992 and became navy chief in August 2014.
"Since 2014, RADM Lai spearheaded the RSN's strategic redesign to structure, resource and deploy the RSN to meet future security challenges," Mindef said.
For instance, the Navy signed a contract to acquire the state-of-the-art Type-218SG submarines. Four of its next-generation warships, the Littoral Mission Vessels, were also delivered.
The Navy also recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, the highlight of which was an international maritime review involving 46 vessels - including 28 from 20 foreign navies.
