The vast ocean lay shrouded in pre-dawn darkness when Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Aaron Koh and his Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) crew were on en route back to Singapore and encountered an unexpected sight – a towering ball of fire rising from the sea.
Two oil tankers had collided, and the frigate he was on was one of the closest vessels to the explosion site.
As the executive officer of the Formidable-class stealth frigate, RSS Supreme, the 32-year-old had to ensure the ship and her crew were ready to respond to the emergency situation.
The complete darkness at sea, broken only by the flames of the burning vessels, made assessing the full scope of the emergency even more challenging.
In those critical seconds, LTC Koh’s military training kicked in as he rapidly thought through the possibilities – could it have been a terrorist attack, an internal explosion or an accidental collision?
With highly flammable cargo aboard the oil tankers, the threat of secondary explosions was a real concern.
There were still dozens of unknowns at play. Time was running out but the crew had to be ready.
“The RSN, and by extension the SAF, trains to be constantly ready for anything that can happen, even if it is beyond the realm of the actual outbreak of conflict,” says LTC Koh, who is now the commanding officer of the RSS Supreme.
After the rescue craft was deployed as part of the rescue operation, the RSS Supreme saved 22 crew members from the waters 55km north-east of Pedra Branca on July 19, 2024.
For the RSN, “being ready” means more than just responding to emergencies at sea.
Apart from search-and-rescue missions, the RSN’s role extends to protecting Singapore’s sea lines of communication, contributing to regional peace and security, sharpening its capabilities through joint naval exercises and fostering international relationships which LTC Koh refers to as “making friends for our country”.
Such a broad scope of responsibilities requires RSN personnel to undergo varied and intensive training in areas ranging from combat operations and crisis response to advanced navigation and international diplomacy.
For The SAF Scholarship recipients like LTC Koh, their journey includes specialised training and leadership roles that prepare them for higher command. Notably, he is also a recipient of the President’s Scholarship.
The scholarships gave him the opportunity to pursue his degree overseas in the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a bachelor of arts in political science and a bachelor of science in economics.
“When we deploy, the ship is a sovereign asset. We represent the country when we call into a foreign port, flying our flag high.”
– Lieutenant-Colonel Aaron Koh, recipient of The SAF Scholarship and President’s Scholarship
Upon returning to Singapore in 2015, he honed his seafaring and leadership skills through various postings on board the frigates.
Apart from shipboard appointments, LTC Koh also took up various staff appointments including working in the Defence Policy Office and acting as Military Private Secretary (MPS) to Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen.
LTC Koh was also part of the team working on the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between Singapore and Indonesia, as part of an expanded framework between both countries.
“That was interesting because I had a chance to work with the whole Government on certain key issues,” he says of that last experience.
It was a series of agreements across different ministries, he explains, that included an extradition treaty, a flight information region agreement and a defence cooperation agreement.
His experience working on the DCA inspired him to spend a year and a half in Jakarta where he graduated from the Indonesian Navy Command and Staff College (SESKOAL) as the top foreign officer.
As his master’s degree was conducted entirely in Bahasa Indonesia – a language he did not speak a word of – LTC Koh spent the first six months of 2022 learning it from scratch.
Admitting that he is “very, very grateful” to the SAF for the chance to represent the country abroad, he says: “It’s a rare opportunity to have protected time to study and learn a language, and I don’t think many organisations would give you the time to do so.”
His education in Jakarta left him with not just a deeper knowledge of warfighting tactics and military strategy but also a better understanding of Indonesian culture, shaping how he navigates diplomatic relationships today.
Take meetings with his counterparts, for example. LTC Koh explains that communication styles vary by cultural context. Some discussions tend to be more relational in nature.
The diversity in culture has inspired him to broaden his understanding of building effective cross-cultural relationships.
“My experience in Indonesia made me want to understand how to build relations across different cultures and how to thrive in an environment that values that relational aspect so highly,” he says.
Interpreting social cues accurately is also one of the social skills that LTC Koh picked up during his time in Indonesia. This skill has proven invaluable when interacting with counterparts from different backgrounds. “It’s also gone a long way in resolving operational issues on the ground where things could get messy,” he continues.
LTC Koh also emphasises the diplomatic role of the RSN. “When we are deployed for an exercise or mission, the ship is a sovereign asset. Flying our flag high, we represent Singapore when we call into a foreign port,” he explains.
He further notes that nurturing genuine friendships abroad greatly strengthens bilateral relations. “It goes a long way in building good neighbourly relations,” he adds.
| About MINDEF/SAF Scholarships The mission of MINDEF and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is to enhance Singapore’s peace and security through deterrence and diplomacy, and should these fail, to secure a swift and decisive victory over the aggressor. MINDEF/SAF continually seeks talent who are willing to take up the challenge of defending our nation. Taking up a MINDEF/SAF scholarship is a lifelong mission to contribute to the peace and security of Singapore. Answer the higher calling. Defend what matters. |
This article is brought to you by the Ministry of Defence.
