IN-CAMP TRAINING FOR RESERVISTS

Mr Ang Nam Piau asked the Minister of Defence if he will consider shortening the period of annual in-camp training for reservists in order to minimize the inconvenience caused to them.

The Minister of State of Defence (Mr Bernard Chen) (for the Minister of Defence): Mr Speaker, Sir, may I thank the hon. Member for addressing this question, as it gives me an opportunity to clarify a common misconception held by many members of the public.

The main fighting arm of the Singapore Armed Forces is provided by the reserves. In war, the reservists, like their full-time counterparts, are required to fight at the front line. They are not called upon to fight only when the active force is spent. Although a person is called up to serve 2 to 2 1/2 years of full-time national service, this period only enables him to learn the basic skills of combat. To maintain these skills and to improve on them, a soldier still has to return to the SAF annually to do continuation training in the SAF Reserves. He will also have to keep up with the development of new doctrines and learn to operate new equipment which he may not have the opportunity to do while in active service.

Continuation training and upgrading of skills in the reserves are therefore necessary and they form an integral part of the comprehensive military training we are providing our citizens to defend their country if ever the need arises. Our reservists and their employers must not consider annual in-camp training as an inconvenience they have to put up with. Since we are unable to maintain a full-time standing army large enough to meet our defence requirements, the national service system which combines active and reserve service is still the best way of ensuring that we have the desired defence capability. National service, both active and reserve, must therefore be taken seriously by all concerned and the vital role which the SAF reservists play should be recognised.

Under the Enlistment Act, 1970, citizens are obligated to serve up to the age of 40 (or 50 if he is an officer or a person with special skills) and for a maximum of 40 days of in-camp training a year. Presently, SAF reservists are called up for in-camp training for an average of two to three weeks annually. This is very much less than the period provided for by the law. Mindef is considering extending the period of annual in-camp training and the number of years of reserve training for reservists, especially officers, to enable them to acquire greater military skills. Upgrading our overall military preparedness can only be achieved if reservist officers serve a longer period in the reserves. The experience they accumulate over the years will be crucial in guiding and developing new reserve units.

Over the years, Mindef has also improved the administration of in-camp training for reservists. Presently, reservists are given at least six weeks' notice to report for routine reporting. At the time when they report for routine reporting they are given another six weeks' notice of their impending in-camp training. The reservists therefore know that they will be doing in-camp training three months in advance from the time they receive the notice for routine reporting. To minimise the disruption to the reservists' civilian occupation, Mindef is considering doubling this period of notice, i.e. six months. As far as possible, Mindef will also not call them up for more then one in-camp training a year. The exception will be when such reservists are required for military exercises or for short periods to test their physical fitness. If a reservist is unable to attend in-camp training at the specified period, he may apply for deferment. He will then be recalled for make-up training at a later date. Inconvenience for the reservists, if at all existent, should in this way be minimised.

Mr Ng Kah Ting (Punggol): Mr Speaker, Sir, as the responsibility for the defence of Singapore falls on the reservists, I would like to ask the Minister of State of Defence what steps are being taken to correct the misconception that national service ends after 2 to 2 1/2 years and that reservist training is just for training purposes?

Mr Bernard Chen: Mr Speaker, Sir, Mindef is trying to tack!e this problem on two fronts. First, within the SAF itself, commanders have been told to inform those reservists under their charge that while in active service they are trainees and that such training will continue into the Reserves and even when they come back for reserve training the skills that they learn will complement what they have learnt in active service. In this way they become more efficient and more proficient than when they were in active service.

On the second front, we would like, in the near future, to mount an education programme to inform the public, especially employers and parents, of the need for the reserve service to be part and parcel of the military service that their children or their employees are undergoing. Presently, the problem is not with the reservists themselves. After going through 2 to 2 1/2 years of training, I think they appreciate the need for further refurbishment of skills. The problem lies with the people who are not directly involved in military service but who stand to lose, for example, employers, because when the reservists are away, it means that they have to get someone to take their place. Otherwise there may be man-hours lost. We hope that through this education programme the employers will be convinced that defence needs are as important as the needs for a growing economy and that economic prosperity cannot be achieved without a credible defence. This will take some time because it involves sacrifice on the part of employers, but through regular exchange of information, especially with those who are involved, we hope to get this message across.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: Sir, what about those people who are self-employed? Many a time I come across reservists who are self-employed and they complain that when they go for reservist training their business is affected. In such a case, what plans has the Ministry of Defence got to help them overcome disruption of their own business?

Mr Bernard Chen: Mr Speaker, Sir, currently there is a scheme which enables us to grant make-up pay for both employees as well as the self-employed. Reservists who come in for training will be compensated by make-up pay. This scheme includes the self-employed category, such as doctors. By giving them ample notice, like six months in advance, many of them should be able to find replacements for whatever position they are holding. Surely, when they themselves want to go for holidays they will also have to find a replacement to take over their business unless it is assumed that most of them do not take even a single day's holiday, i.e. work 365 days a year.

Among the professionals, reservist training should not pose 9 problem. There is a scheme where doctors can always get other doctors to take their place when they go away on holiday or on business. They can make the same arrangement when they go for in-camp training. The essence is that we should give sufficient notice to them so that they have ample time to get any replacement that they find necessary to do their job while they are away. In most cases, in-camp training does not last more than two weeks. So I do not think that their business will be seriously affected, either in income or at the prospect of losing their clients.