INGAPORE: The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) now has their first female Brigadier-General (BG). Col Gan Siow Huang was one of seven Colonels promoted to the rank of BG and RADM (One -Star) at the annual SAF promotion ceremony on Friday (Jun 26). She will assume her rank on Jul 1.
She was among the first four women to receive the SAF merit scholarship in 1993, and she now heads the Joint Manpower Department. In recent years, she has been making calls for more women to choose the SAF as a career.
Currently, close to 1,500 women hold combat jobs in the SAF, less than 10 per cent of SAF regular personnel. Every year, about 60 women join the army.
She said that women enter the competitive military environment late compared to their male counterparts, but over the years, there has been a gradual increase in confidence in their capabilities.
Despite making history, the SAF's chief recruiter does not believe that her appointment will make it easier for women in the force to advance, "Every individual still has to put in their best. (At the end of the day,) it is still which individual is best for the job."
The mother of three added that family support has been critical for her to get to where she is today. Her in-laws and her husband, a former regular, have both pitched in to help with the care of her young daughters who are between the ages of three and eleven.
"Being able to go to work everyday is a bonus, so I make every single day count," she adds.
In total, SAF is promoting 413 officers, 74 military experts and 34 warrant officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force this year. They include Regulars and Operationally Ready National Servicemen.
Military expert (ME7) Cheong Han Kwok Francis was also promoted to ME8, a rank equivalent to a Brigadier-General or One -Star Rear Admiral. The rank of military expert is unique to Singapore. The job scope was introduced in 2009 to develop expertise and specialisation in key areas like engineering and intelligence.
He said: ""There's slowly greater recognition, not just from the man in the street, the people whom we meet, but also from our foreign counterparts, who in the initial days were fairly unfamiliar with our ranks. But today, they can see the rank and do the read across fairly seamlessly."
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/saf-promotes-first-female/1942582.html?cid=fbsg
She was among the first four women to receive the SAF merit scholarship in 1993, and she now heads the Joint Manpower Department. In recent years, she has been making calls for more women to choose the SAF as a career.
Currently, close to 1,500 women hold combat jobs in the SAF, less than 10 per cent of SAF regular personnel. Every year, about 60 women join the army.
She said that women enter the competitive military environment late compared to their male counterparts, but over the years, there has been a gradual increase in confidence in their capabilities.
Despite making history, the SAF's chief recruiter does not believe that her appointment will make it easier for women in the force to advance, "Every individual still has to put in their best. (At the end of the day,) it is still which individual is best for the job."
The mother of three added that family support has been critical for her to get to where she is today. Her in-laws and her husband, a former regular, have both pitched in to help with the care of her young daughters who are between the ages of three and eleven.
"Being able to go to work everyday is a bonus, so I make every single day count," she adds.
In total, SAF is promoting 413 officers, 74 military experts and 34 warrant officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force this year. They include Regulars and Operationally Ready National Servicemen.
Military expert (ME7) Cheong Han Kwok Francis was also promoted to ME8, a rank equivalent to a Brigadier-General or One -Star Rear Admiral. The rank of military expert is unique to Singapore. The job scope was introduced in 2009 to develop expertise and specialisation in key areas like engineering and intelligence.
He said: ""There's slowly greater recognition, not just from the man in the street, the people whom we meet, but also from our foreign counterparts, who in the initial days were fairly unfamiliar with our ranks. But today, they can see the rank and do the read across fairly seamlessly."
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/saf-promotes-first-female/1942582.html?cid=fbsg
