Neo Kian Hong

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Neo.

Neo Kian Hong
US Army Chief of Staff General George Casey presents the Legion of Merit to General Neo
Born	1964 or 1965
Allegiance	Singapore
Service/branch	Singapore Army
Years of service	1983 – present
Rank	Lieutenant-General
Commands held	1 Guards 7 Singapore Infantry Brigade 9th Division/Infantry Singapore Army Singapore Armed Forces
Awards	Legion of Merit

Lieutenant-General (LG) Neo Kian Hong is the Chief of Defence Force and former Chief of the Singapore Army. He was Chief of Army from March 20, 2007 to March 26, 2010.^[1]

LG Neo had his foundation secondary education at Victoria School and he was also a NCC cadet during his Victoria School days.^[2] He went on to Nanyang Junior College (NYJC), where he also became the top student of NYJC's 1982 GCE 'A' level cohort. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree (Hons 2nd Upper) (Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering) from King's College London; as well as a Master of Science Degree (Management of Technology) from the MIT Sloan School of Management. LG Neo also attended the Indonesian Army Staff and Command College (SESKOAD) in 1994.

LG Neo joined the Singapore Armed Forces in March 1983 and was a SAF (Overseas) Scholar in 1985. He has held command positions and other appointments in his time in the service, including that of Chief of Staff – Joint Staff; commander of Army Training and Doctrine Command; commander of the 9th Division/Infantry; Assistant Chief of the General Staff (Operations); Assistant Chief of the General Staff (Personnel); commander of 7th Singapore Infantry Brigade; and Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Singapore Guards. LG Neo also served as the SAF's contingent commander for INTERFET in 1999,^[3] and played a pivotal role in establishing the national contact and tracing system during the SARS crisis in 2003.^{[citation needed]}

LG Neo is Singapore's first Ranger qualified ^[4] Chief of Army and Chief of Defence Force.

Appointment to the post of Chief of Defence Force

Neo Kian Hong took over from LG Desmond Kuek Bak Chye as the 7th Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces on 31 Mar 2010, relinquishing his former appointment as Chief of Army.^[5] Chief-of-Staff, Joint Staff, Brigadier-General (BG) Chan Chun Sing, succeeded him as the new Chief of Army.^[6][7]

Following his appointment as Chief of Defense Force, Neo was promoted on 24 June 2010 to the rank of Lieutenant-General. His new rank became effective on 1 July 2010.^[8]

References

1. ^ Change Of Chief Of Defence Force And Chief Of Army
2. ^ Speech by Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Home Affairs, at the 10th NCC Affirmation Ceremony on Saturday, 10th April 2010
3. ^ http://www.rsis.edu.sg/publications/Perspective/RSIS0932010.pdf
4. ^ Rangers lead the way
5. ^ "CHANGE IN CHIEF OF DEFENCE FORCE AND CHIEF OF ARMY". Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. http://www.news.gov.sg/public/sgpc/en/media_releases/agencies/mindef/press_release/P-20100115-1.html. 
6. ^ "Change in CDF and COA in March". http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/mindef_websites/atozlistings/army/army_news/News_Archive/2010/Jan2010/COA_changeover.html. 
7. ^ SAF's never-ending search for top talent
8. ^ "MINDEF - News - Recognising SAF Personnel". Ministry of Defense. http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/news_and_events/nr/2010/jun/24jun10_nr.html. 

External links

Media related to Neo Kian Hong at Wikimedia Commons

Military offices
Preceded by Lt. Gen. Desmond Kuek Bak Chye	7th Chief of Defence Force 31 March 2010 –	Incumbent
Preceded by Maj. Gen. Desmond Kuek Bak Chye	Chief of the Singapore Army 20 March 2007 – 26 March 2010	Succeeded by Maj. Gen. Chan Chun Sing

Persondata
Name	Neo, Kian Hong
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