France's air force chief receives Singapore military award

France's air force chief receives Singapore military award

SINGAPORE - The Chief of Staff of the French Air Force (FAF) General Denis Mercier was conferred Singapore's prestigious military award, the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera), or the Meritorious Service Medal (Military), by President Tony Tan Keng Yam.

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen presented the award to General Mercier at the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) this morning.

Mindef said in a statement that General Mercier received the award in recognition of his outstanding contributions and efforts in forging excellent defence ties between the FAF and the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF).

"The relationship between the two air forces has deepened under General Mercier’s leadership. He has provided strong support for the RSAF’s training in Cazaux Air Base which enabled the RSAF to strengthen its training efforts, produce more capable fighter pilots and meet its training needs. GEN Mercier has also lent invaluable support to greater military-to-military interactions," Mindef added.

Speaking after the investiture, General Mercier said that he felt "sincerely honoured" to have received the award, and that he considered it as a "testimony of the quality of the relationship that exists between the FAF and the RSAF".

General Mercier, who will be in Singapore until tomorrow, had earlier called on Dr Ng, Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Ng Chee Meng and Chief of Air Force Major-General Hoo Cher Mou before the investiture.

He inspected a Guard-of-Honour contingent at the Ministry of Defence on this morning, and will visit Sembawang Air Base and 163 Squadron in the afternoon and 119 Squadron tomorrow.

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