I get quizzed looks when I mention that I go fly back from London to Singapore regularly to serve in the military. “Can’t you defer?” Yes. “Do they at least pay for your flight?” No. “So you spend money to serve in the military?” Yes. “Why?” Because I believe in it.
I do love Singapore and I enjoy the army. But I’m not that much of patriot or military enthusiast most people assume. The three things that I believe in are perhaps more rooted yet more abstract: people, purpose, and my personal growth.
People
In over thirteen years in the military, I’ve seen the incredible power of people.
Singapore’s military, primarily a conscript army, relies more on obligation than willingness. Happy to chat about the merits and drawbacks, and how conscription has worked or not worked in many countries around the world.
As a result of conscription, Singapore’s military becomes a common ground for Singaporean males. One thing this does is that you get really interesting units of soldiers that may not otherwise interact out of the military context. The platoon I led as a Platoon Commander had soldiers ranging from (then) school dropouts to scholars, and the range of careers we’ve seen since have been even more diverse.
From this diversity, soldiers brought together by obligation rather than willingness, I’ve witnessed the incredible power of people. I’ve seen soldiers carry each other up mountains and through jungles, sometimes literally, often not. I’ve seen soldiers journey with each other through highs - weddings, newborns, flourishing careers - and lows: mental health struggles, divorce, death. And, importantly, I’ve seen leaders uplift people and leaders who don’t, and the difference that makes.
I serve because of people, and because I want to lead and uplift soldiers under my charge. My hope is that any soldier I interact with is empowered, grows, and experiences the incredible power of people in their time in the military.
Purpose
I also serve because I see very significant purpose in my service. I shan’t go into details due to confidentiality and OPSEC. Through my time in the military, I’ve had the privilege of working on systemic improvements to operations, training, planning and policy that outlast any single exercise or posting. It is incredibly satisfying to be able to contribute the expertise I have and see long term change in the military.
This remains abstract, and I would offer more concrete examples if I could. What I value most, though, is that none of this work was done alone. I had the privilege of working with deeply committed people, often improving systems without formal incentives for innovation. As an aside, one feature of the Singapore military is continuity. NSmen (reserve soldiers) often hold the same roles for far longer than career soldiers. That creates space for long-term improvements rather than short-term optimisation. That creates a very interesting dynamic; combined with incentives not driven by career progress, I’ve seen NSmen contribute meaningful and enduring change.
It is so satisfying to me to know that the work I and other NSmen have done has benefited individual soldiers, sub-units, the wider SAF organisation and society at large. This satisfaction to me is priceless.
Personal Growth
Most people who serve in the military certainly have a sense of serving others (People) or a mission (Purpose) beyond oneself. I consider that to be true of myself as well. Yet one other huge reason for why I serve is that I’ve experienced incredible personal growth in the military.
Imagine being trusted with the lives of 35 soldiers at 20. Leading 150 at 22. Working on systems that created lasting change. Partnering with people who care deeply about soldiers and their experience.
Parallel to that were the hard parts: difficult conversations, intense tekan sessions, failed missions, disagreement with seniors, being belittled (often with vulgarities) and more.
I’ve grown significantly from my time in the military - in leadership, resilience, mental strength and so much more. And I serve because I know there is so much more room to grow, and also room to create space for others to likewise grow as people.
Interestingly, much of how I think about AI and robotics today was shaped long before I worked on robots or transformer models. The military forces one to operate in messy, physical systems with incomplete information, where decisions affect people and consequences matter. The military honed skills I now take into robotics, as I think about data, deployment, systems and more; and I’ve grown significantly in leadership and resilience, much needed in an industry like robotics.
So yes, I can defer. The Singapore military doesn’t pay for my flights. And yes, I spend money to serve. But the more interesting questions to me really are: Who do we choose to serve? What purpose do we serve, and can we have an outsized impact on others, organisations, or society? And where do we place ourselves to grow as leaders, people, and friends?
DNMZ
to lead excel overcome, tough and effective / first and foremost, steadfast we stand, duty honour country, for King and country,
