BG Kelvin Fan to become new Chief of Air Force

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will bid farewell to their current chief and welcome a new leader after five years.

On March 22, Brigadier-General (BG) Kelvin Fan will take over as Chief of Air Force from Major-General (MG) Kelvin Khong, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) announced on Monday (Feb 19).

"This change is part of the continuing process of leadership renewal in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)," Mindef said.

BG Fan, 44, joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1998 and is currently the deputy secretary of policy at Mindef.

An air warfare officer by training, he has held a range of senior command and staff appointments within Mindef and the SAF over the years.

"BG Fan drove many operations, capability developments, digitalisation and innovation efforts within the RSAF and contributed to expanding our defence diplomacy efforts with various countries," Mindef said.

He also spearheaded this year's Total Defence 40 campaign as well as the ongoing SG Ready Exercise.

In a Facebook post announcing the change in leadership, Mindef expressed "deep appreciation to MG Khong for his sterling leadership and distinguished service to Mindef and the SAF." 

MG Khong, 48, took command of the Air Force in March 2019 and led the RSAF through the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.

They include delivering humanitarian aid for Gaza, ferrying Afghan refugees from Qatar to Germany and supporting bushfire and flood relief efforts in Australia.

A fighter pilot by training, MG Khong was "instrumental in sharpening the RSAF's capability edge" and also initiated people development efforts to ensure that RSAF airmen and women remain prepared for the future, Mindef said.

Responding to questions in a written interview ahead of Singapore Airshow 2024, MG Khong outlined the RSAF's priorities for the foreseeable future.

The RSAF is testing drones to patrol, detect intruders and assess damage to a runway and has plans to invest in new platforms and technology to reduce the manpower requirements of its airbases, The Straits Times reported.

The RSAF is also exploring artificial intelligence technology to use data generated by pilots in simulators to enhance pilot training, MG Khong said.

It has set up a small experimental office to study the effective use of digital technologies in training, he added.

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com