Chief of Defence Force (Singapore)
Encyclopedia
The Chief of Defence Force (CDF; ) of Singapore
is the head of the Singapore Armed Forces
(SAF), who holds the rank of three-star
general or admiral. The position was created in 1974 as the Chief of General Staff with the appointment of Winston Choo
, and re-titled to its current name in May 1990. Prior to the appointment of Choo as Chief of General Staff, the Ministry of Defence
(and before that the Ministry of Interior and Defence
) was in charge of the Singapore Armed Forces. Before the position was created, the head of Singapore's army—which at that time made up the military—held the position of director, general staff.
The President of Singapore
has the power to appoint each new CDF (as well as new heads of each of the three services in the SAF) on the advice of the Prime Minister of Singapore
, who in turn must consult with the Armed Forces Council, on which the CDF sits. The CDF also maintains a role as an aide-de-camp to the President.
The position has been held by Lieutenant-General
(LG) Neo Kian Hong
, the seventh CDF, since 1 April 2010. Neo is the first CDF to be a qualified Ranger.
The office of CDF also carries with it a position as one of three full-time aides-de-camp
to the President. According to the Singapore Presidential Office website, the position entails handling the President's security and his social needs, in addition to other general duties.
A number of powers relating to summary trial
s for military offences is vested in the CDF. Title 2, Section 62 of the Singapore Armed Forces Act states that any offence in which the accused holds the rank
of Colonel or Military Expert 7 is to be referred to the CDF, who can then dismiss the charge, hold a summary trial, or pass the case on to the director of legal services of the SAF, who can in turn instruct the CDF to try the accused.
As head of the SAF, the CDF often makes visits to countries with shared military interests, such as Bahrain
, Japan
, and Vietnam
, and also occasionally hosts foreign military chiefs on official visits.
In 1974, then-Colonel Winston Choo
was given the appointment of chief of general staff, having previously been a departmental head at the Ministry of Defence
. In May 1990 the position was re-titled to its current name, with Choo, now a Lieutenant-General, still in office. He had been promoted to each of the general ranks in 1974, 1978 and 1988. Choo stepped down in 1992, after 18 years at the head of the SAF.
Lee Kuan Yew
, who was prime minister of Singapore in the 1970s, has described Goh Keng Swee
as being the de facto armed forces chief of staff when the latter was Minister for Defence. Dr Goh is considered to be the founder of the modern SAF, having been responsible for developing the SAF as defence minister from 1965–1967.
Although Campbell and Vij have both held a position of similar authority, Choo is referred to as the first CDF in a number of MINDEF publications.
In the past, there also existed a Deputy Chief of General Staff who was tasked to "[work] with troops on the ground", but there is no deputy position for the present-day Chief of Defence Force in the structure of the Singapore Armed Forces.
All six previous office-holders have left military service.
In their retirement citations from the Ministry of Defence, both Bey and Lim were cited for having "positioned the SAF to meet the challenges in the 21st century" and for improving the SAF's capacity to use latest technology in advancing the forces' proficiency; Ng Yat Chung's retirement citation noted that he "successfully commanded the overall deployment of the SAF in peace support operations in East Timor
" and disaster relief after both the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and the May 2006 Java earthquake
; and Kuek was cited for "(leading) the SAF's transformation into a modernised, integrated and networked fighting force" and "significantly (enhancing) the SAF's ability to deal effectively with the evolving security challenges".
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
is the head of the Singapore Armed Forces
Singapore Armed Forces
The Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of the Republic of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
(SAF), who holds the rank of three-star
3 star rank
An officer of three-star rank is a very senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-8. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members...
general or admiral. The position was created in 1974 as the Chief of General Staff with the appointment of Winston Choo
Winston Choo
Lieutenant General Winston Choo Wee Leong is a retired Singaporean general who served as the first Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces from 1974 to 1992. He is currently Singapore's ambassador to Israel.-Career:...
, and re-titled to its current name in May 1990. Prior to the appointment of Choo as Chief of General Staff, the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Singapore)
The Ministry of Defence is a ministry of the Government of Singapore entrusted with overseeing the national defence needs of the Republic of Singapore. It is the headquarters of the Singapore Armed Forces...
(and before that the Ministry of Interior and Defence
Ministry of Interior and Defence
The Ministry of Interior and Defence of Singapore was set up in 1965, with Dr. Goh Keng Swee as the first Minister. The Ministry was responsible for both internal and external security, controlling both the Police Force and the Armed Forces....
) was in charge of the Singapore Armed Forces. Before the position was created, the head of Singapore's army—which at that time made up the military—held the position of director, general staff.
The President of Singapore
President of Singapore
The President of the Republic of Singapore is Singapore's head of state. In a Westminster parliamentary system, as which Singapore governs itself, the prime minister is the head of the government while the position of president is largely ceremonial. Before 1993, the President of Singapore was...
has the power to appoint each new CDF (as well as new heads of each of the three services in the SAF) on the advice of the Prime Minister of Singapore
Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
, who in turn must consult with the Armed Forces Council, on which the CDF sits. The CDF also maintains a role as an aide-de-camp to the President.
The position has been held by Lieutenant-General
Singapore Armed Forces ranks
The Singapore Armed Forces has two rank structures.One rank structure is similar to that of other military in other country. One major difference is that the SAF uses a unified rank structure, with identical rank names and insignia throughout the Army, Navy, and Air Force. For example, traditional...
(LG) Neo Kian Hong
Neo Kian Hong
Lieutenant-General Neo Kian Hong is the Chief of Defence Force and former Chief of the Singapore Army. He was Chief of Army from March 20, 2007 to March 26, 2010....
, the seventh CDF, since 1 April 2010. Neo is the first CDF to be a qualified Ranger.
Role
The CDF is the operational head of the SAF, and holds a seat on the Armed Forces Council which oversees all matters pertaining to the SAF. In addition, if any of the three service chiefs – the Chief of Army, Navy or Air Force – is unable to carry out his duties, the CDF is tasked to perform those duties in addition to his own. If the CDF is unable to perform his own duties, the Minister of Defence is allowed to select one of the three service chiefs to perform the CDF's duties.The office of CDF also carries with it a position as one of three full-time aides-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the President. According to the Singapore Presidential Office website, the position entails handling the President's security and his social needs, in addition to other general duties.
A number of powers relating to summary trial
Summary (law)
Summary, in law, forms many compounds as an adjective meaning "short, concise":*Summary abatement, the abatement of a nuisance without judicial proceeding, even without notice or hearing, often by a destruction of the offending thing or structure...
s for military offences is vested in the CDF. Title 2, Section 62 of the Singapore Armed Forces Act states that any offence in which the accused holds the rank
Singapore Armed Forces ranks
The Singapore Armed Forces has two rank structures.One rank structure is similar to that of other military in other country. One major difference is that the SAF uses a unified rank structure, with identical rank names and insignia throughout the Army, Navy, and Air Force. For example, traditional...
of Colonel or Military Expert 7 is to be referred to the CDF, who can then dismiss the charge, hold a summary trial, or pass the case on to the director of legal services of the SAF, who can in turn instruct the CDF to try the accused.
As head of the SAF, the CDF often makes visits to countries with shared military interests, such as Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, and also occasionally hosts foreign military chiefs on official visits.
Leadership of the SAF before 1990
The role of the head of the SAF was titled director, general staff around 1969, and was held by Brigadier T.J. Campbell, who had previously been head of the Singapore Defence Force and the Singapore Volunteer Corps before Singapore's independence. Campbell had been acting director since some time in 1968. Colonel Kirpa Ram Vij was appointed his successor. According to sources, the position of director, general staff was considered "similar" to the position of the present-day CDF, and was equivalent to the head of army. A Straits Times report on Campbell's death refers to him as having been "army chief".In 1974, then-Colonel Winston Choo
Winston Choo
Lieutenant General Winston Choo Wee Leong is a retired Singaporean general who served as the first Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces from 1974 to 1992. He is currently Singapore's ambassador to Israel.-Career:...
was given the appointment of chief of general staff, having previously been a departmental head at the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Singapore)
The Ministry of Defence is a ministry of the Government of Singapore entrusted with overseeing the national defence needs of the Republic of Singapore. It is the headquarters of the Singapore Armed Forces...
. In May 1990 the position was re-titled to its current name, with Choo, now a Lieutenant-General, still in office. He had been promoted to each of the general ranks in 1974, 1978 and 1988. Choo stepped down in 1992, after 18 years at the head of the SAF.
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...
, who was prime minister of Singapore in the 1970s, has described Goh Keng Swee
Goh Keng Swee
Goh Keng Swee was the second Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 1973 and 1984, and a Member of Parliament for the Kreta Ayer constituency for a quarter of a century. Born in Malacca in the Straits Settlements into a Peranakan family, he came to Singapore at the age of two years...
as being the de facto armed forces chief of staff when the latter was Minister for Defence. Dr Goh is considered to be the founder of the modern SAF, having been responsible for developing the SAF as defence minister from 1965–1967.
Although Campbell and Vij have both held a position of similar authority, Choo is referred to as the first CDF in a number of MINDEF publications.
In the past, there also existed a Deputy Chief of General Staff who was tasked to "[work] with troops on the ground", but there is no deputy position for the present-day Chief of Defence Force in the structure of the Singapore Armed Forces.
| Name | Office | In office | Role immediately before office | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goh Keng Swee Goh Keng Swee Goh Keng Swee was the second Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 1973 and 1984, and a Member of Parliament for the Kreta Ayer constituency for a quarter of a century. Born in Malacca in the Straits Settlements into a Peranakan family, he came to Singapore at the age of two years... |
Minister of Defence Ministry of Defence (Singapore) The Ministry of Defence is a ministry of the Government of Singapore entrusted with overseeing the national defence needs of the Republic of Singapore. It is the headquarters of the Singapore Armed Forces... |
1965–1967As Minister of Defence, Goh has been described by Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades... as being the de facto leader of the SAF. |
Minister of Finance Ministry of Finance (Singapore) The Ministry of Finance , is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for administering and regulating financial institutions and structures of the economy of Singapore. It is headed by the Minister for Finance... |
|
| T. J. D. Campbell | Director, General Staff | 1968–1969 (acting) 1969–1970 |
Non-military | |
| Kirpa Ram Vij | Director, General Staff | 1970–1974 | Director, Singapore Command and Staff College | |
| Winston Choo Winston Choo Lieutenant General Winston Choo Wee Leong is a retired Singaporean general who served as the first Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces from 1974 to 1992. He is currently Singapore's ambassador to Israel.-Career:... |
Chief of General Staff | 1974–May 1990 | Departmental head at Mindef Ministry of Defence (Singapore) The Ministry of Defence is a ministry of the Government of Singapore entrusted with overseeing the national defence needs of the Republic of Singapore. It is the headquarters of the Singapore Armed Forces... |
Chiefs of Defence Force since 1990
Since the appointment of CDF was established in 1990 there have been seven holders of the position, beginning with Winston Choo who was already in office as Chief of General Staff.| No. | Name | In office | Pre-CDF role | Post-CDF career | Service/Formation | Notes/Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winston Choo Winston Choo Lieutenant General Winston Choo Wee Leong is a retired Singaporean general who served as the first Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces from 1974 to 1992. He is currently Singapore's ambassador to Israel.-Career:... |
May 1990–1992 | Chief of General Staff | Diplomat | Army Singapore Army The Singapore Army is the branch of the Singapore Armed Forces responsible for land operations. It is the largest of the three armed services and heavily reliant on a conscript army, comprising the majority of Singapore's Operationally Ready National Servicemen .-Capabilities:The mission of the... /Signals Singapore Signals The Signals Formation of the Singapore Armed Forces is a combat support arm tasked with providing communication on multiple platforms and local networking within the battlefield, as well as with supporting the SAF's third generation transformation efforts by developing the capacity for... |
|
| 2 | Ng Jui Ping Ng Jui Ping Lieutenant General Ng Jui Ping was the 2nd Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces from 1992 - 1995.-Career:LG Ng Jui Ping spent a total of 30 years with the Singapore Armed Forces... |
1992–1 July 1995 | Chief of Army | Private sector | Army/Artillery Singapore Artillery The Singapore Artillery is a formation of the Singapore Army. It consists of four regular battalions and a number of National Service and Reservist battalions. The primary role of the Artillery is to deliver timely, accurate and effective fire in support of the manoeuvre force to accomplish its... |
|
| 3 | Bey Soo Khiang Bey Soo Khiang Lieutenant General Bey Soo Khiang was the 3rd Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces from 1995 - 1 April 2000 and the first Republic of Singapore Air Force officer to reach three-star rank... |
1 July 1995–1 April 2000 | Chief of Air Force | Private sector | Air Force Republic of Singapore Air Force The Republic of Singapore Air Force is the air arm of the Singapore Armed Forces. It was first established in 1968 as the Singapore Air Defence Command... |
|
| 4 | Lim Chuan Poh Lim Chuan Poh Lim Chuan Poh is a retired Singaporean general who was the 4th Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces between 2000 and 2003... |
1 April 2000–1 April 2003 | Chief of Army | Civil sector | Army/Infantry Singapore Infantry Regiment The Singapore Infantry Regiment is the main formation of the Singapore Army. It consists of eight full-time battalions and a number of National Service , or Reservist battalions.-History:... |
|
| 5 | Ng Yat Chung Ng Yat Chung Ng Yat Chung 伍逸松, was Singapore's 5th Chief of Defence Force from 1 April 2003 to 23 March 2007. He was an artillery officer. Ng was an alumnus of Victoria School and Hwa Chong Junior College, and was also a recipient of the SAF Overseas Scholarship. He read mathematics at Cambridge University and... |
1 April 2003–23 March 2007 | Chief of Army | Civil sector | Army/Artillery | |
| 6 | Desmond Kuek Bak Chye Desmond Kuek Bak Chye Lieutenant General Desmond Kuek Bak Chye was the 6th Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces. He relinquished his appointment to Major General Neo Kian Hong on 31 Mar 2010.He received his then-appointment as Chief of Defense Force on 23 March 2007, taking over from Lieutenant... |
23 March 2007–1 April 2010 | Chief of Army | Civil sector | Army/Armour | |
| 7 | Neo Kian Hong Neo Kian Hong Lieutenant-General Neo Kian Hong is the Chief of Defence Force and former Chief of the Singapore Army. He was Chief of Army from March 20, 2007 to March 26, 2010.... |
1 April 2010–present | Chief of Army | Incumbent | Army/Guards Singapore Guards In the Singapore Armed Forces, the Guards are an elite infantry formation specializing in rapid deployment. Guards are known as elite heliborne troopers. They are well trained in heliborne operations and specialist combat skills that give them an added combat edge... |
Neo was due to take over from Kuek on 31 March, but the actual change of command only took place a day later. |
All six previous office-holders have left military service.
In their retirement citations from the Ministry of Defence, both Bey and Lim were cited for having "positioned the SAF to meet the challenges in the 21st century" and for improving the SAF's capacity to use latest technology in advancing the forces' proficiency; Ng Yat Chung's retirement citation noted that he "successfully commanded the overall deployment of the SAF in peace support operations in East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
" and disaster relief after both the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and the May 2006 Java earthquake
May 2006 Java earthquake
The May 2006 Java earthquake occurred at 05:54 local time on 27 May 2006 , in the Indian Ocean around south-southwest of the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, near Galur, on the southern side of the island of Java , 10 km below the seabed, with a magnitude of 6.2, according to the U.S....
; and Kuek was cited for "(leading) the SAF's transformation into a modernised, integrated and networked fighting force" and "significantly (enhancing) the SAF's ability to deal effectively with the evolving security challenges".