To his parents, he is a devoted son. To his wife and 12-month-old daughter, he is a loving husband and father.

To fellow Singaporeans, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Jason Lau, 34, is among an elite group of fighter pilots defending our young nation.

But to his colleagues in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), he is simply Spitfire.

This is his callsign: a short, unique nickname adopted by all pilots for easier identification. Though its primary purpose is for convenience in radio communications, a callsign becomes an integral part of a pilot’s identity.

To any aerial warfare enthusiast, the reference in LTC Lau’s callsign seems obvious; it only makes sense for a fighter pilot to be named for one of the most famous aircraft of World War II, the Supermarine Spitfire.

But, as any pilot worth their salt also knows, no pilot’s callsign is ever really what it seems on the surface.

Impressive though they may sound, a callsign is always related to something memorable that a pilot has done — typically some sort of veiled allusion to an embarrassing event. Even then every pilot wears their callsign with pride.

“Whether it’s actually a humiliating incident or funny story only a certain inner community will know the backstory of your callsign,” says LTC Lau. “And that’s what makes you feel like you are part of the team.”

The symbiotic relationship between pilot and aircraft

With both his father and elder brother having careers in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), it seemed like a military career was inevitable for LTC Lau.

But he insists that it wasn’t really a deciding factor in his decision to join the military.

“My time in the Singapore education system was coming to a close,” LTC Lau says. “I pondered seriously about what I wanted to pursue, and where my passions lay.”

They certainly did not lie in a corporate job. Sitting behind a computer for hours every day held no appeal for LTC Lau, rather, he sought to replicate the kind of experience he had as a student councillor, surrounded by like-minded individuals looking to further a cause greater than themselves.

This piqued his interest in the public service, which in turn led him to the Mindef Experience Programme (previously known as the Mindef Internship Programme), a three-day, two-night exposure event that introduces soon-to-be polytechnic and junior college graduates to different facets of the SAF.

Of all the services, it was the RSAF that particularly caught LTC Lau’s eye. “At the time, it seemed like a tight team that was very operational, very cutting-edge,” he recalls. “I knew it was the kind of culture that I wanted to be part of.”

This led him to apply for and receive The SAF Scholarship. He pursued a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Sociology with Specialism in Cultural Studies at the University of Warwick, England, before returning to serve with the RSAF.

“The unique thing about being a pilot is that it’s a symbiosis between man and machine, kind of like Iron Man,” he says. “The draw of being at one with technology really appealed to me.”

Soaring to protect Singapore’s airspace

Perhaps ironically, it was becoming acquainted with this technology that made him realise the importance of camaraderie in the aviation community.

The RSAF is the most technologically-advanced air force in the region,  LTC Lau says, and is likely to retain that title for quite a while yet.

For instance, Singapore’s fleet of 5th-generation fighters — such as the F-35Bs — is expanding, and with it, our nation’s air superiority capabilities. LTC Lau’s own F-16s, which he oversees as Commanding Officer of 143 Squadron, have been upgraded with advanced radar arrays, targeting systems and munitions.

But an extended period of time at the controls of one of the most formidable aircraft in modern aviation only further served to reinforce his belief that interpersonal relationships are the bedrock of the RSAF’s success.

This was proven to him during Exercise Cope Tiger in 2022, a two-week trilateral air exercise that saw the RSAF collaborating with the United States Air Force (USAF) and Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF).

There, LTC Lau was appointed mission commander of a “checkride”, a simulation that would test his capabilities as a pilot and commander. He was required to plan and lead a sortie through highly-contested terrain to strike a target, including negotiating surface-to-air threats and adversary aircraft.

This encompassed not just aircraft and elements from his own RSAF detachment, but also assets from the American and Thai participants — many of whom had even more flight hours and experience than LTC Lau himself.

But not only was his mission successful on account of his men’s intense training, his squadron ended up being personally commended by several of his counterparts in the USAF and RTAF for their efficiency, lethality and teamwork.

“They send some of their best weapons instructors on these exercises,” he says. “The fact that they recognise your skill, appreciate your professionalism and even say that they would come back to do it with us any day.

“It equipped me with the confidence to know that we were well-trained and mission-competent and gave me pride that I was able to represent Singapore and the RSAF well.”

Solidarity up in the sky and on the ground

The kind of trust that LTC Lau has with his squadron does not come easily. Rather, it has to be slowly built over time, through mutual care and trust, he says.

This can take a number of different forms. If someone has a family emergency and needs time off, they get it. If someone is falling behind at work or in training and needs more resources, they get it.

“As a commander, when we take the oath, we pledge our allegiance to the country and the president, but we are also pledging an oath to our men,” he says. “We are committing to know them and be there for them, and support them no matter what.

“When push comes to shove, and we have to go to war, one day your life will depend on another guy, and you have to rely on him to put himself at risk to save you.”

And even as he soars tens of thousands of feet above the earth, wingtips scraping the edge of space, LTC Lau believes that that calling is the highest one of all.

For more information visit the Mindef Scholarship Centre.