MOVING UP THE ARMY RANKS

Most dictionaries define a promotion as an act of being raised in position or rank, but to Lieutenant (LTA) (NS) Mohamed Najib Bin Mashuni, his idea of a promotion is having more weight on his shoulders, both literally and figuratively speaking.

The officer commanding of the 731st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (731 SIR), who was promoted to the rank of Captain, was among 735 Army Regulars and Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) who received their certificates of promotion at the Army Promotion Ceremony on 18 Jun.

Explaining what the promotion meant to him, LTA (NS) Najib said: "Besides the additional stripe on my epaulette, the promotion also means more responsibilities to bear and greater expectations from people to perform well."

At the ceremony held at Pasir Laba Camp, Chief of Army Brigadier-General (BG) Chan Chun Sing congratulated the promotees, and said: "This promotion is not just a recognition of your past performance; it's also a recognition of your potential to contribute to the defence of our country, going forward."

BG Chan also paid tribute to employers of NSmen, for their unwavering support towards NS, enabling the NSmen to serve the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) with distinction.

For LTA (NS) Najib, who works as a graduate engineer in Keppel FEL, he appreciates the effort taken by the management in facilitating his annual In-Camp Training (ICT), allowing him to give his best at each ICT.

He said: " think it's important to make the best of our two weeks at ICT, rather than waste it." And it is with this spirit that his company received the the Best Company Award during the past four ICTs.

The ceremony also witnessed the pioneer batch of 50 Army Regulars promoted under the Military Domain Experts Scheme (MDES), as well as the first batch of 20 NSmen promoted to the rank of 3rd Warrant Officer (3WO). Both the MDES and the 3WO rank were introduced in April this year.

Military Expert (ME) 2 Loi Chin Thye, who was promoted to the rank of ME3, told cyberpioneer that his promotion meant deeper specialisation in his skill-sets as a vehicle technician at Headquarters Maintenance and Engineering Support.

Due to take on the role of a Maintenance Management Warrant after his promotion, ME2 Loi said: "I'm going to need more specialisation in engineering skills, and I'll have to keep up with technology when it comes to vehicles." ME2 Loi plans to upgrade his skills include applying for a Continuous Learning Academic Study Scheme (CLASS) award to do an engineering degree next year.

As part of the pioneer batch of 3WO promotees, Master Sergeant (MSG) (NS) Jeffrey Soh, a Headquarters Company Sergeant Major (CSM) from 663 SIR, said: "I feel honoured that the SAF recognises my contribution to the nation."

"As a 3WO, it means I have to work more independently with less supervision from the officers, and I'll also have to exhibit more leadership qualities."

MSG (NS) Soh's Commanding Officer Major (NS) Tan Yeow Tiong affirmed his leadership capabilities and told cyberpioneer: "He's very competent in what he does. As a CSM, he doesn't just direct his men to carry out their duties; he leads by example, which is what commands the respect of his men."

For all promotees at the ceremony, their new ranks will take effect from 1 Jul, in conjunction with SAF Day celebrations.