Developing Leaders for the Third Generation Singapore Army

The Singapore Army is transforming towards a Third Generation fighting force to meet the challenges of the contemporary security environment. As part of this transformation, the Singapore Army needs to review the training and education roadmap of its officers to develop the adaptive leaders required for full spectrum operations. Emphasis must be given to strengthen the professional military education, and develop the intellectual capacity, military ethics, and knowledge of the military profession of the officers. To this end, the Singapore Army needs to establish a singular doctrinal concept that defines the profession of arms in the Singapore context. Various initiatives can be considered to enhance the leadership development of its officers, including the promotion of self-education, unit education program, participation in inter-ministry/agency work attachments and multinational exercises, active management of the civilian education of the military officers, infusion of appropriate levels of broad liberal education at various stages of the military career, continual and high-level emphasis on critical and creative thinking and military ethics, and leveraging on partnerships with established institutions of higher learning to deliver the content for these subjects.