Sense Of Team Spirit: Naval Officer Defends Singapore With Her Work Family In Their ‘Second Home’

As a senior officer in the Republic of Singapore Navy, Lieutenant Colonel Chua Eileen values the close bonds she has formed with her soldiers through sharing living, working, and recreational spaces.

One of the various roles Senior Lieutenant Colonel (SLTC) Chua Eileen plays in the Singapore Navy is as a spokesperson (RSN).

She has held many positions in the RSN throughout the course of her 17 years there, including trainer, coach, mentor, and human resources manager.

SLTC Chua has served in a number of roles in the RSN, including as the Navigation Officer and Communications Officer on the Missile Corvettes RSS Victory and RSS Vengeance, where she helped get the Scaneagle UAV operational.

SLTC Chua was formerly the Future Operations Planner for the multinational combined Task Force 151, which was responsible for anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.

She coordinated with naval officers from around the world, such as Indonesian, Bruneian, and British commanders, to determine how best to allocate resources for future anti-piracy operations.

Later, she worked as the Executive Officer aboard the Formidable-class Frigates RSS Stalwart and RSS Formidable, deploying frequently throughout Asia and Oceania to strengthen defense ties with Singapore’s allied navies.

There, SLTC Chua commanded and took part in joint exercises involving live-fire drills of missiles and other weapons systems, as well as naval warfighting and maritime security activities.

After that, she gained charge of the Formidable-class Frigate RSS Supreme, which participated in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) 2020 off the coast of Hawaii.

During RIMPAC, she had the RSS Supreme live-fire a surface-to-air missile against a high-speed, sea-skimming drone target and participate in a ship-to-ship refueling with the US and Australian navies.

All of these achievements are noteworthy in their own right, but SLTC Chua is especially proud of the fact that they were accomplished during a 70-day deployment during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, without ever setting foot on land.

The Navy “understood we had to continue showcasing our power” despite countries “drawing back and hunkering down,” she said.

We deployed with thorough Covid-19 safety management systems and accomplished all of our missions to demonstrate that we were still capable of defense and deterrence.

She now leads the Naval Operations Department’s Operations Planning Branch, where they formulate strategies for the Navy to carry out its many missions of defending Singapore’s territorial waters and vital shipping lanes.

A second “family” at her back

When compared to the average person, SLTC Chua has experienced more of the world. She has racked up thousands of miles at sea, from backpacking across Europe as a college student to commanding mock naval battles off the coast of Hawaii to sipping drinks with foreign naval captains.

SLTC Chua still finds it hard to believe that it has been so long since she was a junior in college and standing in front of the RSN booth at a career fair.

When she was younger, she decided to join the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) as a scholar because she felt there was something intrinsically honorable in serving one’s nation in this way.

During her time in Basic Training, she visited a naval installation, and the tremendous sense of family and camaraderie she found there solidified her decision to join the RSN.

With nearly two decades under her belt at the RSN, she now understands. We’re the only service that does everything from sleeping to working to having fun on the same ship, she explains.

To paraphrase an old saying, “we’re all in the same boat,” she says. Living, working, and sharing in life’s highs and lows together strengthens our bonds.

So SLTC Chua has learned to value what is right in front of her—the sailors of the RSN—more than any other experience she has had.

Every time she goes sail, she thinks about her husband, parents, and six-year-old child waiting for her at home, and how important it is to keep Singapore’s waterways safe for them.

Leaving them behind for another deployment is never easy, but knowing she has a second family cheering her on makes the separation bearable.

We are literally ‘on the same boat’,” she continues. “Living, working, and going through all the ups and downs together makes us more tight-knit.SLTC CHUA EILEEN

The way in which Navy personnel pull together to help one another, whether they be shipmates, classmates, or sailors from different vessels, continues to inspire her.

For instance, SLTC Chua and her sailors needed a two-week isolation period before the RSS Supreme could deploy to make sure they were free of Covid-19.

Other ships’ crews stepped up to the plate during this time, with some even sending food and care packages to the RSS Supreme’s quarantined members.

SLTC Chua has witnessed many acts of kindness and compassion amongst service members.

She elaborates on the collegiate spirit of the Navy. When training and educating the next generation, we place a premium on teamwork.

Members of my team support one another’s development and look forward to actively participating in the training of future sailors and leaders.