31 awarded SAF scholarships

SINGAPORE - A total of 31 recipients were awarded their Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) scholarships last evening.

Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen handed out six SAF Overseas Scholarships (SAFOS), 18 SAF Merit Scholarships (SMS) and seven Defence Merit Scholarships (DMS) at a ceremony held at the Istana.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Ng underscored the importance of having a strong and credible SAF to ensure the peace and security of Singapore. He also spoke about the high expectations and heavy responsibilities which come with the prestige of being a defence scholar.

He said: "As the ultimate guarantor of Singapore's security, you are now part of the SAF in MINDEF, you must make SAF remain a strong and credible force to protect us against all security threats and to give Singaporeans the confidence that our homeland and loved ones are safe. In accepting these scholarships today, you have pledged yourselves to serve this noble cause."

Introduced in 1971, 1983 and 2002 respectively, the SAFOS, SMS and DMS aim to recruit top students from each cohort of school-leavers to join the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) and SAF.

This year's scholarship recipients, who have demonstrated academics excellence and outstanding leadership qualities, will be pursuing their undergraduate studies at reputable local and overseas universities.

Upon completion of their tertiary education, the SAFOS and SMS recipients will return to the armed forces to assume a variety of challenging appointments that will groom them for senior command and leadership positions in the Mindef and SAF. The DMS recipients will return from their studies as Defence Executive Officers. They will be groomed for senior management positions in Mindef by taking on varied job challenges to hone their skills in critical defence areas.

huizhen@sph.com.sg