Chief of Defence Force (Singapore)

Head of the Singapore Armed Forces

Chief of Defence Force

Incumbent
Vice-Admiral Aaron Beng

since 24 March 2023

Singapore Armed Forces
Type| Commanding general
Abbreviation| CDF
Reports to| Minister for Defence
Seat| Armed Forces Council[1]
Nominator| Prime Minister of Singapore
Appointer| President of Singapore
Precursor| Chief of the General Staff
Formation|

* 1974; 51 years ago (1974)
(Chief of the General Staff)
* 1990; 35 years ago (1990)
(Chief of Defence Force)

First holder| Lieutenant-General Winston Choo

The Chief of Defence Force is the head of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), who holds the rank of Lieutenant-General or Vice-Admiral.[2] The Chief of Defence Force also serves as the aide-de-camp to the president of Singapore. The current Chief of Defence Force is Aaron Beng.

The position was created in 1974 as Chief of the General Staff, before changing to its current name in May 1990. The first holder of the position was Winston Choo.

The president of Singapore has the power to appoint the Chief of Defence Force, as well as the four service chiefs in the SAF, on the advice of the prime minister, who must consult with the Armed Forces Council (AFC).[1]

## Role

[edit]

The CDF is the operational head of the SAF,[3] and holds a seat on the Armed Forces Council which oversees all matters pertaining to the SAF.[4] In addition, if any of the four service chiefs—the Chief of Army, Chief of Navy, Chief of Air Force or Chief of Digital and Intelligence Service—is unable to carry out his duties, the CDF is tasked to perform those duties in addition to his own. If the CDF is unable to perform his own duties, the Minister of Defence is allowed to select one of the four service chiefs to perform the CDF's duties.[1]

The office of CDF also carries with it a position as one of three full-time aides-de-camp to the President. According to the Singapore Presidential Office website, the position entails handling the President's security and his/her social needs, in addition to other general duties.[5]

A number of powers relating to summary trials for military offences is vested in the CDF. Paragraph 2, Section 62 of the Singapore Armed Forces Act states that any offence in which the accused holds the rank of Colonel or Military Expert 7 is to be referred to the CDF,[6] who can then dismiss the charge, hold a summary trial, or pass the case on to the director of legal services of the SAF,[7] who can in turn instruct the CDF to try the accused.[8]

As head of the SAF, the CDF often makes visits to countries with shared military interests, such as Bahrain,[9] Japan,[10] and Vietnam,[11] and also occasionally hosts foreign military chiefs on official visits.[12]

## List of officeholders (1965–1990)

[edit]

The role of the head of the SAF was first titled as "Director, General Staff" around 1969, and was held by Brigadier-General T. J. D. Campbell,[13] who was previously Head of the Singapore Defence Force (1965–1966), and the Singapore Volunteer Corps (late 1950s–1965) before the independence of Singapore in 1965.[14] Campbell had been acting director since around 1968.[15] Colonel Kirpa Ram Vij was appointed as his successor.[16] According to sources, the position of "Director, General Staff" was considered similar to the position of the present-day CDF,[16] and was equivalent to Chief of Army.[17] A news report from The Straits Times on Campbell's death refers to him as having been "army chief."[15]

In 1974, Colonel Winston Choo was appointed Director, General Staff and promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General.[18] Prior to his appointment, Choo served as Head of Training and Head of Organisation and Plans at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). The title of Director, General Staff was renamed to Chief of the General Staff in 1976, and again in May 1990, the position was renamed to Chief of Defence Force. Choo was promoted to the rank of Major-General in 1978 and subsequently Lieutenant-General in 1988, when he was Chief of the General Staff.[18] Choo retired from the SAF in 1992, after 18 years serving as the head of the SAF.[19]

Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew described Goh Keng Swee as the de facto armed forces chief of staff when the latter was Minister for Defence.[20] Goh had been responsible for evolving the SAF while serving as Minister for Defence from 1965 to 1967.[21][22]

Although Campbell and Vij have both held a position of similar authority, Choo is referred to as the first CDF in a number of MINDEF publications.[23][24]

In the past, the position of Deputy Chief of the General Staff existed,[25] who was tasked to "[work] with troops on the ground,"[26] but there is no deputy position for the present-day CDF in the structure of the SAF.[3]

Name  | Office  | In office  | Role immediately before office  | Ref

|
|
|
|

Goh Keng Swee | Minister for Defence | 1965–1967[note 1] | Minister for Finance | [20]
T. J. D. Campbell | Director, General Staff  | 1968–1969 (acting)
1969–1970  | Principal, St. Stephen's School  | [13][15]
Kirpa Ram Vij | Director, General Staff  | 1970–1974  | Director, Singapore Command and Staff College | [16][17]
Winston Choo | Director, General Staff  | 1974–1976  | Head of Training and Head of Organisation and Plans at the Ministry of Defence | [18]
Winston Choo  | Chief of the General Staff  | 1976–1990  | Director, General Staff  | [18]

## List of chiefs of Defence Force (1990–present)

[edit]

Since the creation of the CDF position in 1990, there have been 11 holders to the position, beginning with Winston Choo, who was already in office as Chief of the General Staff.

No. | Portrait  | Chief of Defence Force | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | Previous office | Later office | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| Choo, WinstonLieutenant-General
Winston Choo
(born 1941)| May 1990| 30 June 1992| 2 years| Army| Chief of the General Staff| Public sector (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)| [18]

| Ping, Ng JuiLieutenant-General
Ng Jui Ping
(1948–2020)| 30 June 1992| 1 July 1995| 3 years, 1 day| Army| Chief of Army| Private sector| [27][28][29]

| Khiang, Bey SooLieutenant-General
Bey Soo Khiang
(born 1955)| 1 July 1995| 1 April 2000| 4 years, 275 days| Air Force| Chief of Air Force| Private sector (Singapore Airlines)| [30]

| Poh, Lim ChuanLieutenant-General
Lim Chuan Poh
(born 1961)| 1 April 2000| 1 April 2003| 3 years, 0 days| Army| Chief of Army| Public sector (Ministry of Education, A*STAR)| [30]

| Chung, Ng YatLieutenant-General
Ng Yat Chung
(born 1961)| 1 April 2003| 23 March 2007| 3 years, 328 days| Army| Chief of Army| Private sector (Temasek Holdings, Neptune Orient Lines, Singapore Press Holdings)| [31]

| Kuek, DesmondLieutenant-General
Desmond Kuek
(born 1963)| 23 March 2007| 1 April 2010| 3 years, 37 days| Army| Chief of Army| Public sector (Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, SMRT Corporation)| [32]

| Hong, Neo KianLieutenant-General
Neo Kian Hong
(born 1964)| 1 April 2010| 27 March 2013| 2 years, 360 days| Army| Chief of Army| Public sector (Ministry of Education, Ministry of Defence, SMRT Corporation)| [33][34][35]

| Meng, Ng CheeLieutenant-General
Ng Chee Meng
(born 1968)| 27 March 2013| 18 August 2015| 2 years, 175 days| Air Force| Chief of Air Force| Minister for Education (Schools), Second Minister for Transport, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, and Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress| [36][37]

| Lim, PerryLieutenant-General
Perry Lim
(born 1972)| 18 August 2015| 23 March 2018| 2 years, 186 days| Army| Chief of Army| Private sector (Royal Golden Eagle)| [37]
10|

| Ong, MelvynLieutenant-General
Melvyn Ong
(born 1975)| 23 March 2018| 24 March 2023| 5 years, 1 day| Army| Chief of Army| Public sector (Ministry of Defence)| [38][39]
11|

| Beng, AaronVice-Admiral
Aaron Beng
(born 1982)| 24 March 2023| Incumbent| 1 year, 337 days| Navy| Chief of Navy| –| [40]

In their retirement citations from the Ministry of Defence,

* Both Bey Soo Khiang and Lim Chuan Poh were cited for having "positioned the SAF to meet the challenges in the 21st century" and for improving the SAF's capacity to use latest technology in advancing the forces' proficiency;[30][31]
* Ng Yat Chung's retirement citation noted that he "successfully commanded the overall deployment of the SAF in peace support operations in East Timor" and disaster relief after both the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake;[32]
* Desmond Kuek was cited for "[leading] the SAF's transformation into a modernised, integrated and networked fighting force"[34] and "significantly [enhancing] the SAF's ability to deal effectively with the evolving security challenges".[33]

## Notes

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chiefs of Defence Force of Singapore.

1. ^ As Minister for Defence, Goh has been described by Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew as the de facto leader of the SAF.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Singapore Armed Forces Act (Cap. 295, 2000 Rev. Ed.) Section 10A. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
2. ^ "SAF Military Ranks - Officers". Singapore Ministry of Defence. 24 April 2010. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2011. "The Chief of Defence Force holds the rank Lieutenant-General (LG) and Service Chiefs hold the rank of Major-General (MG)."
3. ^ a b "MINDEF - About Us - Organisation Structure". Singapore Ministry of Defence. 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 7 August 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
4. ^ Singapore Armed Forces Act (Cap. 295, 2000 Rev. Ed.) Section 8. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
5. ^ "Aides-de-Camp". Istana (President's Office). Archived from the original on 2 June 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
6. ^ Singapore Armed Forces Act (Cap. 295, 2000 Rev. Ed.) Section 62. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
7. ^ Singapore Armed Forces Act (Cap. 295, 2000 Rev. Ed.) Section 65B. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
8. ^ Singapore Armed Forces Act (Cap. 295, 2000 Rev. Ed.) Section 67. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
9. ^ "CP MEETS SINGAPORE CHIEF OF DEFENCE FORCE". Bahrain News Agency. 20 October 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
10. ^ "Courtesy Visit by Singapore Armed Forces Chief of Defence Force". Japan Defense Focus. Japan Self-Defense Force. November 2009. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
11. ^ "Defence co-operation, ties with Singapore appreciated". Vietnam News. dztimes.net. 19 April 2011. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
12. ^ "China's PLA Chief of General Staff visits Singapore". Xinhua. 24 October 2009. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
13. ^ a b "Stories - Profile of Ms Evelyn Tay". Army Museum Singapore. 25 August 2006. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
14. ^ "Defence commander sees cadet display". Straits Times. 13 September 1966. p. 4\. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
15. ^ a b c "Ex-army chief, BG Campbell, dies in Australia". Straits Times. 22 October 1989. p. 17\. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
16. ^ a b c Liew, Derek (7 February 2008). "History - 1966 - The Beginning of SAFTI (Volume 12 Issue 2)". Singapore Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
17. ^ a b Jonas, Patrick (7 January 2011). "In command of his life". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
18. ^ a b c d e "Appointment of Singapore's High Commissioner to South Africa" (Press release). Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 25 July 2001. Archived from the original on 20 October 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
19. ^ "Appointment of Lt-Gen (Retd) Winston Choo as High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea" (Press release). Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 15 March 2000. Archived from the original on 30 October 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
20. ^ a b Lee, Kuan Yew. "Eulogy by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew at the State Funeral Service For The Late Dr Goh Keng Swee at the Singapore Conference Hall, Sunday 23 May 2010". Prime Minister's Office (Singapore). Archived from the original on 13 February 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
21. ^ S Ramesh (1 February 2011). "Goh Keng Swee Command & Staff College unveiled". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 5 February 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
22. ^ Chow, Jermyn (2 February 2001). "SAF institute named after Goh Keng Swee". Straits Times. Archived from the original on 5 February 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
23. ^ Luo, Joel (7 March 2011). "The Singapore Army - News Archive - A Night To Remember – Signals 45th Anniversary Military Dining-In". Singapore Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 10 March 2011. "LG (RET) Winston Choo, who was SAF's first Chief of Defence Force (1974 - 1992)"
24. ^ Quek, Sherlyn (18 September 2008). "SAF Joint Staff celebrates 25 years and beyond". Cyberpioneer. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2011. "Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean was present, together with special guest, Lieutenant-General (LG) (Ret) Winston Choo, Singapore's first Chief of Defence Force (CDF)."
25. ^ "Brigadier General for Home Affairs". Straits Times. 28 August 1982. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
26. ^ "SAF promotes 273 of its best senior officers". Straits Times. 1 July 1986. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
27. ^ "Board of Directors" (PDF). PSA International. 2006. p. 11\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2011. "Lt-Gen (Ret) Ng holds a number of directorships in the private sector"
28. ^ "History - 1967 - School of Artillery". Singapore Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 27 September 2006. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
29. ^ Quek, Sherlyn (21 May 2010). "Glowing tributes to the SAF's founding father". Cyberpioneer. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
30. ^ a b c "Chief of Defence Force Change of Command Parade" (Press release). Singapore Ministry of Defence. 31 March 2000. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
31. ^ a b "Change of Chief of Defence Force and Service Chiefs" (Press release). Singapore Ministry of Defence. 6 February 2003. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
32. ^ a b "Change of Chief of Defence Force and Chief of Army" (Press release). Singapore Ministry of Defence. 6 February 2007. Archived from the original on 28 May 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
33. ^ a b "New Chief of Defence Force for the SAF" (Press release). Singapore Ministry of Defence. 1 April 2010. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
34. ^ a b "Change in Chief of Defence Force and Chief of Army" (Press release). Singapore Ministry of Defence. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
35. ^ "New CEO for SMRT" (Press release). Channel NewsAsia. 18 April 2018. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
36. ^ "New Chief of Defence Force for the SAF" (Press release). Singapore Ministry of Defence. 27 March 2013. Archived from the original on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
37. ^ a b Neo, Chai Chin; Ng, Kelly (31 July 2015). "CDF's retirement prompts speculation over entry to politics". Today. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
38. ^ "Change in Chief of Defence Force and Chief of Army". Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
39. ^ "New SAF Chief of Defence Force". Archived from the original on 27 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
40. ^ "New SAF Chief of Defence Force". MINDEF Singapore. Retrieved 27 March 2023.

* v
* t
* e

Chiefs of defence by country

Chief of Defence

Africa|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* DR Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

states with
limited recognition|

* Somaliland

former|

* Biafra
* Bophuthatswana
* Ciskei
* British Egypt
* Ethiopian Empire
* Rhodesia
* Transkei
* Venda
* Zaire

Americas|

* Antigua and Barbuda
* Argentina
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* Colombia
* Cuba
* Dominican Republic
* Ecuador
* El Salvador
* Guatemala
* Guyana
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Mexico
* Secretariat of National Defense
* Secretariat of the Navy
* Nicaragua
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Suriname
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Asia|

* Afghanistan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* PR of China
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* AJA
* IRGC
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

states with
limited recognition|

* Republic of China (Taiwan)

former|

* Democratic Kampuchea
* Imperial Japan
* Mengjiang
* Manchukuo
* South Vietnam

Europe|

* Albania
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Georgia
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Italy
* Latvia
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* Vatican

states with
limited recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Artsakh
* Kosovo
* Northern Cyprus
* South Ossetia
* Transnistria

former|

* Austria–Hungary
* Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Independent State of Croatia
* Czechoslovakia
* Prussia
* Imperial Germany
* Nazi Germany
* East Germany
* Ottoman Empire
* Russian Empire
* Republika Srpska
* Republic of Serb Krajina
* Soviet Union
* Yugoslavia

Oceania|

* Australia
* Fiji
* New Zealand
* Papua New Guinea
* Tonga
* Vanuatu

Supranational|

* European Union
* NATO

former|

* Warsaw Pact

*[No.]: Number
*[Ref.]: Reference(s)
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template