| Chief of Navy | |
|---|---|
 Republic of Singapore Navy | |
| Type | Commanding general |
| Abbreviation | CNV |
| Reports to | Chief of Defence Force |
| Nominator | Prime Minister of Singapore |
| Appointer | President of Singapore |
| Term length | No term limit |
| Formation | 1966 |
| First holder | Jaswant Singh Gill |
The Chief of Navy is the head of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), who holds the rank of Rear-Admiral. The current Chief of Navy is Sean Wat, who was appointed on 10 March 2023. [1]
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| Commander, Singapore Naval Volunteer Force | ||||||
| 1 | Lieutenant-Colonel Jaswant Singh Gill (1923–2020) | 1966 | 1968 | 1–2 years | [2] | |
| Commander, Maritime Command | ||||||
| 2 | Mohamed Bin Mohd Salleh | 1969 | 1969 | 0 years | [3] | |
| 3 | Geoffrey Vernon Dennis | 1969 | 1970 | 0–1 years | [3] | |
| 4 | James Aeria | 1970 | 1975 | 4–5 years | [3] | |
| Commander, Republic of Singapore Navy | ||||||
| 5 | Khoo Eng Ann | 1975 | 1985 | 9–10 years | [3] | |
| 6 | Commodore James Leo | November 1985 | April 1990 | 4–5 years | [3] | |
| Chief of Navy | ||||||
| 7 | Commodore James Leo | May 1990 | May 1991 | 0–1 years | [3] | |
| 8 |  | Rear-Admiral Teo Chee Hean (born 1954) | 1991 | 7 December 1992 | 0–1 years | [3] |
| 9 | Rear-Admiral Kwek Siew Jin | 1992 | 1996 | 3–4 years | [3] | |
| 10 | Rear-Admiral Richard Lim Cherng Yih | 1996 | 1999 | 2–3 years | [3] | |
| 11 |  | Rear-Admiral Lui Tuck Yew (born 1961) | 1999 | 1 April 2003 | 3–4 years | [3] |
| 12 |  | Rear-Admiral Ronnie Tay (born 1963) | 1 April 2003 | 31 August 2007 | 4 years, 152 days | [3] |
| 13 |  | Rear-Admiral Chew Men Leong | 31 August 2007 | 29 March 2011 | 3 years, 210 days | [3] |
| 14 |  | Rear-Admiral Ng Chee Peng | 29 March 2011 | 1 August 2014 | 3 years, 125 days | [4] |
| 15 |  | Rear-Admiral Lai Chung Han | 1 August 2014 | 16 June 2017 | 2 years, 319 days | [5] [6] |
| 16 |  | Rear-Admiral Lew Chuen Hong (born 1976) | 16 June 2017 | 23 March 2020 | 2 years, 281 days | [7] [8] |
| 17 |  | Rear-Admiral Aaron Beng (born 1981) | 23 March 2020 | 10 March 2023 | 2 years, 352 days | [9] [10] |
| 18 |  | Rear-Admiral Sean Wat | 10 March 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 45 days | [1] |
Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral.
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are the military of the Republic of Singapore, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the country. A component of the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), the armed forces have four service branches: the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Digital and Intelligence Service. An integrated force, it is one of the most capable, robust, technologically sophisticated and powerful militaries in the Southeast Asia region. The SAF is headed by the chief of defence force, appointed by the President, on the advice of the Cabinet.
The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is the maritime service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for defending the country against any seaborne threats and as a guarantor of its sea lines of communications. The RSN traces its origins to the Royal Navy when Singapore was still a crown colony of the British Empire. The service was formally established in 1967, two years after its independence from Malaysia in 1965, and had undergone a substantial modernisation ever since – which has led them into becoming the most powerful navy in Southeast Asia.
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.
The Formidable-class multi-role stealth frigates are multi-mission derivatives of the French Navy's La Fayette-class frigate with the Republic of Singapore Navy. The six ships form the First Flotilla of the Navy.
The Endurance-class tank landing ships (LST) are the largest class of ships in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). They were designed and built by Singapore Technologies (ST) Marine to replace the old County-class tank landing ships. The four ships form the Third Flotilla of the RSN.
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has five rank schemes for active and reservist personnel, with a sixth for the auxiliaries of the SAF Volunteer Corps. The SAF has a unique rank structure as an integrated force, ranks are the same in the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), and the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS).
Desmond Kuek Bak Chye is a Singaporean former lieutenant-general who served as Chief of Defence Force between 2007 and 2010.
The Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) is a decoration awarded to members of the Singapore Armed Forces and allied military members for exceptionally distinguished service or merit in senior command or staff positions.
The Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera) is a decoration awarded to members of the Singapore Armed Forces for exceptionally distinguished performance or extraordinary service, or the furtherance of links with overseas forces.
Vice Admiral Russell Harry Crane, is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), who served as the Chief of Navy from July 2008 until his retirement in June 2011.
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 has been serving as Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress since 2018. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Punggol North division of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC between 2015 and 2020. He served as Minister for Education (Schools) between 2015 and 2018, and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office between 2018 and 2020.
Lai Chung Han is a Singaporean civil servant and former two-star rear-admiral who served as Chief of Navy between 2014 and 2017. He has been serving as Permanent Secretary for Education since 2019.
Mervyn Tan Wei Ming is a Singaporean former major-general who served as Chief of Air Force between 2016 and 2019. He has been serving as the chief executive of Defence Science and Technology Agency since 2021.
Aaron Beng Yao Cheng is a Singaporean vice-admiral who has been serving as Chief of Defence Force since 2023. 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).
Lew Chuen Hong is a Singaporean former two-star rear-admiral who served as Chief of Navy between 2017 and 2020.
The Maritime Security Task Force is a high-readiness standing task force of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) responsible for maritime security operations.
Sean Wat Jianwen is a Singaporean two-star rear-admiral who has been serving as Chief of Navy since 2023.
