Ask military expert 4 apprentice (ME4A) Ethan Lim about his career five years ago, and he would never have predicted becoming a military intelligence expert.

Back then, the banking and finance student at Singapore Polytechnic was eyeing a job where he would assess global markets and geopolitical developments for investment risks and opportunities.

But his path ended up in the realm of public service after a final-year internship at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) during the 2020 “circuit breaker” period.

There, he was inspired by the dedication to public good after witnessing colleagues work intensely to ensure Singapore prevailed against a looming economic crisis.

“I saw that seemingly small changes in the global landscape could impact us hugely. It solidified my thinking that whatever my career was going to be, I wanted a career that helped defend Singapore,” says the 21-year-old.

Soon after, he attended Officer Cadet School (OCS) as part of his National Service. There, ME4A Lim found out about the newly established Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS).

The fourth service of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the DIS is responsible for defending Singapore’s peace and security in the digital domain.

Realising his background in risk analysis was highly applicable to intelligence roles, ME4A Lim signed on in 2022 as a senior military intelligence expert (MIE) in the DIS, and was awarded the SAF Merit Scholarship, offered by the Ministry of Defence and the SAF.

“Financial analysts utilise analytical skillsets to make investment decisions that can have tremendous impact on a company’s returns,” says ME4A Lim.

“At the DIS, the emphasis is on using analytical skillsets to generate timely intelligence for the SAF to respond to potential threats. I resonated deeply with such a career.”

A mind primed for intelligence and analysis

Today, ME4A Lim is building up multidisciplinary skills to further his intelligence expertise with a degree in philosophy, politics and economics from NUS College.

Now a year into his studies, he admits that the rigours of a multidisciplinary course is challenging, but he has gained much from leaning on peers. This experience in teamwork is also one he intends to parlay into his career.

“In the SAF, it's never an individual effort. You work with a team to gather the relevant information, and give it to stakeholders to make critical decisions at times of need.”

ME4A Lim may still be a student, but he is already contributing where he can to Singapore’s safety and security.

In 2022, he participated in the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defence summit. During the event, he was tasked to ensure smooth and efficient calls for MINDEF/SAF senior officials and their foreign counterparts. This included preparation and dissemination of information and liaising with respective liaison officers for meetings.

Additionally, ME4A Lim is taking advantage of the chance to contribute to the development of the newly formed DIS in its early years. During his most recent vacation attachment with the service, he was an auxiliary instructor at OCS's DIS Wing.

He was involved in the day-to-day training of the military expert cadets who would go on to be future senior MIEs and C4 (Command, Control, Communications, Computers) experts of the DIS.

“A notable memory was conducting a summary exercise where we simulated a 24/7 intelligence and C4 operation for four days straight, with minimal rest time,” he says.

Apart from this, ME4A Lim also assisted in redesigning and consolidating the training programme for future cadets.

The SAF Merit scholarship will also cover his master’s programme at overseas universities. ME4A Lim says this wealth of experiences will position him optimally to lead, serve, and navigate a varied and rich career when he joins the SAF full-time after graduation.

For his starting role as an MIE, ME4A Lim will be tasked to gather relevant, timely and accurate military intelligence to support decision-making.

“My job scope will range from strategy to technology. I could be doing surveillance operations, work on research and development projects such as developing new software, or look at broader geopolitical situations and give briefs to senior commanders,” says ME4A Lim.

“No two days are the same, and I’m looking forward to that.”

For more information visit the Mindef Scholarship Centre.