Chan served in the
Singapore Army from 1987 to 2011. His appointments included Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battalion,
Singapore Infantry Regiment (1998–2000), Army Attaché in
Jakarta (2001–03), Commander of the 10th Singapore Infantry Brigade (2003–04), Head of the Joint Plans and Transformation Department (2005–07), Commander of the 9th Division / Chief Infantry Officer (2007–09),
[10] and Chief of Staff – Joint Staff (2009–10).
Chan excelled as a student at the
United States Army Command and General Staff College in 1998, and was the first foreign student to be conferred the Distinguished Master Strategist Award in the same year.
[11]
On 26 March 2010, Chan was appointed
Chief of Army. He stepped down from his post and left the Singapore Armed Forces on 25 March 2011 in order to participate in the
2011 general election.
[12]