Singhs a roaring success in Singapore army
Rahul Singh
New Delhi, December 1, 2006
General JJ Singh became the mascot of the Sikh community when he
took over the reins of the army last year. And now the Singhs are
roaring out loud in Lion City, Singapore, making their presence
felt in the island-nation's Armed Forces (SAF).
Ravinder Singh has become the first Sikh to rise to the rank of
brigadier general and assume the command of a frontline formation -
the 6th Singapore Division. This is one of the SAF's three Combined
Arms Division that has elements of infantry, armour, artillery,
combat engineers, signals and air defence artillery.
SAF's web publication cyberpioneer quotes Ravinder Singh as saying,
"Having enjoyed the challenges my career has given me, this
promotion is really the icing on the cake. Work hard, do your best,
and the SAF will definitely reward you accordingly - with
challenging duties and ample recognition."
The SAF has a career military force of about 20,000, supplemented
by 30,000 personnel on active national service and almost three
lakh reservists. The ethnicity in Singapore's population is
sufficiently reflected in the armed forces, which account for
almost 8-10 per cent soldiers of Indian origin.
Singh's leap into prominence only re-emphasises the contribution
these soldiers have made to the SAF. Singapore's first defence
adviser in India, Colonel Perdit Kumar Tiwari, is also of Indian
origin.
The genius of a battery of officers who trace their roots to India
is shining brightly in the SAF. Lieutenant Colonel Deep Singh, for
instance, served as Singapore's first military consultant to the
United Nations.
In 2003, Lieutenant Colonel Sukhvinder Singh Chopra led an SAF
contingent to the Middle East, as part of Singapore's contribution
to multinational reconstruction effort in Iraq. More recently,
Lieutenant Colonel Jaspal Singh Sidhu was the 'Mother Goose'
responsible for controlling the fighter aircraft display at the
National Day Parade 2006.
It's evident that ethnic background does not matter in the SAF -
there are equal opportunities for the Chinese, Malays and
Indians.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/5967_1857332,001600060004.htm
