Melvyn Ong Su Kiat (born 1975) is a Singaporean retired

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

who served as Chief of Defence Force between 2018 and 2023.

Education

Ong was educated at

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (ACS(I)) is an independent Methodism, Methodist secondary school in Dover, Singapore. Founded in 1886 by Reverend William Fitzjames Oldham, it was recognised as an International Baccalaureate World School in 20 ...

and

National Junior College National Junior College (NJC) is a government Junior college (Singapore), junior college located in Bukit Timah, Singapore. Established in 1969, it was the first government junior college in Singapore. NJC offers a two-year course for pre-universit ...

, before being awarded the

Singapore Armed Forces 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 (Singapore), Ministry of D ...

(SAF) Overseas Scholarship in 1994 to study at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

, where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

with second class honours degree. He also completed a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

degree in economics at the London School of Economics in 1998. Ong attended the

Indonesian Army Command and General Staff College The Indonesian Army Command and General Staff College (, ) in Bandung, West Java, is a prominent graduate school for Indonesian Army and sister-service Officer (military), officers, inter-agency representatives, and international military officer ...

Bandung Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, the city is the List of Indonesian cities by population, fourth-most populous city and fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabay ...

in 2005. He also completed the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

's Infantry Officer Course in

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

in 1998.

Military career

Ong enlisted in the

(SAF) in January 1994 and was commissioned as an infantry officer in October that year. Ong has held various appointments in the SAF, including the Commander of the 7th Singapore Infantry Brigade from 2010 to 2011, and Head of the Joint Plans and Transformation Department. In 2011, Ong led the Singapore team which assisted in rescue operations and provided humanitarian aid to the victims of the

2011 Christchurch earthquake A major earthquake occurred in Christchurch on Tuesday 22 February 2011 at 12:51 p.m. New Zealand Daylight Time, local time (23:51 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC, 21 February). The () earthquake struck the Canterbury Region ...

in New Zealand, and helped to establish the Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre in 2014. He was also Chairman of the 2015 National Day Parade Executive Committee. Ong served as Chief Guards Officer from 18 June 2014 to 14 August 2015. He succeeded

Perry Lim Perry Lim Cheng Yeow is a Singaporean former lieutenant-general who served as Chief of Defence Force between 2015 and 2018. Education Lim studied at Raffles Institution and won the President's Scholarship and the Singapore Armed Forces Ove ...

as Chief of Army on 14 August 2015, and was promoted to the rank of Major-General on 1 July 2016. He served in that position until 21 March 2018. Ong was appointed Chief of Defence Force on 23 March 2018, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General on 1 July 2018. He served in that position until 24 March 2023, where he was succeeded by

Aaron Beng Aaron Beng Yao Cheng ( zh, s=孟耀诚; born 1981) is a Singaporean Vice admiral, vice-admiral and Chief of Defence Force (Singapore), Chief of Defence Force. Prior to his appointment as Chief of Defence Force, he served as Chief of the Navy (S ...

Non-military career

In addition to his career in the SAF, Ong is also serving in the Singapore Administrative Service under the Dual Career Scheme. He was Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the

Early Childhood Development Agency The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA; ; zh, 幼儿培育署; ) is an autonomous government agency of the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) that manages the early childhood education sector such as overseeing the development ...

between 2013 and 2014. He became the Permanent Secretary for Defence Development at the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

on 1 June 2023, succeeding Chan Heng Kee. On 1 January 2024, he had also assumed the role of Permanent Secretary (Development) at the Ministry of National Development.

Awards and decorations

Lieutenant-General Ong has received the following awards: * Meritorious Service Medal (Military) - PJG * Public Administration Medal, (Gold) (Military) - PPA(E) * Public Administration Medal, (Silver) (Military) - PPA(P) * Long Service Medal (Military) *

Singapore Armed Forces Long Service and Good Conduct (20 Years) Medal The Singapore Armed Forces Long Service and Good Conduct (20 Years) Medal is a decoration awarded to a member of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) (regardless of regular or NSmen status) who has completed 20 years of continuous service. A clasp ...

Singapore Armed Forces Long Service and Good Conduct (10 Years) Medal The Singapore Armed Forces Long Service and Good Conduct (10 Years) Medal is a decoration awarded to a member of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) who has completed 10 years of continuous service. For NSmen, reservists qualify for the equivalent ...

with 15 year clasp *

Singapore Armed Forces Good Service Medal ribbon

Singapore Armed Forces Good Service Medal * Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Service Medal * Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (; ) is an order (decoration), order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Mongkut, Rama IV of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is r ...

* Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand (; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) for Thais, the royal family, governmental employees, and foreign dignitaries for their outstanding serv ...

* Grand Meritorious Military Order Star, 1st Class - Indonesia * Kartika Eka Paksi Utama

Army Meritorious Service Star, 1st Class - Indonesia * Panglima Gagah Angkatan Tentera

Courageous Commander of The Most Gallant Order of Military Service (P.G.A.T.) * BRU Order of Famous Valour1 - DPKT

The Most Exalted

Order of Paduka Keberanian Laila Terbilang The Most Exalted Order of Paduka Keberanian Laila Terbilang (), also translated as The Most Exalted Order of Famous Valour, is an Order (decoration), order of Brunei. It was established on 1 August 1968 by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Current clas ...

, 1st Class (D.P.K.T.) * Officer (Military division) of the Order of Australia (A.O.) * US Legion of Merit Commander ribbon

Commander of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

, USA

Personal life

Ong is married to Nicole Lynn McCully and they have three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ong, Melvyn Living people Singaporean people of Chinese descent Chiefs of Defence Force (Singapore) Chiefs of the Singapore Army Alumni of the London School of Economics Anglo-Chinese School alumni National Junior College alumni Recipients of the Pingat Pentadbiran Awam Recipients of the Long Service Medal (Military) (Singapore) 1975 births Recipients of the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera)