Staying Together During the Pandemic
Like many families in Singapore, LG Ong and his family had to stay home during most of the pandemic – and like most families, tried to make the best of the situation.
“The house was noisier, but it was a happy noise. We ate together more often; we watched more movies together. Like many families, we found ways to entertain each other at home,” the father of three says.
He added that he and his family went for a lot more walks, exploring park connectors and other parts of Singapore. COVID-19 has definitely brought the family closer together.
“Now that the national COVID-19 posture has loosened, my children have reacquainted themselves with the programmes with their friends. But I do see that they still look forward to spending some time with us, which is nice.”
Moving Forward Post-Pandemic
While the pandemic is not yet over, and the SAF continues to stay vigilant, the SAF will also evolve to meet Singapore’s future security needs.
“From the pandemic, we now have a clearer sense of which parts of the SAF are more core than others, and how to make them more resilient to external shocks in order to be business-as-usual at all times,” LG Ong says.
“We have also established good relationships with our whole-of-government partners, and I hope that we can continue to find ways to exercise these parts regularly.”
One of the goals LG Ong has set for the SAF during the pandemic, besides keeping its operations and training running, was to look ahead and transform the SAF for a more complex and contested future operating environment.
To that end, the SAF has plans to build its new 4th Service – the Digital and Intelligence Service – to complement the Army, Navy and Air Force.
“The new service will defend the digital battlespace, which is the new frontier, and build new capabilities for a digital SAF,” LG Ong shares.