David Neo | |
---|---|
Born | 1977 (age 46–47) Singapore |
Allegiance | Singapore |
Service/ | Singapore Army |
Years of service | 1996–present [1] |
Rank | Major-General |
Commands | Chief of Army Deputy Secretary (Technology)/Future Systems and Technology Architect Director of Joint Operations Head, Joint Plans and Transformation Department Commander, 3rd Division Commander, 2nd Singapore Infantry Brigade Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Singapore Guards Company Commander, 5th Company, 1st Commando Battalion |
Alma mater | University of Illinois (BEng, BA) Stanford University (MS) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MBA) |
David Neo Chin Wee PPA(G) PBS is a Singaporean major-general who has been serving as Chief of Army since 2022. [1] Prior to his appointment as Chief of Army, he was serving as Deputy Secretary (Technology) at the Ministry of Defence. Neo is the first Commando to serve as Chief of Army.
Neo attended Victoria School before graduating from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Engineering degree with honours in electrical engineering and a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction in economics.
He subsequently went on to complete a Master of Business Administration degree in business administration, management and operations at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Master of Science degree in operations research at Stanford University under the Lee Kuan Kew Scholarship conferred by the Public Service Commission, and the Singapore Armed Forces Postgraduate Scholarship in 2012.
He also attended the Indonesian Army Command and Staff College (SESKOAD) in 2007 and attained the Top Foreign Student – Best Thesis.
Neo enlisted into the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1996 and served in the Singapore Army as a Commando officer.
Throughout his military career, he has held many appointments and roles, from command tours to staff appointments. The staff appointments include: Training Development Officer from April 2001 to December 2002; Staff Officer (Plans)/Joint Operations Department from November 2004 to August 2006; Chairman, SICUS Committee NDP 2008 from August 2007 to August 2008; Deputy Director (Planning)/Head of Strategic Plans from January 2010 to June 2012; Chairman, Show Committee NDP 2014; Head of Joint Plans and Transformation Department from October 2014 to July 2016; Director of Joint Operations from May 2019 to March 2021; and Deputy Secretary (Technology) in March 2021.
As Head of Joint Plans and Transformation Department and Director of Joint Operations, he had overseen the SAF's contributions to the national fight against COVID-19. [2]
His command appointments include: Company Commander, 5th Company, 1st Commando Battalion from May 2003 to November 2004; Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, Singapore Guards from January 2008 to December 2009; Commander, 2nd Singapore Infantry Brigade from August 2013 to October 2014; Commander, 3rd Division from July 2018 to June 2019.
On 10 March 2022, he succeeded Goh Si Hou as the Chief of Army. [2] On 1 July 2022, Neo was promoted to the rank of Major-General. [3]
Outside of the SAF, Neo holds several other appointments. Currently, he is a board member of Temasek Defense Systems Institute since March 2021 and a director in DSTA since April 2021.
In the past, Neo was the programme director of the Pioneer Generation Office and the founding group chief of the Silver Generation Office under the Agency for Integrated Care. He was also a member of the board of governors of Singapore Polytechnic from April 2015 to April 2018 and alternate director in advanced material engineering from June 2013 to June 2016.
The Singapore Army is the land service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The largest of the four branches of the SAF, the Singapore Army traces its origins to the 1st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment, which was formed in 1957, when Singapore was still under British colonial rule. After Singapore's independence on 9 August 1965, the Singapore Army Bill was passed in Parliament on 23 December 1965, and National Service (NS) was subsequently introduced in 1967. Mostly made up of conscripts, the Singapore Army can mobilise all operationally-ready military reservists in the event of war or national exigencies.
Orders and decorations conferred to military personnel of the Singapore Armed Forces in Singapore, listed by order of precedence:
Lim Kim Choon is a Singaporean former civil servant and former major-general who served as Chief of Air Force between 2001 and 2006.
Ng Yat Chung is a Singaporean former lieutenant-general who served as Chief of Defence Force between 2003 and 2007.
Desmond Kuek Bak Chye is a Singaporean former lieutenant-general who served as Chief of Defence Force between 2007 and 2010.
Neo Kian Hong is a Singaporean civil servant and former lieutenant-general who served as Chief of Defence Force between 2010 and 2013.
Ng Chee Khern is a Singaporean civil servant and former major-general who served as Chief of Air Force between 2006 and 2009. He previously served as Permanent Secretary under the Prime Minister's Office, and Chairman of the Government Technology Agency. He was appointed Permanent Secretary (Manpower) in April 2022.
Ravinder Singh s/o Harchand Singh is a Singaporean former major-general who served as Chief of Army between 2011 and 2014. He has been serving as the chief operating officer of ST Engineering since 2021.
Ng Chee Peng is a Singaporean civil servant and former two-star rear-admiral who served as Chief of Navy between 2011 and 2014.
Ng Chee Meng is a Singaporean politician, union leader and former lieutenant-general who is a member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP) and has been serving as Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) since 2018.
Hoo Cher Mou is a Singaporean former major-general who served as Chief of Air Force between 2013 and 2016. He was the first non-pilot to serve as Chief of Air Force.
Perry Lim Cheng Yeow is a Singaporean former lieutenant-general who served as Chief of Defence Force between 2015 and 2018.
Melvyn Ong Su Kiat is a Singaporean retired lieutenant-general who served as Chief of Defence Force between 2018 and 2023.
Mervyn Tan Wei Ming is a Singaporean former major-general who served as Chief of Air Force between 2016 and 2019, being appointed from his prior role of Director of Military Intelligence and Chief Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence. He served as the chief executive of Defence Science and Technology Agency between 2021 and 2024, stepping down on 15 May 2024.
Kelvin Khong Boon Leong is a Singaporean former major-general who served as Chief of Air Force from 2019 to 2024.
Goh Si Hou is a Singaporean former major-general who served as Chief of Army between 2018 and 2022. He is currently serving as the chief executive officer of the Public Utilities Board (PUB).
Aaron Beng Yao Cheng is a Singaporean vice-admiral and Chief of Defence Force. Prior to his appointment as Chief of Defence Force, he served as Chief of Navy between 2020 and 2023. He is the first naval officer to serve as Chief of Defence Force, and the first to hold the rank of Vice-Admiral in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).
Sean Wat Jianwen is a Singaporean two-star rear-admiral who has been serving as Chief of Navy since 2023.
Kelvin Fan Sui Siong is a Singaporean major-general who is currently serving as the Chief of Air Force.
Raymund Ng Teck Heng is a Singaporean former major-general who served as Chief of Air Force from 1998 to 2001.