General J.J. Singh,
Chief of Army Staff

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.

Email Rahul Singh: rahulsingh@hindustantimes.com