RESERVIST TRAINING (For Singaporeans pursuing further studies or on business abroad)

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

The following Question stood in the name of Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon ---

Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon: To ask the Minister for Defence whether there will be more flexibility in reservist training arrangements for Singaporeans pursuing further studies or on business abroad.

Mr Heng Chiang Meng (Cheng San GRC): Question No. 1, Sir.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence (Mr Matthias Yao Chih) (for the Minister for Defence): Sir, MINDEF supports the Government's call to Singaporeans to venture overseas. MINDEF also appreciates the contributions of our reservists. Hence, MINDEF will continue to be helpful and make it easy for reservists to travel overseas for work or studies.

The current policies which facilitate this are:

1 Reservists on overseas studies are not called up for training for the full duration of their courses;

2 Those who are employed overseas for six months or longer are disrupted while they are overseas for up to three years at a time. The disruption can be extended;

3 The SAF also gives notice of in-camp training at least six months in advance so that reservists can plan their business trips and engagements to avoid a clash with their training. Where there are exceptional reasons, the SAF will consider applications for deferment on a case by case basis;

4 To make it easier for reservists to travel overseas, the validity of their passports has been lengthened from two years to 10 years since November last year;

5 In April this year, MINDEF further relaxed the exit permit requirement. Reservists holding exit permits who are in Singapore on transit are no longer required to surrender their exit permits on landing in Singapore and retrieving it before they leave again if the period of transit is shorter than one month.

In drawing up policies and guidelines on allowing reservists to be absent from training, MINDEF has to take into account the operational considerations. To be an effective fighting force, reservists must always train together in their own units throughout their reservist training cycle. When a reservist is absent from a particular training programme, the effectiveness of his unit is reduced. The reservist frequently has to join another unit later in the year for make-up training. As a result, cohesion for both units is degraded and operational readiness suffers.

MINDEF therefore has two objectives to meet: one, of ensuring the operational readiness of our reservist units, and the other, of being helpful to individual reservists who have to go overseas. MINDEF will continue to fine-tune its policies to achieve both objectives.

Dr Toh Keng Kiat (Nominated Member): Sir, may I ask the Parliamentary Secretary, where an exemption has been given for a reservist to be absent, will he have to make up for lost time upon his return?

Mr Matthias Yao Chih: Yes. There are two types of absence from training. One is deferment during the year where he postpones his training for that year. Being absent from his scheduled training, he comes back during the year for make-up training. Where a person is disrupted for a period of time, say, three years, to complete his study, then he will have to do a 13-year cycle after he has finished his study.