DEFENCE ACADEMY, TANAH JAMBU, Monday, 18th January 2021 – The Officer Cadets of Intake 19 had the opportunity to attend a session with the Acting Commandant of the Defence Academy RBAF, Lt Col Hajah Suriyati binti Haji Junaidi. The session was held at the Officer Cadet School Lecture Theater. Among the attendees were the Commanding Officer of OCS, the 2IC of OCS and the Intake Commander of OCS Intake 19.
The session was commenced with warm greetings and recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah to bless the sharing session. The session gave the opportunity to the Officer Cadets of Intake 19 to gain knowledge of what to expect once they commission as Young Officers of the RBAF in the near future. The Acting Commandant highlighted a couple of points throughout the entirety of the session.
Firstly, the Acting Commandant highlighted how the officer cadet’s military career actually begins when they commission. She stated how their commissioning would show them what working in the RBAF really means and the responsibility that Officers have to shoulder.
Leadership can be defined in various ways, giving the Intake an insight that when leading others, each and every one of them will have different ways of leading. She advised them to apply their knowledge and implement critical thinking throughout their daily lives, especially as Officers holding countless men. The Acting Commandant stated how knowledge that encompasses most matters would indefinitely play a part in influencing teams and future subordinates. The Acting Commandant said that the principles of war could be applied as a guideline in their everyday lives, she followed by giving brief examples with its usage such as surprise, the economy of effort and cooperation.
The Acting Commandant advised the Intake to find the right person or people to talk to when arriving in their units. This is to ease their worries and have that bit of security when tasked with different responsibilities. Pride is another aspect that she elaborated on, and how, as officers, they should take pride in their jobs. She encouraged the Intake to keep on trying, through blood, sweat and tears before even thinking about giving up when faced with challenges throughout their careers. She said to be mentally prepared for any negative criticism and to absorb it positively whenever there’s a task regardless if it was a success or a failure. In planning, she said to have the foresight and plan ahead in everything we do as a contingency. Lastly, the Acting Commandant wished the Intake the best of luck for their future endeavours and congratulated them upon their completion of the Officer Cadet Course.
