PUBLISHED ONJuly 13, 2026 11:30 PMBYSean LerDeploying Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel overseas in support of the nation's operational and strategic objectives is "a very considered decision" given the risks involved, said Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing on Monday (July 13).
Chan, who is also Coordinating Minister for Public Services, was speaking at the Overseas Service Medal (OSM) presentation ceremony held at the Central Manpower Base, where he presented 39 SAF personnel with the medal.
In a news release on the same day, the Ministry of Defence said the medals were presented to personnel who contributed to counter-piracy operations as part of multi- national efforts to safeguard international shipping lanes, counter-terrorism operations in the Middle East, and other multi-national maritime security operations.
Among the recipients were personnel who contributed to humanitarian aid efforts in the Middle East, including the delivery of aid and airdrop operations alongside other foreign air forces to Gaza from Jordan.
Thanking the family members of SAF servicemen and servicewomen for their support, Chan said that the ceremony, though simple, reminds the armed forces of the importance of and value placed on such operations.
"We do not take it lightly, because every operation involves risk — to the SAF, to our personnel, and to their families.
"For us to make a considered decision to deploy overseas in support of our operational and strategic objectives, it must be carefully weighed," the defence minister explained.
Reflecting on the deployments, Chan said the personnel have achieved the operational objectives that were set for them.
It also allowed the SAF to be benchmarked against the rest of the world.
"When others look at the SAF and make a judgement on whether we can perform the task, they look not just at how we train every day — they look at how we perform under real operational conditions," he said.
Another area in which such deployments are useful is the ability for the SAF to keep getting better.
"We are never complacent that we are the best, or that we have achieved all that we set out to achieve.
"Every time we go on a mission, we bring back new networks and new knowledge to improve the SAF, so that we can keep getting better, every day," the defence minister said.
Also present at the ceremony were Chief of Defence Force Vice Admiral Aaron Beng, Chief of Army Major-General Cai Dexian, Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Sean Wat and senior SAF officers, as well as family members of the 39 OSM recipients.
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