SAF hands out Best Unit Awards; RSAF’s 142 Squadron, RSS Indomitable, Red Berets among winners

Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Wilson Wee, 35, was attending a flight safety briefing while feeling a little bit under the weather when a junior officer told him he was red-carded, the term his squadron uses when someone is assessed as not being fit to fly.

Although disappointed he could not fly, LTC Wee, who is commanding officer of the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s (RSAF) 142 Squadron, respected the junior officer’s call and took himself off the flight schedule. 

“How often do you get a captain telling a lieutenant-colonel, ‘Sir, you’re not flying today’?” LTC Wee told reporters on June 25. The incident, which took place in 2023 and which he sees as emblematic of his team’s culture of openness, is a point of pride for him.

“Anybody who sees something wrong can say something about it without the fear of repercussions,” he said.

LTC Wee believes this culture contributed to his squadron reclaiming the title of Best Fighter Squadron in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Best Unit Competition. Their previous win was in 2019. 

The annual SAF Best Unit and Best NS Unit competitions were introduced in 1969 and 1993, respectively, to recognise units that have demonstrated excellence in combat readiness, operational proficiency and administrative excellence.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen will be presenting awards to 18 active units and 12 national service units on July 1 at the SAF Day parade to be held at Safti Military Institute.

Another winner was the RSS Indomitable, which was picked as the overall Best Maritime Security Unit. This is the first time the ship has won this award since it was commissioned in 2018.

When training gets demanding, food is one of the ingredients that keeps the crew’s morale high, said Major Jaime Liew, the ship’s commanding officer.

Dishes served up by the ship’s chef include chicken rice, sliced fish bee hoon soup, and even briyani for Deepavali, cooked specially for Military Expert 2 (ME2) Kurumbian Vijaendian, the only Indian crew member on board.

On that occasion, the crew celebrated by hanging festive decorations in shared spaces on the ship, such as the dining hall, ME2 Kurumbian recalled.

“So this was a very memorable event for me. It’s just a home away from home whenever we go for sailings,” he said.

The crew was deployed at sea for more than 80 days in the past year, with monthly sailings that last about week.

ME2 Kurumbian, who is an electrical controls system supervisor, has been with the RSS Indomitable since January 2019 and ensures a steady supply of electricity to systems on board. These range from simple systems like the sanitary systems of toilets, to more complex ones like the 7,500kg OTO Melara Gun that can fire up to a range of 16km, at 120 rounds per minute. 

MAJ Liew, 32, said she needs to ensure that both her crew and the ship are ready round the clock to respond to any security threats along the Singapore Strait. 

Besides routine physical assessments and training, she said the key to keeping spirits up is having a healthy crew and organising team-bonding events.

For instance, crew members participate in horror movie nights and competitions using the PlayStation on board, go on outings to Sentosa, and even do yoga together to keep fit. 

MAJ Liew added that the crew had high trust in her leadership, and scored consistent mission successes for assessments in the past year, both of which contributed to the win.

“If anything, this award seals my belief that it is truly the little things that matter – the extra hour we put into training, the small acts of care we provide for each other, and a strong emphasis on family spirit, which lifts us up on difficult days and makes it possible to keep going.”

The Best Combat Unit award went to the 1st Commando Battalion, making it their 21st consecutive win. This makes the battalion the most awarded unit in this category, having won it a total of 38 times.

Lieutenant-Colonel Kok Yi Long, 36, the battalion’s commanding officer, said that even though the unit is proud to have won for 21 consecutive years, he wishes to guard against complacency. 

He added: “I wanted to ensure that every soldier who comes into the 1st Commando Battalion leaves the unit as a better person.” 

For instance, Second-Lieutenant Adima Emmanuel from the battalion said he used to be afraid of heights. Now, the 20-year-old can confidently parachute off a moving aircraft, and has done so multiple times.

He said: “Now, I feel excitement. I look forward to every single jump.” 

Correction note: An earlier version of the story said that 11 national service units will receive awards on July 1. It should be 12 units. We are sorry for the error.