SAF's first Inspector-General plans to make it 'second nature' for soldiers to flag safety lapses

SINGAPORE - Brigadier-General Tan Chee Wee has been appointed the first Inspector-General in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to oversee training safety, as part of several measures undertaken after a recent spate of military fatalities.

BG Tan, who is now Director Joint Operations and takes on the role of Chief of Staff-Joint Staff next Wednesday (Feb 27), said one of his first priorities is to make it second nature for soldiers to flag unsafe practices.

In an interview transcript sent to the media by the Defence Ministry (Mindef) on Friday (Feb 22), BG Tan said his "immediate priority" was to visit ground units across the SAF to assess the health of the open reporting and safety culture and evaluate the services' safety inspection systems.

He said: "With these findings, I will then recommend to the Chief of Defence Force proposals that will further enhance the SAF's safety management as well as strengthen its safety culture.

"Open reporting must be a safety norm so that our soldiers and commanders can feel empowered and committed to do open reporting without fear of reprisal."

He added that he also plans to introduce "concrete action" in promoting open reporting, ensuring the quality of safety inspections, and strengthening the safety culture across the SAF. He reiterated that the aim is "zero training fatalities".

BG Tan said while the SAF's fighting units are charged with maintaining operational effectiveness in defending Singapore, they must also uphold high safety standards.

He said: "My office will make independent assessments on the services' safety inspection system. This will ensure that they adopt stringent benchmarks for safety performance and culture of their units."

BG Tan accompanied Chief of Defence Force Melvyn Ong to visit the 295th Battalion, Singapore Artillery on Wednesday (Feb 20), where they were briefed on the safety training for soldiers during their in-camp training.

BG Tan has held a range of senior appointments in Mindef and the SAF, such as Commander Air Defence and Operations Command, director of policy office, and head of air plans.

Mindef, in a statement earlier on Friday, said Brigadier-General Kelvin Khong, who is now Chief of Staff-Joint Staff, will take over from Major-General Mervyn Tan as Chief of Air Force on March 22.

The Inspector-General's Office (IGO) was announced on Jan 31, after the death of operationally ready national serviceman and Singapore actor Aloysius Pang on Jan 23, four days after he was seriously injured in an overseas military exercise.

Mindef said previously that the Inspector-General will have powers to conduct independent audits and promote safety culture across the service and formation headquarters.

He will report jointly to the Permanent Secretary (Defence) and the Chief of Defence Force, and the IGO will submit regular safety performance reports to the Defence Minister.

Training safety in the SAF had attracted increased attention in recent weeks, with Corporal First Class (NS) Pang the fourth training-related death since September 2017.