Having spent more than 20 years in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), Colonel (COL) Siswi Herlini is thankful of the opportunities that she had been given to grow into the confident and competent commander she is today.

One of the key ingredients of her success is good communication. A large part of her work requires her to influence the mindset of others to bring about changes. This is critical for a maritime force that is faced with a wide range of operational demands and an evolving security environment.

“As a commander, I am responsible for communicating to hundreds of men and women under my charge on why they have to get something done, and this has honed my confidence,” shares the 38-year-old.

In March this year, COL Herlini took on her current role as Commander of the Third Flotilla. This flotilla is in charge of sea transportation and logistics support for maritime security operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions, plus peace support operations and training deployments.

She likens her flotilla to a versatile Swiss army knife, “we are flexible and always figuring out how to support everyone else.”

COL Herlini started her RSN career as a Navigation Officer on board the Fearless-class patrol vessel, RSS Justice, and went on to assume a myriad of roles including Commanding Officer (CO) of the RSS Resilience (Fearless-class patrol vessel) and RSS Endurance (Endurance-class landing ship tank), Head of the RSN Strategy Office and Head of Naval Plans Department.

As the head honcho of the third flotilla, she commands a variety of vessels, ranging from large landing ships' tanks and nimble fast craft to civil resource vessels. She also manages more than 3,000 personnel, including National Service men, training them in diverse skill sets such as providing logistical support to missions.

In any given week, COL Herlini can be attending overseas symposiums where she interacts with representatives from other countries’ navies or inspecting various units in her flotilla to make sure that they are always operationally ready.

Beyond sustaining the deterrence capabilities of the RSN, COL Herlini also plays an active role in diplomacy through strengthening relationships with foreign navies during exercises and ports of calls.

While her career has been chock-full of adventures, COL Herlini’s most memorable experience was a socio-civic mission where she sailed on board RSS Endurance to Indonesia. During the mission, her ship brought along doctors and medical supplies to provide healthcare for Indonesians who had limited access to medical treatment. Cataract surgeries were also performed on board the warship.

Doing well in work and at home

It’s a far cry from her childhood ambition of wanting “to build houses” – COL Herlini candidly admits to not knowing much about the RSN before she signed on.

In fact, she didn’t even know the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) employed women until she attended a career day at Victoria Junior College where she was a student and saw posters of SAF women officers at work.

Fascinated and inspired by the military profession that offers dynamic and exciting work opportunities, COL Herlini made the decision to join the SAF. After she was  awarded the SAF Merit Scholarship in 2003, she went on to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at the University of California and a master’s in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University.

On whether she has enjoyed a smooth sailing career in what is often perceived as a male-dominated work environment, COL Herlini says: “The military is shifting. The SAF is now very technologically advanced and diverse, and has many more avenues that let you perform your work based on your ability and not on your gender.”

She confesses to having to overcome her personal misconceptions too. “People always say women are more approachable or emotional but every commander is unique. Some male commanders are more emotional and some female ones are more approachable. It’s really about what you can bring to the table.”

COL Herlini quips that she is a friendly mentor herself but can be “a pretty scary boss”.

Being a driving force for change

As a commander and mother-of-two, pregnancy and motherhood have inspired her to lend her voice in shaping policies that are more women-aware so that servicewomen can excel at work and at home.

COL Herlini is grateful for the support and provisions that the RSN offers to the servicewomen who wish to start families. "In many people’s eyes, the RSN is about going out to sea all the time but we have a balanced mix of both sea and shore-based appointments. The RSN has support systems for our servicewomen, where they will be posted to shore-based appointments during and post pregnancy,” she says. 

Having been through two pregnancies herself, COL Herlini understands that women need time to recover and shed the post-pregnancy kilos. One of the policies the SAF championed to revise was the policy on meeting Body Mass Index (BMI). The policy was adjusted to provide more time for the servicewomen to attain the required BMI post-pregnancy.

Over the course of her RSN career, COL Herlini has undertaken different roles and brought about several changes. Her older son thinks her job is “really cool”, and has visited her workplace and toured the warships during the RSN Family Day.

But her job is more than just a cool job, it is a greater calling.

COL Herlini explains that Singapore is a maritime nation with very few natural resources so the sea becomes the highway that brings in the country’s daily essentials. “The SAF is not a war tool but a tool to defend our nation on a day-to-day basis.”

She loves how her job allows her to play an active role in protecting her fellow countrymen’s  livelihoods.

“I never wanted to work in a job where the bottom line is profit. Here, in the RSN, the bottom line is about peace and security, and being able to maintain Singapore’s prosperity and peace keeps me going every day.”

For more information visit the MINDEF Scholarship Centre.