The Chief of Defence Force is the head of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), who holds the rank of Lieutenant-General or Vice-Admiral. The Chief of Defence Force also serves as the aide-de-camp to the president of Singapore. The current Chief of Defence Force is Aaron Beng.
The position was created in 1974 as Chief of the General Staff, before changing to its current name in May 1990. The first holder of the position was Winston Choo.
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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 the most capable, robust, technologically sophisticated and powerful military 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.
Since its inception, the SAF has been involved in various operations, both domestically and abroad. These include peacekeeping missions in places such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Timor Leste as well as disaster relief operations in various countries, including the 1970 Bhola cyclone, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, 2008 Sichuan earthquake, April 2015 Nepal earthquake, Hurricane Harvey, among others. In addition, the SAF has assisted the United Nations to oversee and supervise the electoral process in countries such as Cambodia, Ethiopia, Namibia and South Africa.
Aaron Beng Yao Cheng PPA(E) PPA(G) (Chinese: 孟耀诚; born 1981) 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).
Winston Choo Wee Leong (Chinese: 朱维良; pinyin: Zhū Wéiliáng; born 18 July 1941) is a former Singaporean diplomat and lieutenant-general who served as Director, General Staff between 1974 and 1976, and then Chief of the General Staff between 1976 and 1990, and later Chief of Defence Force between 1990 and 1992. He was the longest-serving head of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).