TOTAL DEFENCE CONCEPT (Mobilization)

Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence whether, as part of the Total Defence concept in which National Service plays a very dominant role, he has any plans to speed up the process of mobilization of reservists as the present system of such mobilization leaves much to be desired in view of what is happening in the region; and, if so, when such a process will be implemented and whether it will cause alarm to the public.

The Minister of State for Defence and Trade and Industry (BG Lee Hsien Loong) (for the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence): Mr Speaker, Sir, the SAF has successfully practised Silent Mobilization of reservists for many years. This involves using a courier system to alert reservists.

But responsive as Silent Mobilization is, there may be situations where the SAF has to mobilize reservists much faster. To do this, the SAF will adopt Open Mobilization in which the mass media - radio, television, Rediffusion and the cinema - are used to direct reservists to report to their mobilization centres. The first practice will be held later this year.

There will be no reason for the public to be alarmed. The first announcement of the Open Mobilization exercise will be made at least a month beforehand. The date will then be regularly announced over radio and television two weeks before the practice event. Two days prior to the practice, press announcements will also be made. The public will therefore not be caught by surprise.

That the SAF should hold such mobilization exercises does not mean that war is around the corner. These exercises will allow the SAF to test the system in peacetime so that it can function well if a real need should arise. Repeated practices will mean a well honed and dependable system. This will, in turn, help strengthen public confidence in our Reserve National Service system.

If Open Mobilization is to work well, every citizen who hears the mobilization message should contact relatives and friends who are reservists, and ask them to turn on their radio or TV set. Only then will we get the fastest possible response from reservists. Employers can play their special part by immediately releasing affected reservists who are at work. It is clear that the public and employers, and not only reservists, are critical to the success of Open Mobilization.

Peace and security come from effective deterrence. Success in deterrence lies in Singaporeans showing their willingness and ability to contribute in Total Defence. Open Mobilization exercises will give the public and employers the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment by the way they play their part.

Mr Ng Kah Ting (Punggol): Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask the Hon. Minister of State for Defence and Trade and Industry how effective will this Open Mobilization system be, and what impact will it have on the reservists and the people as a whole?

BG Lee Hsien Loong: Mr Speaker, Sir, just to give some sense of scale, to mobilize silently, using couriers and messengers, it takes altogether 30 hours for a unit to get ready - 24 hours to bring the people back, and six hours for them to get prepared, equipped, and in battle order. With Open Mobilization, we hope to reduce this time to 12 hours, which means six hours to get the people back, assuming we can reach all of them simultaneously, and six hours to get them ready and equipped for war.

Can we get all of them back within six hours? A lot depends on how keyed up and clued up the reservists are, and how quickly they respond to the mobilization notices. We can broadcast a message throughout Singapore within a few minutes. It is up to the reservists who have received this message to return as quickly as they can. It is also up to the family members to inform them, if they are not at home and not reachable by television, to go back to camp as quickly as possible. So how many per cent of our reservists we can get back in six hours is yet to be seen. We hope that it will be as good as the system which we have developed using Silent Mobilization.