Welcome Home Reception Lunch for the Ops Vanguard Contingent - Speech by Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs

Opening

1. Good afternoon, everyone. Just watching the video fills me with so much pride. With fellow Singaporeans, with all of you, and to have a team like this prepared to come forward in the hour of need of our friends in the region, and to lend yourself so unreservedly. So, I want to start by saying thank you very much. I think you all deserve a really warm round of applause.

2. For officers from the Operations Vanguard Contingent, good afternoon. Welcome to you and your families, those who are here, friends. To the officers who are involved in supporting the operations, and ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon to all of you.

3. It is a real pleasure to be able to join you at this lunch reception to welcome our Operations Vanguard contingent home, and to express our warmest appreciation to all who contributed to this very important mission.

Background of Ops and Activation Process

4. When Nepal was struck by catastrophic floods and landslides on 26 August 2026, Singapore responded swiftly to the Government of Nepal's request for assistance.

5. Singapore Police Force (SPF) activated Ops Vanguard and quickly assembled a 35-member contingent comprising officers from the SPF, Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX). The mission was clear: to support disaster victim identification operations, and facilitate aerial surveillance training in the aftermath of the disaster.

6. At SPF Headquarters, planners worked closely also with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and various other stakeholders to transform an urgent appeal for help into a well-coordinated and effective operation.

7. On the ground, the SPF Overseas Peacekeeping and Relief Force (OPRF) coordinated equipment, logistics and manpower readiness so that our specialists could get to work quickly, without delay.

8. Within a matter of days, the SPF swiftly deployed the advance team to Nepal on 1 September 2026. The remaining members of the contingent arrived between 2 and 4 September, a few days later. This really demonstrated the high level of preparedness, readiness and professionalism that Singapore had built over the many years.

Achievements of the Contingent

9. In Nepal, our officers took on highly demanding but really meaningful work.

10. Our Disaster Victim Identification team helped the local authorities identify victims and provide closure to grieving families. It's not just the physical assistance and relief effort, but in many cases, being able to identify loved ones in very tough circumstances, this emotional resilience, and I think that was what our officers did.

11. The team undertook extensive disaster victim identification work under difficult conditions, including conducting post-mortem examinations, lifting fingerprints, in very difficult circumstances, from recovered bodies and comparing them against fingerprint records to support identification efforts.

12. In particular, our officers succeeded in recovering fingerprints in cases involving advanced decomposition. Supporting the identification process was very important. As I said, families and loved ones seek or sought resolution.

13. Our Home Team Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, or HT UAV, contributed to the Nepal government’s longer-term capability building. By providing training, operational guidance and equipment support, they equipped Nepali officers with the skills and capabilities that will strengthen their own disaster response efforts. So not just helping them in the context of this occasion, but transferring know-how and knowledge, so that they will also be equipped in subsequent occasions.

14. Our Investigation Teams worked tirelessly to establish the last known whereabouts of the missing Singaporeans.

15. Concurrently, our Family Assistance Centre teams here in Singapore also supported the affected families with care, with sensitivity and deep professionalism during an exceptionally difficult period.

16. Enabling all these efforts was the OPRF team which serves as the operational backbone of the deployment, providing close and essential on-ground support, established stakeholder linkages and coordinated the logistics and manpower arrangements that were needed for the various teams on the ground to operate effectively. The team also worked closely with SPF Headquarters operations planners to ensure the timely flow of information and updates for effective operations planning.

17. Taken together, all these different teams – those on the ground as well as back in HQ – the efforts really demonstrated the full breadth of the SPF's specialist capabilities, and perhaps most importantly, as this episode showed, not just the professionalism, the knowledge, and the know-how, but a deep commitment to helping those in their hour of need.

18. The Nepali authorities responded with overwhelmingly positive feedback and appreciation for all our officers. The commendation affirms not only the quality of our technical work, but really reflects our officers’ commitment and personal dedication, to the mission, to the cause and to caring for someone else.

Appreciation of Officers

19. To all our 35 deployed officers — you’ve really represented Singapore with tremendous distinction.

20. You left home at short notice and worked tirelessly in very unfamiliar and very challenging conditions, but carried out your duties with professionalism, with resilience, and with compassion. You saw in the video earlier, every one of us, every one of the officers, both on the ground and Nepal, with the flag on their chest. I think that episode, your mission, and your conduct on the ground really does us justice, being Singaporean.

21. But beyond your technical expertise, you demonstrated something else equally important, and that is our willingness to help others in their time of greatest need. You have done Singapore proud.

Appreciation of Supporting Officers

22. I would like to recognise the many officers who sustained these operations behind the scenes – both in Singapore and Nepal.

23. Such large-scale operations depend far more than those deployed on the ground.

24. Planners, coordinators, logistical teams, all support staff, all of them played a key role. It’s not just on the ground, but it’s much more than that, with all of them playing an indispensable role to attain mission success.

25. To the SPF Gurkha Contingent's Kathmandu office and retired Gurkha Contingent, your networks connected our teams to the Nepali agencies and helped us to facilitate smooth coordination.

26. To the Home Team Medical Services Division, your urgent work on vaccinations and medical preparations helped our officers serve safely and with confidence.

27. While your contributions may be less visible, less frontline, they were no less important and definitely, very much appreciated.

Appreciation of Families

28. I also want to say a special word of thanks to the families of our deployed officers, we owe you a deep depth of gratitude. It must have been a difficult moment. It must have been emotionally charged as well. But I’m sure you all felt a deep sense of pride that your family members, loved ones, were called in services, in these circumstances, and prepared to do so. And of course, being home behind our staff, but I'm sure they were encouraged and galvanised, safe in knowledge that their family and loved ones were home. A big thank you to all of you. Because behind every deployed officer stands a family that provides this support, not just at home, but mentally and emotionally, and understanding throughout the deployment.

29. Your encouragement enabled our officers to serve with peace of mind and with complete commitment and dedication and professionalism. This mission really wouldn’t be possible without you. So I’m very glad this afternoon to see that we are joined with some of the family members. And I will go around and thank all of you personally as well.

Appreciation of Partners

30. I would also like to extend our appreciation to all our partners who stood with us throughout the operation.

31. Operations Vanguard demonstrated the strength of Singapore’s whole-of-government cooperation and the value of strong partnerships. It demonstrated what can be achieved when our agencies and partners work together with a very strong and shared sense of purpose. It reflects our commitment to being a responsible and capable member of the international community.

32. To MFA — your Crisis Response Teams and relevant desks worked hand-in-hand with our contingent throughout the entire deployment and provided invaluable coordination support on the ground.

33. To CAG and Singapore Airlines — thank you very much for your support in facilitating the timely movement of our officers and the equipment at short notice.

Conclusion

34. As we reflect on this deployment, we can really take pride in what it represents. Operations Vanguard was really much more than just a humanitarian mission. When I watched the video, read about the mission, hear some of the stories, I think what we’ve done represents the best of what we in Singapore stand for: compassion, service, and a selfless commitment to stepping up in the hour of need and service. And we see that all the time. That's the true Singapore spirit, and you embody all of this with all of this with your dedication and time. It was a demonstration of Singapore’s commitment to helping others in their time of need, and a reflection of the professionalism, compassion and really the operational excellence of our officers.

35. The experience and operational knowledge gained, and the partnerships strengthened through this deployment will benefit the SPF as well as Singapore long after the mission has ended.

36. On behalf of the MHA, I extend my heartfelt and very warm appreciation and congratulations to all who have contributed to this very successful as well as meaningful operation.

37. Once again, well done to all of you. Welcome home, and thank you so much for your service. Thank you very much.