SINGAPORE – Over the years, Ms Sheila Manokaran has supported and uplifted young people as a volunteer and co-founder of River Valley Irregulars, a platform that organises workshops for young people.
She also helps protect Singapore’s seas for a week each year as a member of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Volunteer Corps.
Ms Sheila, 30, was among 131 recipients of the 2025 Total Defence Advocate Award, which recognises companies, community organisations and individuals for their strong commitment and contributions to Total Defence.
The awards dinner, held on Nov 6 at the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, was attended by Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing, Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad, Minister of State for Defence Desmond Choo, and Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming.
Speaking to The Straits Times before the dinner, Ms Sheila, who was recognised for her contributions to economic, social and civil defence, said she joined the SAF Volunteer Corps in 2016 after organising several initiatives as a leader in Youth Corps Singapore.
“I felt a bit of burnout, like you keep on giving and giving. It’s just like, what else is there for me. And that’s when I wanted to try a different type of volunteering experience, so I joined the Volunteer Corps,” she said.
As members of her family are sea captains, Ms Sheila opted to join the navy and became a bridge watchkeeper, responsible for the safe navigation of the vessel.
She said the most impactful moment for her in the SAF Volunteer Corps was meeting her parents after her basic military training.
“I just burst into tears. I was like, ‘Okay, this is all worth it, this is my purpose of why I want to protect my nation and why it matters so much’,” she said.
Ms Sheila, who now sits on the advisory committee of Youth Corps Singapore, said she also sees working with youth as a contribution to Total Defence.
“Total Defence is for us to show our resilience and defend our people, such as our youth and families, and come together as Singaporeans.”
Speaking at the dinner, Mr Chan said that recent conflicts around the world, including in Europe and the Middle East, have shown the importance of being vigilant.
He added: “It is not because the people did not have the capabilities, or they had not been preparing, but the most fundamental thing was that they did not truly believe that something bad could happen. Because of that, even with the best intelligence, the evidence was discounted.”
He said the lesson learnt is the importance of staying vigilant to guard against being lulled into a sense of complacency, thinking that an attack will not happen.
Mr Chan also spoke about the importance of resilience, and how fast Singapore can bounce back and recover in the event of an attack, noting that the faster the country recovers, the less the attackers can achieve their objective.
“That is why over all these years, when we talk about counter-terrorism, we do not talk just about prevention and mitigation – we talk about how we try and get our people back up on our feet so that we will never let them succeed by disrupting our livelihood or way of life.”
Another award recipient, American Andrew Ki-Jung Sung, 34, who has been working in Singapore since 2019, said he observed Total Defence by seeing how the country came together during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said: “From a personal perspective, seeing the disruption and polarisation in the world, I think Singapore can be that beacon of hope of what it means to really come together as one nation for Total Defence.”
Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing delivering his speech at the Total Defence Awards dinner held at the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel on Nov 6.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
Mr Sung, who is the Singapore country manager at cyber-focused consultancy Booz Allen Hamilton, received a Total Defence Advocate Award for his contributions to civil and military defence.
He has about 10 people working under him, several of whom have obligations as operationally ready national servicemen.
The fact that they have periods of mandatory service came as a surprise to Mr Sung when he first came to Singapore, and while he could imagine it to be a disruption for certain employers, he understood the rationale behind it.
He said his company provides a lot of flexibility, and balances the work among the rest of the employees when someone is called up for reservist duty.
Mr Andrew Ki-Jung Sung, the Singapore country manager at cyber-focused consultancy Booz Allen Hamilton, receiving a Total Defence Advocate Award for his contributions to civil and military defence.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
Noting that his wife and three young children are living in Singapore, Mr Sung said they have been fully integrated into life here.
“Hopefully, I can continue to support Total Defence with this award… (I hope) I can continue to encourage not just Singaporeans but also non-Singaporeans to really consider what their role is in Total Defence,” he added.
