On 7 May Australia’s Chief of the Defence Force Admiral David Johnston was conferred Singapore’s highest military award, the Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) – the Distinguished Service Order (Military), by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF).
Admiral Johnston was conferred the award for his significant contributions in strengthening the close and longstanding defence ties between the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). Singapore’s Ministry of Defence said,
“Under Admiral Johnston’s sterling leadership, both militaries deepened cooperation, strengthened interoperability, and fostered closer people-to-people ties through frequent bilateral exercises and professional exchanges. During his tenure, Singapore and Australia also signed the Memorandum of Understanding concerning Enhanced Defence Cooperation in October 2025. Admiral Johnston has also been a trusted partner in enhancing regional security cooperation through multilateral platforms such as the Five Power Defence Arrangements and the ASEAN Defence-Ministers Meeting Plus.
Admiral Johnston’s strong support for the SAF’s training in Australia has provided the SAF with valuable training opportunities to enhance its operational readiness. Both militaries commemorated key milestones such as the 35th anniversary of the SAF’s training in Shoalwater Bay in 2025, and the 10th anniversary of our flagship bilateral joint exercise, Exercise Trident in 2024.”
The investiture was attended by Minister for Defence, Mr Chan Chun Sing, Chief of Defence Force Vice Admiral Aaron Beng, as well as senior government officials and military officers from Singapore. Admiral Johnston, was is in Singapore from 6 to 7 May 2026, also called on Mr Chan and VADM Beng at MINDEF, after inspecting the Guard of Honour.
Source: Singaporean MINDEF
