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(Caption of photo above) The brave man and woman of "Seal Team", who went above and beyond to provide support for their counterparts in MSTF.
Thank you for your contributions and we are very proud of each and everyone of you!
Running 24/7 maritime security operations is not an easy task and COVID-19 made it even more challenging. To prevent disruption to operations, isolation measures were introduced for Critical Operational Units (COUs) during the recent nation-wide circuit breaker.
The Maritime Security Task Force's newly formed Sea Security Group stood up an additional watch team to sustain operations due to strict isolation requirements. This additional watch, named "SEAL Team", was formed swiftly by bringing together personnel from across the RSN.
Read on more to hear from our personnel!
Former watch commander, LTC Francis Tan, volunteered to helm the "SEAL Team" and successfully led the new team during the Circuit Breaker period. Under his able leadership, the newly-formed team qualified quickly to carry out watch duties.
"It is an honour to work with the extraordinary individuals of "SEAL Team" who have contributed selflessly to safeguard our everyday."
It was a return to familiar grounds for MAJ Eugene Tan, who had spent most of his time with the RSN in the Maritime Security Task Force. As Executive Officer of "SEAL Team", he orchestrated security operations and ensured that the new watch team matched up to the high standards with the Sea Security Group.
"I would like to express my deep gratitude for the watch team's valiant efforts and strong camaraderie. It felt like coming back to my other family."
Newly-commissioned officer, LTA Allison Tan, took the plunge into uncharted territory as one of SEAL Team's sector supervisors. She felt that it was her way of contributing back in this global pandemic, which has caused massive disruption in all aspects of our lives.
There was much for this young officer to learn in her first operational role at the frontline of maritime security. This new responsibility meant that she had to be away from her family and even had to miss her sister's 18th birthday. However, she relished the challenge and added that she was proud to have joined "SEAL Team".
ME2 Jeremy Ho (right) was the senior supervisor and surveillance cluster trainer for the "SEAL Team". As a seasoned watch keeper, he guided the new members on their watch duties. Beyond being the trainer in the "SEAL Team", ME2 Ho also took on logistics support for half of the watches in the Sea Security Group.
The long stay-in periods were emotionally trying for ME2 Ho as his wife was pregnant with their first child. He could only "accompany" her through video calls and was not able to accompany on gynaecology appointments. ME2 Ho is grateful for his wife’s strong support during this unprecedented times.