Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean presented the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Overseas Service Medal (OSM) to 59 servicemen this evening. The OSM is awarded to servicemen in recognition of their valuable contributions to the SAF's overseas missions. Of the 59 servicemen who received the awards, 27 received the Bar (Enhanced) to the OSM, which recognises personnel who have participated in the same overseas mission more than once.

Among the medal recipients were members of the Construction Engineering Team, who had recently returned from their deployment to the Bamiyan Province in central Afghanistan. The team had contributed significantly by managing and supervising the construction of the Regional Health Training Centre (RHTC), a one-stop centre for training all healthcare workers in the Bamiyan province. The training centre is expected to provide upgrading and refresher training for more than 80 healthcare workers every month.

Other medal recipients include crew members of the Republic of Singapore Air Force KC-135 that was deployed to the Gulf in support of the multinational reconstruction efforts in Iraq, and officers who had participated in the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) and United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN).

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Teo highlighted the importance of contributing to international security. "The primary mission of the SAF is the defence of Singapore. But we live in an interconnected world, where security problems in a seemingly unconnected part of the world can potentially affect the peace and security of our country and the region around us," he said. "All countries who have the desire to live in peace must do their part to build a more secure and stable international environment. Singapore's participation in multinational peace support missions reflects our commitment to contributing to international security."