THE NS SYSTEM: BEYOND THE ORDER OF BATTLE (ORBAT)

When the satellite site concept was developed for NDP 2021, one of the venues the NDP Show's Creative Advisors thought of was Jewel @ Changi. The Rain Vortex would be a stunning backdrop for a performance by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). But there were challenges. The Changi Airport COVID-19 cluster had closed only recently but there was great urgency to start filming in two weeks' time. There were other issues, such as the nearby shops losing business from having to close during filming, and the unique water flow and lighting arrangements requested by the Creative Advisors.

With limited time, the SAF overcame the challenges by tapping on our NSmen. When the Creative Advisors suggested Jewel as a suitable location for the SSO performance, the NDP 2021 Multimedia Committee immediately reached out to MAJ (NS) Jayson Goh, Senior Vice President for Airport Operations Management in Changi Airport Group. As an NSman who serves in the RSAF 160 Squadron, he was sympathetic to the Multimedia Committee's predicament, and also saw an opportunity for Jewel to be part of a unique NDP. He readily rallied the team at Changi Airport Group to help make the Creative Advisors' vision a reality. With their help, the Committee managed to organise and film the performance without any hitch. This example demonstrated how National Service is not only for staffing our military ORBAT but also a network that we can leverage to harness Whole-of-Nation (WoN) efforts in support of our mission. This ability to tap on a wide range of levers is a key pillar of agileness that enables the SAF to respond with dexterity when it needs to.

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra performing at Jewel @ Changi, a satellite location of NDP 2021.
Source: NDP 2021 Media Team

LOOKING AHEAD

Leaders in the SAF will have to grapple with more volatility, uncertainty and ambiguity in the more complex future, even in peacetime training and operations that go beyond organising NDPs. We have to undergird ourselves with a willingness and readiness to embrace agileness in all its forms. Such a mindset includes finding new and innovative ways of working that enhance speed, adaptability, learning and collaboration, even as we constantly identify and hone core strengths that support effective and agile responses. Only through agileness, characterised by both speed and stability, can we thrive in a VUCA-D world.