PUBLISHED ONAugust 19, 2026 10:10 AMUPDATEDAugust 19, 2026 11:02 AMBYSean LerFormer Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia on Tuesday (Aug 18) for his "distinguished service" to bilateral defence relations between both countries.
The award, Australia's second-highest civilian order, is given to non-Australians in recognition of their outstanding achievement and service.
There are two divisions of the award — military and general — and it has four levels: Companion of the Order, Officer of the Order, Member of the Order and Medal of the Order.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Australia Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles said the award is in recognition of Dr Ng's contribution to the Australia-Singapore bilateral relationship.
Dr Ng was conferred the award by Governor-General Sam Mostyn at a ceremony held at the Government House in Canberra.
In his acceptance speech, Dr Ng said the award reflects years of hard work by previous ministers, key personnel from the two countries' ministries and militaries, who had nurtured defence ties across decades.
"There is genuine and obvious warm affection between our two militaries and ministries," Dr Ng said, citing what the Australian deputy prime minister once remarked to him.
And the engagements have neither been tokenistic nor superficial, he said, noting that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) have operated shoulder-to-shoulder in some of the most demanding circumstances and challenges.
This includes the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan from 2007 to 2013, and when the SAF led the multinational counter-piracy Combined Task Force 151 in the Gulf of Aden in 2018.
More saliently, Dr Ng said, is the deep trust between both countries, with Australia opening its facilities for military training to Singapore.
For example, beyond the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland, the former minister recalled how he had raised the prospect of a rotational fighter training detachment for the Republic of Singapore Air Force to Marles.
"That we went from that conversation to receiving Australia’s in-principle support in just six months is a vivid reflection of the depth and trust – the strategic trust – between our two nations," Dr Ng said.
Addressing why the relationship has been "easy and productive", he said this is because the two countries have taken "extra pains" to look out for one another's interests and well-being.
"That mutual concern, cultivated through the years, now permeates through the rank and file of our defence establishments," he added.
On what the future holds for the two countries, Dr Ng said: "No one can be certain what the future brings, but we know for a fact that strong and dependable friendships like what we have in Australia will help both nations weather the storms ahead."
During his visit, Dr Ng also delivered a speech at the Richard Woolcott Lecture 2026 on Wednesday, where he shared his perspectives on the evolving geopolitical landscape.
The annual lecture series, launched by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Asia Society Australia, honours the legacy of one of Australia's most accomplished diplomats, Richard Woolcott.
Each year, the lecture invites a prominent Asian figure to offer a regional perspective on Australia, with the theme reflecting Woolcott's lifelong commitment to deepening Australia's understanding of, and relationship with, the region.
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