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THE SAF
SCHOLARSHIP
IN COMMAND, NO MAN IS AN ISLAND
MAJ Choy Wei Jie Gabriel Being the Commanding Officer of a naval vessel “I am comfortable trusting my engineers for
2007 SAF Scholar can be a high-pressure responsibility with their technical recommendations. All of us come
exacting expectations. “When the ship sails, the with our unique backgrounds, expertise and
Currently On Overseas Training
Commanding Officer alone is responsible for all perspectives, and we all understand that in
matters out at sea,” explains Major (MAJ) Gabriel order to value-add to any mission, nothing
Bachelor of Science in Philosophy and Economics, Choy, who was previously the Commanding works better than us working together, unifying
London School of Economics and Political Officer of RSS Independence. our unique traits and capabilities into the larger
Science, UK whole.”
Master of Arts in Management and Economics, “I enjoy the autonomy and immense
London School of Economics and Political responsibility, because this has allowed me to In his other previous appointment, he served in
Science, UK
grow as a leader through the many experiences Naval Plans, working on the Republic of
that have come my way as the Commanding Singapore Navy’s capability development and
Officer,” he says. fighting concepts. And as a Naval Officer, he is
no stranger to being a diplomat of the country
For instance, MAJ Choy shares that the vessel whenever the ship calls on foreign ports.
was one of the first responders to an intrusion The next ‘port of call’ he looks forward to is to
into Singapore territorial waters. channel these experiences and insights into
At the time, it was a powerful reminder of why policy work and handling Singapore's defence
MAJ Choy chose a career in service to relations, as well as towards non-traditional
Singapore. aspects of warfare such as cyber and
information defence.
“I embarked on this career as I wanted to
contribute to the country and society that MAJ Choy has seen the world as an SAF Scholar,
developed me into the person I am today. And and cherishes what home means in that space.
there is no better way to do that than If you yearn for a similar journey and purpose,
to defend our country and our way of life. his strong advice is to go for it.
“Amidst a tense developing situation, the team “There can be no higher calling than defending
was professional, exercised restraint and firmly your country. The way ahead if you so decide to
stood its ground to guard our nation's interests. embark on a military profession would be
Seeing my ship achieve mission success in challenging, but immensely rewarding. Cast
defending Singapore is something that always aside any self-doubt, be courageous and dare to
gives me tremendous satisfaction.” make a difference.”
MAJ Choy credits such mission success to the
synergy shared amongst the crew, where each
person actively complements one another’s
strengths.
Having a background in economics, he admits
that when engineers tell him about technical
issues, it can be a challenge to fully grasp the
subject matter. The ‘secret’, he says, is to
embrace how no one is an island.
