By Amelia Tan

THE Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and a local university inked a new deal yesterday that will give career soldiers more chances to further their studies.

A 10-year partnership with the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will allow military men and women to pursue master's courses in subjects such as international studies, logistics and management.

Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Desmond Kuek said yesterday that continued education 'will not only boost the level of expertise in the SAF but also help our personnel realise their full potential'.

The courses will also allow SAF personnel, who generally retire in their 40s, to develop skills for life after the armed forces.

The first initiative under the agreement is a joint master's programme between the SAF's Singapore Command and Staff College and NTU.

The eight-year programme is open to bachelor degree holders who have completed a one-year course that trains officers for senior command.

Candidates will be chosen from the new batch of officers, who will start the course in January next year.

Commandant of Safti Military Institute Brigadier-General Jimmy Tan said the master's programme helps both officers and the SAF.

'We will have better-trained people who are able to learn new knowledge at key junctures of their career and apply it in their workplace. At the same time, they will be able to upgrade themselves in terms of knowledge and academic qualifications. It is a win-win situation.'

NTU president Su Guaning said future plans include developing specialised programmes for the SAF in science and technology.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on June 18, 2008.