Allegiance Singapore Name Neo Hong Years of service 1983–2013 | Awards see #Awards Rank Lieutenant general Other work see #Civil career | |
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Full name Neo Kian Hong Commands held Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Singapore GuardsCommander, 7th Singapore Infantry BrigadeAssistant Chief of the General Staff (Operations)Commander, 9th DivisionCommander, Army Training and Doctrine CommandChief of Staff, Joint StaffChief of Army (2007–2010)Chief of Defence Force (2010–2013) | ||
Applauding SMRT CEO Neo Kian Hong | Coffee & Whiskey with Ivy S4E07
Neo Kian Hong is a Singaporean civil servant and former army general. He is currently the Permanent Secretary for Defence Development. Neo was the seventh Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces from 2010–2013 and held the rank of Lieutenant-General. Before that, he served as the Chief of the Singapore Army from 2007–2010. After retiring from active military service in 2013, Neo joined the civil service and became the Permanent Secretary (Education Development) in the Ministry of Education.
Contents
- Applauding SMRT CEO Neo Kian Hong Coffee Whiskey with Ivy S4E07
- New 3 Star General
- Education
- Military career
- Civil career
- Awards
- References
New 3 Star General
Education
Neo received his secondary education in Victoria School, where he was also a National Cadet Corps cadet, and his pre-university education in Nanyang Junior College. He was awarded the Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship in 1985 and graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Upper Second Class Honours) degree in electrical and electronic engineering from King's College London. He subsequently completed a Master of Science degree in management of technology from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2013.
Military career
Neo joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1983. Throughout his career in the SAF, he has held various appointments, including: Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Singapore Guards; Commander, 7th Singapore Infantry Brigade; Assistant Chief of the General Staff (Operations); Commander, 9th Division; Commander, Army Training and Doctrine Command; Chief of Staff, Joint Staff; Chief of Army (2007–2010). He attended the Indonesian Army Command and Staff Course (SESKOAD) in 1994. He also served as the SAF's contingent commander for the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) in 1999 and was involved in establishing the national contact and tracing system in Singapore during the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak.
Neo succeeded Desmond Kuek as the Chief of Defence Force (CDF) of the SAF on 31 March 2010 and relinquished his previous appointment as the Chief of Army to Chan Chun Sing on 26 March. He was promoted from the rank of Major-General to Lieutenant-General on 1 July 2010.
Neo retired from the SAF on 27 March 2013 and was succeeded by Ng Chee Meng as the CDF.
Civil career
After leaving the SAF, Neo joined the civil service and was appointed as the Permanent Secretary (Education Development) in the Ministry of Education on 1 July 2013.