New touch-screen General takes over pencil pusher General.

[Watchman]

New touch-screen General takes over pencil pusher General.

Major-General Neo Kian Hong (right), currently Chief of Army, will take over as Chief of Defence Force from Lieutenant-General Desmond Kuek Bak Chye (left). -- PHOTOS: MINDEF

THE Singapore Armed Forces will get a new chief when Lieutenant-General Desmond Kuek Bak Chye relinquishes his appointment in March.

Lt-Gen Kuek, 46, who has held the post since 2007, will be returning to the administrative service.

The current Chief of Army Major-General Neo Kian Hong, 46, will assume the appointment as the new Chief of Defence Force on March 31.

The changes are part of the continuing process of leadership renewal in the SAF, said the Ministry of Defence in a statement on Friday.

Since he enlisted in 1981, Lt-Gen Kuek has served the SAF 'with distinction' in appointments such as the Commanding Officer of the 41st Battalion Singapore Armoured Regiment, Mindef's Head of Defence Studies Department and Assistant Chief of the General Staff (Operations).

As the SAF chief, he led 'the SAF's transformation into a modernised, integrated and networked fighting force capable of carrying out a wider spectrum of operations', said Mindef.

 

[ps07857]

that other officer that got court martial last week... was probably groomed to be the next successor in another 10 years or so ......


http://www.singsupplies.com/showthread.php?p=377651#post377651

 

[scroobal]

How do you transform anything when you hold the position for about 2 to 3 years. If he led 'the SAF's transformation into a modernised, integrated and networked fighting force capable of carrying out a wider spectrum of operations', what did his predecessor do - eat chendol and play war games.

 

[KuanTi01]

From one PG to another PG-it's more of the same!. In SAF parlance, we call it lanpar = parlan! kekeke!

 

[Leongsam]

If these are the sorts of guys who are going to fight your wars for you, I offer my sincere sympathies to the whole nation.

I hope the FTs appreciate what their adopted country is doing for them. :p

 

[Watchman]

If these are the sorts of guys who are going to fight your wars for you, I offer my sincere sympathies to the whole nation.

I hope the FTs appreciate what their adopted country is doing for them. :p

These are the guys who are commanders , organizing and
controlling the troops . Guess they won't be fighting on the front-lines .

 

[DrPanacea]

How do you transform anything when you hold the position for about 2 to 3 years. If he led 'the SAF's transformation into a modernised, integrated and networked fighting force capable of carrying out a wider spectrum of operations', what did his predecessor do - eat chendol and play war games.

It is exactly the fear of them transforming anything that these generals have a 2-3 year shelf-life. They may get too wise and start a revolution haha. So safer to groom them to be National Day Parade furniture.

 

[DrPanacea]

These are the guys who are commanders , organizing and
controlling the troops . Guess they won't be fighting on the front-lines .

They should be sent quietly to the frontline in Afghanistan and Iraq to help the coalition forces fight terrorists. The SAF would benefit more this way.

 

[scroobal]

Good point.

It is exactly the fear of them transforming anything that these generals have a 2-3 year shelf-life. They may get too wise and start a revolution haha. So safer to groom them to be National Day Parade furniture.

 

[elephanto]

It is exactly the fear of them transforming anything that these generals have a 2-3 year shelf-life. They may get too wise and start a revolution haha. So safer to groom them to be National Day Parade furniture.

In the early days, Chief Defence Force Maj Gen Winston Choo serves as then CGS for abt 20 yrs. Then his successor eventual Lt Gen Ng Jui Peng & after that .. I can't even remember.

My point is the Army Chiefs over the years serve for shorter & shorter stints.

Why ?

SAF Scholarships I believe were created to provided educated talent for a fledgling defence force.

Then the army grew, matured & has to be kept professional, updated,modern & motivated.

To allow scholars to have meaningful careers, they are tracked. If young overseas SAF scholars are kept cooling their heels too long, SAF might lose them to Private Sector.

So to keep their career prospects bright, top man must make way quicker to let promising younger lot come up & take over.

The classic "Yangtze back waves push front waves ' Chinese sayings.

Then defence heads go where ?

(A) BG Lee & BG George Yeo led the way to go into politics ( Col Lim Hng Kiang, RAdm Teo Chee Hean next ...).

(B) The other track is of course still the elite Admin Service, going to become PS in other ministries (e.g. French cuisine lover Tan Yong Soon)

(C) outside of govt, but into GLCs , stat boards etc Like BG Lee Hsien Yang parachuted into Singtel. The rest to JTC, Semcorp etc

This need to keep a portion of every cohort's talent within public service is a pillar of Old Man's PAP creed for Spore's success.

Hence, the revolving door of the post of Top man of Defence Force is turning at ever faster spin - 2-3/3-4 years for every CDF.

Much as PM Lee noted that Woody took 14 yrs from entering politics to become PM & stayed PM for 14 years, he himself entered politics in 1984, took 20 years to become PM & will probably be PM for 14 yrs or less - in short he wants to institutionalise PAP's political service traditions.

As opposed to US style national leaders. Obama before President ? Senator for only 1 term 1 think. Cabinet Secretaries (US ministers) ? serve at the pleasure of the President - what long term planning ?

I suspect Spore will eventually tend towards US style traditions.

Eventually especially after Old Man long gone, ministers will serve for at most 2 times then return to private sector (MNCs) or 'private sector' (GLCs).

Very much like what current Defence Force Chiefs or Army/Navy/Air Force Chiefs' length of term.

Why?

Because by then ambition can be unbridled & open, like in Japan.

If I think I can't be top man (PM), then why be minister forever ?

Cut the crap on teamwork, all serve not out of personal ambition as is the mantra of the current GCT-LHL generation under watchful eyes of LKY.

Done my bit of public service, back to the big bucks & privacy of private sector with my public sector contacts & network still valuable....

Already this is happening - Hon Sui Sen died in office, Teh Cheang Wan (oops, not him). Rajaratnam, Goh Keng Swee, jayakumar all serve until retirement.

Dhana & Tony Tan left ( & would not have return if not for cancer to Ong Teng Cheong & BG Lee then).

Medium length stint ministers : Yeo Ning Hong, Dr Lee Boon Yang

Short stint ministers : Hong Hai, David Lim,

Left due to incompetence (?) : Yeo Cheow Tong, Lee Yoke Suan,

Musical Chairs of present day Generals ==>> Musical Chairs of future generation ministers...

 

[VIBGYOR]

We need soldiers like him to invade Malaysia!

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