Anything But Regular: COS 6 Div/HQ SS - COL Oh Chun Keong & Comd TASG - COL Woo Sin Boon

The appointments of Chief of Staff, 6th Singapore Division/Headquarters Sense and Strike (COS 6 Div/HQ SS) and Commander of Tactical Air Support Group (Comd TASG), require adaptability, strategic vision, and a deep commitment to defence. From shaping the future of divisional operations to ensuring seamless integration between air and ground forces, their journeys epitomise the spirit of #AnythingButRegular careers in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). 

Read on to uncover the multifaceted responsibilities and insights that define COS 6 Div/HQ SS, COL Oh Chun Keong’s, and Comd TASG, COL Woo Sin Boon’s extraordinary contributions to safeguarding Singapore's security.

COS 6 Div/HQ SS COL Oh Chun Keong

Comd TASG COL Woo Sin Boon

What are the roles and responsibilities of COS 6 Div and Comd TASG?

As the COS, COL Oh’s role in the 6th Singapore Division consists of two large parts - to Raise, Train and Sustain (RTS) the units under the Div, and to continue the efforts in transforming 6 Div into Headquarters Sense and Strike. Coming from the Air Force, he stated how he was initially unacquainted with the tasks and functions of the units under the Div. However, he took every day as a new learning experience, seizing every opportunity to visit the units, especially when they were conducting training. This has allowed him to learn a lot more about the different units, believing that this is the best way to rapidly learn about the Div and her people.

6 Div is also at the cusp of her Sense-Strike transformation. To this end, COL Oh works tirelessly with the respective departments in Army Headquarters, as well as spending a significant amount of time with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), to deliver and fulfil the Div’s Initial Operational Capability (IOC) requirements. Additionally, he has also conducted the Exercise Tiger Balm (XTiB) 2024 Mid Planning Workshop (24 MPW) at Mandai Hill Camp earlier this year, where both the Singapore and US Army collaborated and shared warfighting tactics, techniques and procedures, progressing towards the Div’s Sense-Strike IOC, and further facilitating the growth of the bilateral relationship between both armies. 

COL Oh and COS, Hawaii Army National Guard, COL Tyson Tahara at the XTiB 24 MPW

As Comd TASG, COL Woo is responsible for the RTS of the Tactical Air Power integrators, which primarily support the Army's missions. Simply put, his sub-units operate at the interface between the RSAF and the Army, where they bring Air Power to the Army units. 

For example, one of his sub-units is responsible for setting up and operating pick-up zones for the heli-projection of Army forces. During such operations, the squadron will work closely with the Army to ensure mission success. Due to the need to work closely with helicopters, ensuring the safe conduct of underslung operations as well as air traffic control, the squadron is raised, trained and sustained by RSAF under TASG, where they undergo various specialised training like aerial cargo rigging and load inspection to perform their roles. During such operations, his squadron will work closely with the Army to ensure mission success.

COL Woo briefing his Command Team

Concurrently, COL Woo is also the Head Operations Development Group (ODG) in HQ Participation Command (HQ PC). PC is responsible for employing the full range of RSAF capabilities for integration with the Army, Navy and Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS). ODG is the principal agency in HQ PC that drives operations and capability development for all cross-service requirements involving the RSAF. ODG also conducts task-level training for PC, as well as acts as the conduit for all Air-Land and Sea-Air Exercises with partner Services. Against the backdrop of recent conflicts in Europe and the Middle East which had brought the need for effective Air-Land integration to the fore, the role that PC plays in cross-Service integration has never been more pronounced in the SAF's history.

Being relatively new to the RSAF, COL Woo is also actively trying to upskill and level himself up as quickly as possible by visiting and understanding the different parts of the RSAF. To appreciate first-hand the capabilities of our air platforms, COL Woo also recently underwent the “Human Training Centrifuge” at RSAF Aeromedical Centre, where he had the opportunity to experience the effects of various G-forces on the human body and better understand the training that fighter pilots undergo.

COL Woo (6th from right) experiencing the “Human Training Centrifuge” that simulates the G-forces experienced by pilots on fighter aircraft in flight

How have their prior experiences helped in their current appointments as COS 6 Div/HQ SS and Comd TASG?

When asked about his cross-Service posting, COL Oh shared that many would have thought that working in the Army would be very different from the Air Force. However, he highlighted that it is actually quite the same. COL Oh added, “We are still one SAF and both Services are mission oriented and people focused. So it is not so difficult to assimilate. Of course there are minor differences in terms of culture and the processes.”

COL Oh also shared that his previous appointment as Comd TASG, where he has to work closely with the Army also equipped him with broad-based knowledge on how the Army operates. 6 Div was one key partner that he had worked with to develop concepts of operations to employ RSAF sense and strike capabilities to support the Army. This opportunity allowed him to follow through on the developments he had seeded as the COS as well as giving him a headstart in fostering a close relationship with the staff in 6 Div. 

“Some things that we are familiar with in the Army may not be apparent to members of another Service.” - COL Woo.

In his current deployment in PC, COL Woo also serves as the Army's ambassador in the RSAF. With COL Woo’s experience as the previous COS 6 Div/HQ SS, he was often asked to explain the Army's context and considerations. A case in point would be the difference between the Army's NS-centric construct, which drives how Army conducts training and structures itself, and the RSAF's Regular-heavy structure, which has a different optimal operating model.

COL Woo aims for a stronger and tighter integration between the RSAF and the Army, which will, in turn, benefit not just the Army, but the larger SAF. One such aspect would be the development of concepts of operations in PC that can better address the Army's operational needs, especially from someone who intimately understands the Army's contexts.

What makes their careers in the SAF truly #AnythingButRegular?

The opportunities to assume many diverse appointments; experiencing on-the-ground operations, partaking in strategic planning, and the recent cross-service postings have made their careers #AnythingButRegular!

COL Oh shared on his recent #AnythingButRegular experience - “In a short five months, I had gone through a Division Basic Competency Training (BCT), learnt and fired a Light Machine Gun, even a Mortar and conducted a bilateral Army exercise in the US.” Furthermore, COL Oh will participate as an observer in Exercise Wallaby 2024 later this year. He further shared, “As an Air Force chap, it is an honour to participate on the ground in a Field Training Exercise deep in the ground terrains of Shoalwater Bay Training Area and this is what makes my experience #AnythingButRegular!”

COL Oh firing a mortar during a live firing exercise

COL Woo similarly enthused how his Army career has thus far been much more than what he had joined the Army for, exposing him to many diverse roles that he had never imagined himself undertaking. 

He had the opportunity to command a Motorised Infantry Battalion and an Armoured Brigade, served as a Director in Defence Policy Office in support of capability development, and assumed the role of Head Army Current Operations Group to oversee Army’s current operations. Thereafter, COL Woo was appointed as COS 6 Div/ HQ SS, before his current appointment as Comd TASG. Despite the varied nature of work associated with the different appointments, COL Woo’s willingness to learn has allowed him to gain intimate insights into different aspects of the Army and the SAF, making his career truly #AnythingButRegular!

Then-LTC Woo (2nd from left) as Commanding Officer (CO) of the 2nd Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (2 SIR) during the Green Beret Donning Parade.

What are some of the key factors in ensuring a successful tour?

“I think the key to ensure success is to be adaptable and learn to understand how the Army operates, especially at the unit level. Coming from a different Service and growing up in a flying unit, it will be difficult to understand how a battalion operates and it is only through participating and observing up-close and personal at that level, that one will understand better when making decisions at the Division level.” - COL Oh.

COL Oh attending the approval of plans briefing by 76 Singapore Infantry Brigade (SIB) and 29 Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) during XTiB 24

COL Oh also believes that the friendships that he has built over the years help tremendously. As a helicopter pilot, whose mission is to support the Land Campaign, he has worked with many counterparts from the 6 Div/HQ SS and the larger Army. Today, COL Oh continues to work closely with many of his Army counterparts, whom he has known for years.

COL Oh opines that it is absolutely critical to know each and everyone in your team and understand the team dynamics. Similarly, he ensures that his team understands one another well, with no second-guessing, so that everyone can work collectively towards mission success.

COL Oh (sitting down in the middle) at a NSMen Appreciation Dinner

For COL Woo, it’s all about having an inquisitive mind and willingness to learn. Initially, he may have lacked the requisite subject matter expert (SME) knowledge and experience. However, he constantly consults the relevant SME to learn.

This not only expedites his learning and smoothens the steep learning curve, it also forces the team to revisit fundamental assumptions and standing norms. He shared, “Only by constantly disrupting ourselves and challenging the status quo, will we be able to keep ourselves relevant in this ever-changing operating environment.”

COL Woo trying out the Virtual Terminal Attack Control Tactical Simulator (VIRTACTS)

✍🏻: PTE Adyson Tan (Army News)

📸: LCP Javier Yeo, CFC Aaron Cheng (Army News) and contributed by COL Oh & COL Woo