HEAD J - MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

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Head J - Ministry of Defence

1.00 pm

The Chairman: Head J - Ministry of Defence. Amendment No. (1), Dr Ong Chit Chung.

Strategic Review and Defence Policies

Dr Ong Chit Chung (Jurong): Sir, I beg to move,

That the total sum to be allocated for Head J of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100.

Sir, Asia-Pacific is a region of uncertainty with underlying currents and fault lines. It is even more so after 911. We now know that the JI network has been built up over many years in many parts of the region, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Religious extremism has harnessed terrorism, making the threat even more immediate and real. Bombs have gone off in Bali, Jakarta and Manila.

There is increasing political uncertainty on the ground. Many of the countries are in the throes of election. In Malaysia, the new Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is battling against PAS and religious extremism. All are watching whether UMNO could win the Malay votes and hold Kedah against the PAS onslaught. In Indonesia, no one is sure who will emerge victorious in the presidential election, though

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President Megawati has the advantage of incumbency and the mantle of Sukarno. But one thing for sure is the rising tide of political Islam. We view with dismay and concern the early release of Abu Bakar Bashir. In the Philippines, there is going to be a fierce fight between President Arroyo and Poe. In Taiwan, President Chen Sui-bian is fighting a neck-to-neck race against Lien Chan and is playing with sensitive issues like independence and referendum. And we watch with concern the series of fanatical bombings and attacks in southern Thailand and the motives of the perpetrators are not clear. Further north, the North Korean leader is playing poker with nuclear weapons and the South Korean President is impeached.

In these uncertain times, Sir, and with the stark strategic realities before us, we have no choice but to build up the SAF as a strong and capable deterrent force. We must keep the predators at bay and protect our homeland against terrorism. We must not forget that we are a trading nation. We import our food from overseas. We need to keep the vital sea lanes around us open, and check and deter piracy. For this, we need a strong SAF.

I therefore support the increase in the Defence budget. We must spare no effort nor hold back any expenditure on defence. Without a strong SAF, Singapore will be at the mercy of others. Without a strong SAF, there will not be an independent Singapore.

We are prepared to spend the money, Sir. The SAF on its part must make good use of the funds. I hope therefore that the SAF will be trained and ready for the new conventional and unconventional roles it has to play against a spectrum of threats. I would like to ask the Minister if the SAF is combat ready to defend Singapore and Singaporeans.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong (Tampines): Sir, I would like to make two observa-

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tions. First, global terrorism remains a very real threat. The train bombing in Madrid last week was a stark reminder of how violent and senseless terrorism is and how it can happen any time, anywhere and that no country and no one is truly safe. Emerging evidence points to the Islamic militant network, Al-Qaeda, as the group responsible. Indeed, the Spanish authorities are now analysing a video tape claiming that the train bombings were Al-Qaeda’s punishment for Spain’s support for the US-led war in Iraq.

Sir, several countries have since stepped up their security after the Madrid attack. The British are deploying anti-terror marshals on trains across the country and throughout London's underground network. France deployed 500 soldiers to key transportation hub, while the US has also increased its rail security. I would like to ask the Minister whether Singapore is taking steps to also beef up its security, especially the public transport security, given that we have also supported the US in the war against Iraq.

Sir, combating terrorism also effectively requires the fullest possible international cooperation, especially in intelligence. I would like to also ask the Minister how is our cooperation with our partners on this.

My second observation is that the geo-political situation in this region is more uncertain and fluid, as pointed out by my GPC Chairman. Elections in several countries, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, would have implications on this region. The outcome of the US presidential election will also have implications on our policies and the different policies in this region. The historic impeachment of the South Korean President last week adds further uncertainty into the picture. I would like to ask the Minister for his assessment on the security outlook for the region and how we are gearing up to

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meet the expanding spectrum of national threats.

Strategic and Security Challenges

Mr R Ravindran (Marine Parade): Sir, as in past years, MINDEF has again been allocated very substantial funds to look after the defence of Singapore. And I welcome that the Government has not cut back on defence spending to ensure that the security of Singapore is never compromised. While I welcome this continued spending on defence, there are obviously many security and strategic challenges facing Singapore. And for this continued expenditure, I am quite sure that there are continuing security threats and challenges. I would like to ask the Minister to highlight what are these security and strategic challenges that are facing Singapore so that, not only do Members of this House have a better understanding, but also that many Singaporeans out there appreciate these continuing security and strategic challenges facing Singapore.

Piracy

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong: Sir, the problem of pirate attack in our regional waters, especially the Malacca Straits, seems to be getting worse, not only in their numbers, but also in terms of their ferocity. The International Maritime Bureau has said that pirate attacks jumped to 445 last year, that is 20% higher than the previous year. Although most of the attacks took place in Indonesian waters, a few occurred in Singapore waters as well. And according to the shipping community, the pirates now come heavily armed, well trained and are well organised and they are attacking with a precision not seen before. This is a disturbing trend, especially with terrorism in the midst. With terrorism, piracy could escalate to a more violent form that would destroy shipping facilities and block shipping channels.

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Sir, a recent report in AWSJ reported that, in December last year, the Malaysian Marine Police intercepted a small boat off the coast of Sabah and detained eight suspected militants. Under interrogation last month, one of them confessed that he was involved in the planning of a suicide bomb attack in Indonesia.

Sir, we must step up our vigilance and presence in the Straits of Malacca. Increasingly, maritime terrorism is becoming a real threat to our security. I would like to ask the Minister if the Police Coast Guard and the Republic of Singapore Navy have sufficient boats patrolling the regional waters and whether they are adequately equipped and are fast enough to pursue the pirates and capture them. Just consider the terrorist attacks on the tanker Limburg and warship USS Cole. Both suffered substantial damage with terrorists in speed boats packed with explosives. Often undetectable by radar, such boats could zip into Singapore waters and do serious damage.

Sir, we have talked about pirate attacks in the region for decades and yet the problem persists. I would like to ask the Minister how are we cooperating with the regional countries to combat this worsening problem of piracy and what more can be done.

Overseas Missions and Operations

Dr Ong Chit Chung: Sir, over the last few years, MINDEF has sent a number of contingents overseas. In particular, we participated in UN peacekeeping missions in a number of countries. An example was the peacekeeping mission to Timor-Leste under the sponsorship of the United Nations. And we also sent a small contingent to Iraq to help maintain security. May I ask the Minister what are the criteria for deciding whether we should undertake such missions? What

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are the factors for determining the force structure of our troops in such missions? Do we deploy both regulars and National Servicemen? At these missions, are our troops fulfilling the purpose? Are the missions worth the commitment of precious manpower as well as military resources? What do our officers and men learn from such missions and whether they share their experience with the rest of the SAF upon their return?

Mr Sin Boon Ann (Tampines): Sir, in recent years, our country has been involved in UN's various peacekeeping missions largely through communication, logistical, medical provisions and support staff to countries, such as Cambodia, Afghanistan, East Timor and Iraq. SAF, for instance, assisted in UNTAET's peacekeeping mission efforts in May 2001 to maintain law and order in East Timor by contributing a platoon of combat peacekeepers for the first time, on top of Ship Landing Tanks, medical teams and military staff officers. It was also the first time that we had the full NSmen as well as operationally ready NSmen who embarked on this mission. The SAF has also deployed staff in the Gulf region in support of Iraq's reconstruction in recent times where the 10th team is still serving.

In the light of increasing overseas deployment of SAF, what are the policies drawn in preparation for engaging them in frontline action and where do we draw the line? How prepared are our inventory for such a scenario? Will there ever be a scenario where we will engage in frontline action on behalf of another country?

SAF

Dr Ong Chit Chung: Sir, technology is an important strategic factor in warfare. Advances in technology will have a profound effect on the future of warfare. It has been said many times that generals invariably fight the war. For example, based on the First World War experience,

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the Polish generals sent their horse cavalries against German tanks at the outbreak of the Second World War, and the French generals defended France by building an outdated Marginot defence line, which was easily breached by German tanks punching through selected points in blitzkrieg attacks.

More recently, the first Gulf War in 1991 and the second Gulf War in 2003 highlighted to all of us the immense changes in warfare. This led to a revolution in military and strategic thinking and a fundamental review of weapon procurement and military doctrines. Such paradigm shift is now termed as revolution in military affairs (RMA).

Likewise, we need a paradigm shift in the SAF. I hope the SAF is not being tied down to old-fashioned warfare of the past, and is not bogged down by the baggage of our experience in World War II, the Malayan Emergency or even confrontation. More to the point, what happened to the two Gulf Wars demand a total review of the force structure, strategic concepts and operational doctrines of the SAF.

Sir, even the US Secretary for Defence, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, is shaking up the American armed forces with an ongoing review of the way the forces are trained and deployed. Old fashioned generals weighed down by old concepts are being replaced with forward-looking commanders. Are we in the SAF prepared to change and ride the tide of such unprecedented technological advances and changes? At the same time, SAF is facing new threats. In the new strategic landscape, the SAF has to contend with biological and chemical attacks, low intensity operations and terrorist attacks. I therefore wish to ask the Minister whether the SAF is prepared for such unconventional threats and how far is the SAF transforming itself in view of the

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changes in technology and the strategic landscape.

1.15 pm

Mr Tan Soo Khoon: Sir, last year probably has not been a particularly good year for our armed forces, in terms of incidents that occurred. The year started with the disastrous collision of the naval vessel Courageous with the merchant ship in which four of our servicewomen died.

Then came the revelation that three NSmen died in training in August, one of whom was the result of serious breaches in training procedures. These incidents have cast a stain on the reputation of the SAF. Then the revelation of the so-called labelling of "white horses" amongst NSmen has also not helped the image of the SAF. Unfortunately, most people do not buy the explanation that "white horses" were identified so that they do not receive special treatment.

So, I think the image of the SAF suffered somewhat during the year. However, the openness in which we discussed the deaths of our NSmen in Parliament shows that the Ministry is serious that it wants to be held accountable for any lapses, and this is very important, especially when we consider that, in the last 10 years, 3,000 NSmen had in fact been injured during training, and a total of 37 had died. We must, therefore, continue to have such open accountability. The availability of the SAF Hotline to report any misconduct or unhappiness in training is encouraging, but some NSmen do not know what is allowed or what is not allowed in training. So, they do not know if there has been a breach of training guidelines or of what the limits are. Then, there are some NSmen who are afraid of reporting their injuries to medical officers, as they fear they may be accused of malingering and giving excuses to skip training. Yet, some of these injuries may have life-long implications in the long term.

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Sir, the SAF has to continue to uphold its image as a professional fighting force capable of defending the nation. We must be sure that our professionalism and our reputation as a fighting-fit force will always be maintained. But, at the same time, we have to assure families that their sons sent for NS to serve the nation will return home safely in one piece. And I hope that the Minister can continue to give this assurance.

Dr Warren Lee: Sir, recent conflicts have shown us that it is no longer sheer numbers and firepower that win wars. Small groups of well-trained and well-equipped forces with superior information about the enemy forces and intentions have often tipped the balance in their own favour. We have a situation where the SAF can no longer count on increasing headcounts or bigger budgets alone to keep our fighting edge. The SAF will have to do more with less. While transforming itself into a force that can effectively face the challenges of these asymmetric warfare, unconventional warfare, defence against terrorist attacks, and keeping the peace. On the one hand, our soldiers will have to use more simulators while, on the other, more will be called upon to protect our own local vital installations from real threats in peace time, and even to serve overseas. We will need to restructure our forces, reprioritise our plans for acquisition and replacement of equipment and reskill our men to meet these new challenges. We will need to maintain unit cohesion and inter-unit cooperation, and improve our capability to mount joint operations on land, sea and air, even as we try to lessen the burden of reservist training on our Operationally-Ready NSmen and their employers.

Sir, our NSmen are now better educated and most, if not all, are highly motivated to defend their country. We should strive to ensure that their time in

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NS or reservist training is not wasted while adequate time is given to rest and recreation after training. We will need to reassure them, their parents and their loved ones that the SAF will conduct rigorous and challenging training while ensuring that the safety and welfare of the men are never taken lightly. We need to assure that the environmental hazards that our men will face, eg, infectious disease risks, will be managed and planned for as well as military risks will be planned for. If we do this, then I believe that all Singaporeans will do their part towards the total defence of Singapore.

Mr Sin Boon Ann: Sir, if we look at the SAF today, we will realise that it is a very different organisation from what it was when it first started. The SAF has over the years transformed itself into a lean and well-organised armed force that leverages heavily on technology as a force multiplier. This reliance on technology has given the SAF the edge that it enjoys today. In fact, independent analysts hold the SAF in very high regard as an effective fighting force in the region. The experience of the recent war in Iraq has proven the effectiveness of leveraging on technology to fight a modern war. This shows that we were doing the right thing in moving in the direction that we did.

Yet, we know that the transformation was no easy task. It requires vision and far-sighted planning to bring these changes. Even before the Iraq war, I am sure our planners had an idea of how military technology is evolving, and must have thought about using information technology and smart weapons as an integral part of our defence system. I am grateful that MINDEF has, on its part, invested resources into making this possible. In fact, more than just relying on foreign technology to meet our needs, our Government has even got down to designing weapons systems and platforms to ensure that our armed forces are

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equipped with tools to meet our own local specific requirements.

There is never an end point in a transformation process. For the SAF, the organisation is constantly evolving. Besides, even aside from the transformation in the way in which battles are fought, the conditions and nature of the battlefield are also evolving. Whereas the soldiers in the past were being prepared to fight conventional wars, in the aftermath of September 11, we are now mindful that the SAF may also have to engage in low intensity battles with enemies that may not be as easily defined. Such a transformation may at times require a paradigm shift in the way in which doctrines are written and training schedules are planned. I would like to ask the Minister to share his vision to the extent possible of the kind of organisation that the SAF is likely to evolve itself into in the next 10 years, whether the SAF, as an organisation, is nimble enough to deal with changes in the nature of challenges that we face. For instance, can the SAF deal with low-intensity conflict as opposed to having to fight in a conventional warfare? Are we confident that our on-going efforts to transform the SAF will be adequate to prepare our armed forces to adequately deal with the situation when it arises?

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman (Sembawang): Sir, the SAF has been one of the key pillars of our progress. We have been told that our armed forces have come a long way from its beginning. One of the key components of our SAF is the operational readiness of the National Servicemen and the reservists.

Sir, mobilisation exercises have been going on for several years now and, to ensure the operational readiness of our SAF personnel as well as the civil resource owners, I would like to ask the Minister what are some of the criteria

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used to assess our operational readiness during such exercise. How has the performance with regard to mobilisation exercises been in the last few years? In terms of civil resource owners, how has their response been towards such exercises? How do we fare compared to other armies of the same size as ours with regard to such exercises?

Sir, with the threat of terrorism looming the world over, I would like to also ask the Minister on the SAF's readiness in combating non-conventional war and threats. Are our servicemen prepared and trained for this non-conventional warfare? How prepared are we, and what more will be done to ensure the highest level of preparedness?

Intelligence

Mr Sin Boon Ann: Sir, the Western alliance, comprising mainly the US and the UK, went to war with Iraq last year, almost certain that the evidence they had on hand would prove beyond doubt that the belief that President Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. So confident were the Americans that Mr Collin Powell went to the United Nations Security Council, believing that the photograph he had was enough to convince the world. One year on, after the invasion of Iraq and the fall of President Saddam Hussein, we are nowhere nearer to finding any weapons of mass destruction than when we first started out with. All they ever found were some old canisters, probably used for chemical weapons. These were probably remnants of the time when Iraqis wielded chemical weapons against the Iranians and the Kurds. There was certainly no evidence of any nuclear, biological or even chemical weapons that were ready for deployment within 40 minutes, as the British Prime Minister had led the world to believe then. It is becoming increasingly clear in the minds of many that there were probably no

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weapons of mass destruction or any programme leading to the development of weapons of mass destruction.

This has become most embarrassing to political leaders on both sides of the Atlantic who have been left scrambling for an explanation for the failure of intelligence gathering in the run-up to the Iraqi war. Of course, there had been accusations of political interference in the work of intelligence officials which led to the famous BBC comment that intelligence reports had been sexed up to gain public support. The issue, therefore, is the extent to which the public can be assured that there is proper segregation between the work of intelligence officials and the elected leaders whose task is to take political decisions based on the outcome of intelligence reports. No doubt, this issue will be addressed in the next few months as the public enquiries in the UK and US progress. What has happened overseas will no doubt be relevant in Singapore. I would like to ask the Minister what assurances there are for Singaporeans that our intelligence gathering is accurate and reliable, and that the work of intelligence officials will not be unduly hampered by the interference of any party, to avoid a repeat of what has taken place elsewhere.

The Chairman: Mr Heng Chee How is not here. Dr Ong Chit Chung.

Defence Spending

Dr Ong Chit Chung: Sir, while other Ministries' budgets are being cut as a percentage of GDP, MINDEF's budget is not suffering a cut at all so that MINDEF will sharpen its cutting edge. We wholeheartedly support the MINDEF budget, as we place the highest priority on the nation's security and sovereignty.

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However, we would like at the same time to highlight the importance of prudence and frugality. We want the SAF to be a strong and mighty stallion, guarding the gateway to Singapore. We do not want a runaway horse galloping in the wrong direction and allowing the costs to escalate and spin out of control. For example, to save cost and manpower, we should outsource as far as possible. We want the defence dollar to be stretched, and be value for money.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong: Sir, it is not possible to have security and defence on the cheap and at the same time request for more and better protection against the more complex threats facing us today. Hence, I fully support the decision to increase defence spending this year. This is a necessary investment in the transformation of the SAF in response to new conditions in the security environment.

Sir, we need to spend more on counter-terrorism measures and to continue with our systematic efforts to modernise and upgrade the conventional warfare capabilities of the SAF. The challenge is to identify what mix of existing and emerging systems and capabilities is required to deal with the threat environment while also exploiting our own technological secret edge. With the emphasis towards military transformation, I would like to urge the Ministry of Defence to spend more on R&D. This would strengthen its indigenous defence technological capability tailored to our own specific environment and needs as part of our deterrence policy.

Currently, Singapore invests some 4% of the Defence budget to defence R&D. But to progress further in developing our own technological edge, we need to be bolder. In January this year, I was privileged to be in the delegation to France to witness the launch of the RSS Formidable. It is the first of six new frigates. They are

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highly capable warships equipped with advanced combat systems. I noticed that, while the hardware was built in France, the more sensitive software was developed in Singapore. For instance, the command and control of the various sensor and weapons systems onboard each frigate are achieved via an indigenously designed Combat Management System (CMS). This system was developed by the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) with the cooperation of its partners. It is the first system designed with embedded intelligence for track management, identification and weapons assignment functions.

Such developments keep us ahead of the pack. They also help us to compensate for our tight manpower by leveraging on technology. The DSTA has said that it plans to model the agency after the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the US. DARPA's work is high-risk and high payoff. But its success may result in dramatic advances for the US military.

Given the importance of R&D, I would like to ask how much we intend to spend on R&D, and what are the strategic thrusts of DSTA.

Mr Ravindran: Sir, Singapore's defence expenditure is something that this House has always supported, and I am very happy that many analysts have always complimented Singapore that it is always money well spent. In fact, Tim Huxley, a famed defence analyst, wrote in an article "Singapore and the Revolution in Military Affairs", that for less than $5 billion annually, MINDEF and the SAF provide Singapore with a remarkable range of military capabilities. In Singapore's immediate regional context, these capabilities presently outclass those of any potential opponent in conventional military terms, and I know the SAF strives for quality,

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transparency and getting the best for the defence of Singapore.

Sir, in this regard, while I am aware that defence spending has gone up due to three primary reasons, ie, high cost of new acquisitions, high cost of R&D and high salaries, I would like to ask the Minister how do we ensure that while we spend substantial amounts of money in procurement, we also ensure that substantial money is also spent locally and that there is spin-off for local industries and R&D efforts. I would also like to ask the Minister what checks and balances are there in place to ensure proper and adequate spending of the defence money. Lastly, how do we ensure that we always get value for money for our expenditure?

1.30 pm

Mr Sin Boon Ann: Sir, no one ever said that maintaining SAF as an effective and credible fighting force to defend our homeland is going to be cheap. However, we have, over the years, been able to build up the SAF into a highly regarded organisation, while keeping a cap on the SAF expenditure at no more than 6% of GDP. Our Government has consistently maintained a high level of expenditure, even when the economy seems uncertain.

Our budget policy towards defence spending raises one basic issue. Should we continue to spend so much or even increase our defence budget when the economy does not appear to be so robust? Sir, to be sure, the issue has been raised in previous years, and will no doubt be an evergreen issue as MINDEF, together with the other Ministries, will have to compete for limited resources that are available. In terms of total expenditure in absolute terms, the actual amount that the Government is spending this coming fiscal year on defence is definitely going up by 4.5% over 2003's budget. This is quite a significant increase.

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I would therefore like to ask the Minister why there is an increase in our defence spending. Secondly, whether MINDEF has made every effort into ensuring that increases in expenditure could not have been partially offset by other savings within the organisation.

The Chairman: Mr Heng Chee How is not here. Dr Maliki.

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, the budget for MINDEF has not been reduced despite the economic situation. We have heard so many in the House say, in fact, that it has been increased - the only Ministry that has not had its budget cut.

While many will not argue on the importance of defence, some in the House have argued that other Ministries like the Ministry of Education perhaps, also deserve equally important attention and hence, should not have their budget cut.

Sir, in this regard, we cannot take our security for granted. I would like to ask the Minister: how can MINDEF justify its budget and expenditure? What are the proposed plans for the SAF in the next five years with this budget?

Sir, the public may be asking that while they hear that the SAF needs more funds, they only hear of accidents, mishaps, financial improprieties and record rigging in the SAF through the media. Sir, such negative media reports do not do justice to the amount of work that MINDEF has been doing over many years.

Thus, I would like to ask the Minister if there are sufficient public education efforts in ensuring that the public understands what the money is spent for

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or why we need good defence spending so that the public continues to have confidence in the SAF.

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong (Non-Constituency Member): Sir, senior officers at the recently concluded air show said, as reported in the Today papers, that, "The cost of buying military equipment and low value purchases are rising and taking their toll on military expenditure."

In view of the expected contractions in the budget of the various Ministries over the coming years as the economy is not as good as in the past, what is the Ministry going to do about the possible overall reduction in budget that may even take place in the Defence budget over the years? How do they intend to tackle this rising cost problem, especially in the purchase and use of advanced military technology?

On another matter, Sir, there are two ways of achieving peace - harmonious relations through diplomacy and cooperation versus deterrence. The first choice is always the better, as it is less threatening and promotes the spirit of mutual cooperation, understanding and win-win attitude. This is especially happening now in Asia and around the world. In view of the rising trend towards greater economic cooperation and trade pacts, do we still need to continue investing heavily in those latest and most advanced but also highly expensive weapon systems? The truth is that military hardware is expensive and constantly requires costly maintenance. So if we can pursue a strategy of peaceful cooperation and recognise that the threat of traditional warfare is low, should we also not look into reducing our expensive military arms purchase, while focusing more on terrorism-related defence expenditure?

The Chairman: Mr Chandra Mohan is not here. Dr Ong.

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Training and Safety

Dr Ong Chit Chung: Sir, in the past year, the SAF has unfortunately, suffered a number of deaths in training incidents. I would like to ask the Minister what lessons are being drawn from such incidents and what safety measures have been put in place to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

And despite all these measures on safety, another unfortunate explosion happened at the Armour Training Centre at Sungei Gedong in February this year. According to reports, an ammunition was stuck in the machine gun. The officers and men should have left the machine gun at the range and asked for a weapon specialist to deal with the problem. Instead, they brought it back to the barracks and foolishly tried to deal with the problem themselves.

Again, the safety measures were there, but the men did not follow the safety measures nor did they exercise good judgment. This illustrates the point that you can put all kinds of safety measures in place, but it is even more important that the officers and men abide by them and constantly cultivate the habit of safety.

You can put in a good system of safety, but quite often, it is not a system failure at all, but failure on the part of the men in implementation, in forging a safety culture and in having the habit of safety. This culture of safety must prevail and permeate throughout the SAF. Thus, besides instituting safety measures, the SAF should do much more to promote safety awareness and instill in each and every man, the importance of safety right from the very beginning of their recruit days. It should become second nature to the men.

We must do everything possible to uphold safety, as the lives of our sons and

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loved ones are at stake. I also wish to ask the Minister whether our field or back-up medical facilities are adequate for the type of training they are undertaking. Further, whether compensation for our NSmen is adequate. If not, whether they should be revised to recognise the sacrifices of our NSmen.

Mr Sin Boon Ann: Sir, we have had this debate on training safety several times in this House. Each time, MINDEF will take pains to assure parents of our National Servicemen that their children are in safe hands. I have no doubt that the Government is very serious and committed that our soldiers train in a safe environment and that no expenses will be spared to ensure maximum safety in all circumstances within what is reasonably possible for them.

What I would like to caution is that no amount of improvements to safety standards is going to guarantee that there will be no accidents in training. As we have heard earlier, very often accidents can happen because of human error and miscalculations. And even if MINDEF makes every effort to improve the safety environment, accidents do and will occur.

Perhaps the issue is not whether or not MINDEF convenes an enquiry each time an accident takes place or training standards are reviewed regularly. What matters is how we rank, in terms of safety standards. It would help the public if MINDEF would perhaps have a benchmark that measures their safety level against the training safety level in comparable armed forces elsewhere. This would provide a better comparison on the extent to which MINDEF has paid attention to training safety and would also, at the same time, provide much assurance to parents that their children are in safe hands. I cannot reasonably expect my son, when he goes to National Service, not to be in danger. But if I know that the odds of getting hurt in a

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road accident are higher than when he is training under the SAF, for me, speaking as a parent, I will be very much assured indeed.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong: Sir, the recent explosion incident at the Armour Training Centre and the training deaths last year highlight the need for an effective audit system for training safety.

Last year, as part of the review of training and safety systems, several measures have been proposed to enhance the SAF's audit system. They include introducing a safety hotline within each formation which is supposed to be over and above the existing feedback channels to allow servicemen a dedicated chance to give feedback and report safety breaches and bad practices. I just want to ask the Minister whether this has been used and whether it has been useful. I also want to ask the Minister about another measure that has been proposed, which is for benchmarking purposes, that the Army is considering engaging an independent external agency to validate the effectiveness of the safety and audit systems. I would like to ask the Minister whether there has been any decision on this and whether external agencies have been engaged.

I also want to add a point to what my colleagues have said about human errors. It is true that human error is hard to predict and control. But we can try to minimise it. But on the other hand, in minimising it, in seeking to ensure safety, I hope that our SAF will not swing to the other end, be so safe that our training lacks the vigour and toughness that it needs to produce a strong SAF.

The Chairman: Dr Warren Lee is not here. Mr Low Thia Khiang is also not here. Dr Ong.

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SAVERS Scheme

Dr Ong Chit Chung: Sir, some years ago, the SAVERS Scheme was introduced by MINDEF with much fanfare. The SAVERS Scheme aims to give flexibility and a good return to the regular officers of the SAF, upon their retirement or completion of service.

I understand that some regular officers have lamented that they are not getting good returns from the SAVERS Scheme. They feel let down.

I also wish to ask the Minister if the SAVERS Scheme has lived up to its expectation, and whether the SAVERS Scheme should be revised in view of the recent results. The point is: what can the serving officers in the SAF look forward to in the future?

The Chairman: Dr Tan Cheng Bock is not here. RAdm Teo.

The Minister for Defence (RAdm Teo Chee Hean): Sir, first of all, I would like to thank Dr Ong Chit Chung, Ms Irene Ng, Mr Ravindran and other hon. Members for their comments and questions on this critical issue of Singapore's defence and security. What they have said reflects a general recognition that our strategic environment is a difficult one, and the challenges we face in our efforts to enhance Singapore's security have also become more complex.

The spectrum of missions that the SAF has to deal with has expanded in recent years. The SAF will have to meet these increased demands for many years to come. In the area of non-conventional threats, the tide of the extremist ideology which is the well-spring of catastrophic terrorism shows no sign of abating. More than two years after the September 11 attacks, Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, even in our region, are still actively recruiting

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and training, and plotting to launch attacks, after having succeeded in two devastating attacks in Bali and Jakarta. Many Southeast Asian countries are on the hit list, including Singapore. The Government's efforts to prevent such attacks and to protect our people are of the highest priority because the danger is clear and present. The SAF works closely with the Home Team and other Ministries, with the DPM and Co-ordinating Minister for Security and Defence, Dr Tony Tan, coordinating these efforts. These efforts require the commitment of MINDEF and SAF resources, manpower and capabilities, for example, to protect key installations from air, sea and land threats. It also requires ideas and research and development (R&D) to deal with scenarios that are very different from what we have been used to, such as to protect civil airliners against surface-to-air missiles, maritime terrorism and biological, chemical and radiological threats.

Ms Irene Ng has asked what we are doing about beefing up security on our trains, in view of what has happened in Madrid. I should say that we do not look just at particular events, but we have to look at this in a comprehensive way. We adopt a comprehensive approach to national security, rather than taking piecemeal measures and the security of our MRT system is something that has been carefully considered in our national security plans, particularly by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Transport. It requires a combination of good intelligence to identify threats before they can launch their attacks, hardening potential targets with heightened security measures, imposing very tight controls on the movements of explosives and other dangerous materials, good border controls for immigration and customs. But even with all these efforts, we cannot afford to be complacent and the security agencies will be maintaining a high level of alert as long as there is a potential threat. But our defence efforts also require Singaporeans

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to be alert, as the total defence of Singapore is not complete without participation of every Singaporean.

In addition, we will have to continue to work with other governments because no country, on its own, can effectively counter this transnational threat that respects no borders. Cooperation in the form of intelligence exchange, is particularly important, as Mr Sin Boon Ann has suggested. Our intelligence agencies are recognised by their counterparts for their professionalism and ability and I have no doubt of their capability and their ability to maintain the independence of their advice and reporting.

1.45 pm

Singapore's intelligence agencies have good ties with friendly counterparts worldwide and these links have reaped significant results such as the arrest of key terrorists in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. As Ms Irene Ng has suggested, international cooperation in enhancing maritime security is yet another critical area,

especially in waterways used for international navigation such as the Malacca Straits. The Malacca Straits is a strait which has several littoral countries and it is not possible for just a single country to be able to ensure security there. It requires international cooperation. In this regard, Singapore is working with the countries in our region, as well as other countries which share these security concerns, such as Japan and the United States. At the bilateral level, we have been cooperating with Indonesia in conducting coordinated patrols in a designated area of the waters in the Singapore Straits for many years. This cooperation has been very successful in tackling the problem of piracy. With the exception of a short period, in 1998-99, when Indonesia was going through a particularly difficult period, there have been no pirate attacks in this area since

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the coordinated patrols started with Indonesia in 1992. Within Singapore's own waters, the Navy and Police Coast Guard have taken various measures which were detailed last week by my colleague, the Minister for Home Affairs, in this House. I agree with Ms Ng that more needs to be done in this area, and the inter-ministry Maritime Security Task Force, chaired by the Permanent Secretary of Defence, is studying what further measures can be taken.

Countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction also requires international cooperation. Singapore has contributed to the global counter-proliferation effort by tightening up our export controls and participating in the Container Security Initiative. The SAF has been taking part in the multinational Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). Our LST, for example, participated in Exercise Sea Saber, a US-led Maritime Interdiction Operation exercise in the Arabian Sea in January that involved 12 countries. We will be observers in a German Customs exercise in Frankfurt, an Italian exercise in the Mediterranean, and a French air exercise in Paris, over the next three months. The SAF is also looking at hosting a multilateral PSI exercise in the future.

We are committed to countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism, especially as the confluence of the two threats, the possibility of such weapons falling into the hands of terrorists is a real one, and there would be untold consequences of such an attack on a city-state like Singapore.

The threats of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction proliferation underscore how our national borders no longer are the boundaries of our security. As a small country which is so open and connected to the rest of the world, developments elsewhere in our region and

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even further afield will have repercussions for our security. And this is a key reason why we have sent SAF contingents to take part in the UN peacekeeping mission in Timor Leste and the coalition mission for the reconstruction of Iraq. Instability in Timor Leste would have had serious implications for the rest of our region, and it was important that we play our part to help to restore stability to this young nation.

In sending an LST and a C-130 transport aircraft to the multinational mission in Iraq, we recognise that there are significant risks involved. But restoring stability in Iraq and re-integrating it into the global community is vital for a stable Middle East and for global stability in general. If the multinational mission in Iraq were to fail, Iraq could quickly become a hotbed of terrorist activity which would embolden terrorists all over the world. The consequences of this will, sooner or later, spread to our region and arrive at our shores.

Dr Ong Chit Chung has asked for details of our participation in multinational missions. The criteria for deciding on our participation would, first of all, be the strategic considerations I have just spoken about. In addition, the SAF conducts a careful study of the operational requirements of each mission to determine what we can contribute which would add the most value to the mission. Singapore is not in a position to send large numbers of troops, but we can contribute SAF personnel and assets that can make a useful contribution, such as a company of combat peacekeepers, a medical team, a helicopter detachment, and a Force Commander in UNMISET in East Timor; and an LST doing security patrols in the Arabian Gulf and a C-130 flying supply and medevac missions into Iraq.

In all, about 1,500 SAF soldiers, sailors and airmen have participated in the Timor Leste and Iraq missions. The

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personnel deployed on such overseas missions are regular servicemen, but we also accept National Servicemen when they volunteer. Many full-time National Servicemen came forward to volunteer to serve in Timor Leste and Iraq. Those who were accepted converted to regular service for the period of the overseas mission. They served with great professionalism and did Singapore proud.

The SAF's participation in these operational missions is valuable for enhancing the professionalism of our personnel and reinforces their confidence in their equipment and in their training. They operate under difficult conditions, facing real-life challenges and dangers. Our LST spent a total of 42 days on station in the Gulf, queried over 250 ships over these 42 days and boarded and searched over 70 of them, which was almost two a day. Our C-130 commenced operations in the Gulf from 9th February and is tasked to fly missions into Baghdad, Kirkuk, Mosul, Tallil and Basra. Our men and women work closely with other armed forces and, in the process, learn from as well as benchmark themselves against their foreign counterparts.

Sir, I was heartened when the New Zealand Defence Chief told me recently that the SAF peacekeepers in Timor Leste had been highly professional and an asset to the New Zealand Defence Force battalion to which our unit was attached. The New Zealanders are seasoned and highly regarded peacekeepers. So this was a worthy endorsement.

Sir, as you can see, we have responsibilities and contributions to make as a responsible member of the international community. We have to get involved in international issues which have implications for our security. And, we have to work with other countries to fight transnational threats.

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Peacekeeping, counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation are relatively new roles for the SAF. They add to, and contribute to, but do not supersede the fundamental mission of the SAF. The SAF is, first and foremost, for the defence of Singapore. The SAF is the defender of our sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Singapore wants positive relations and mutually beneficial cooperation with our ASEAN partners and friends. In MINDEF, we actively pursue this through our policy of defence diplomacy. Apart from building closer defence relations with our ASEAN neighbours, Singapore signed a Defence Cooperation Agreement with India in October last year, and we are discussing a Framework Agreement for a Strategic Cooperation Partnership in defence and security with the US.

But while we pursue defence diplomacy, we must recognise that our strategic environment remains fraught with uncertainties. The flux which has characterised the regional situation over the past few years has not entirely settled. Dr Ong Chit Chung has reminded us of the uncertainties that we must always be prepared for. When things are going well, we should not be too elated or become complacent. Nor should we be too disheartened or discouraged when things take a turn for the worse. The SAF provides us with the confidence to face any eventuality with equanimity.

Because we have always been prepared to make steady investments in our defence, in both good times and bad times, we have been able to maintain an even keel whether there are smiles all around or we are being harangued. We can calmly carry on with our lives in the face of pressures or even saber-rattling. The SAF gives us that political room to confidently proceed with policies which best serve Singapore's interests instead of being forced to dance to the tune of

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others. The SAF is the insurance policy that allows us to navigate steadily and securely. It provides the solid foundation for our economic development and social progress.

Sir, I would like to assure Dr Ong Chit Chung, Mr Ravindran and Dr Maliki that the operational readiness of the SAF is one of our highest priorities. The SAF cannot be an effective deterrent unless it is operationally ready. The modernisation and upgrading of our capabilities is an ongoing process, carried out on the basis of sensible professional considerations. Should our servicemen ever be called to battle, they must have the weaponry and equipment that give them the advantage. Our training is serious and rigorous. There is a cycle of exercises to test our doctrines, our weapons and equipment, and our men, and to do all this at different unit levels.

We also carry out regular mobilisation exercises. Dr Maliki will be pleased to know that the turnout rate in the SAF's mobilisation exercises is consistently 95% or higher, and often close to 100%. Civil resource mobilisation exercises have also recorded similarly high positive result. This means that our units will be fully manned within six hours of recall and ready to do their duty, armed with capabilities which give us a significant edge over any potential adversaries.

Sir, I would now like to turn to what is the key initiative in MINDEF, one which we have embarked on to ensure our security for the future and not just to defend against today's threat. While we maintain our operational readiness, we are also looking ahead and developing capabilities to enable the SAF to stay ahead in the next decade and beyond. The Iraq war last year showed us how the revolution in military affairs will change the way in which wars are fought. The

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devastating effect of precision strike, for instance, was decisive. In World War II, it was estimated that it took 9,000 bombs brought out by waves of bombers to ensure a successful strike against one strategic target such as a command HQ or a key bridge. In the Iraq war, just one aircraft flying a single sortie could destroy several strategic targets by dropping one or two precision-guided bombs with pin-point accuracy on each target.

This was also possible because the US and coalition forces had superior information of the battlefield, made possible by the latest communications, network and sensor technologies. Such technological possibilities - and there are many other exciting areas of technological developments - will fundamentally change the nature of warfare in the future. The advantage in the battlefield of the future lies with the force that can harness technology to make maximum use of these transformational capabilities. Platforms, manned and unmanned, weapons and sensors that are fully networked into such a fighting system will have their combat power magnified many times. Tanks or ships or aircraft operating on their own, which are not so networked and which are capable of operating only in the conventional way, may find that they are merely targets.

The transformation of the SAF to exploit these rapidly emerging possibilities is a strategic imperative. But, it is not something that can be achieved overnight. To introduce new concepts of operations and new technologies requires experimentation and research and development. It will ultimately lead to changes in organisation, less demand for conventional platforms, more demand for less visible technologies like information system,

precision weapons, electronic warfare systems, unmanned platform technologies, and a new type of soldier who is trained to exploit these capabilities. This is a major and strategic effort

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we have already embarked on, but it will take time.

2.00 pm

We recently set up a Future System Directorate to take the lead in exploring and experimenting with how technology can be harnessed to develop superior and innovative concepts. MINDEF considers this effort so critical that we have set aside 1% of the defence budget for experimentation, over and above the 4% to 5% we set aside each year for research and development (R&D). The newly created SAF Centre for Military Experimentation is already conducting various experiments in a virtual environment. The SAF also started conducting experiments outside the laboratory, during exercises, to test out new concepts under real-life conditions. For instance, when I visited Australia last year, I was able to see some experiments with new command and control concepts and systems for future land battles fielded for the SAF's Exercise Wallaby.

While MINDEF will continue to modernise the SAF, such as through the acquisition of the Next Generational Fighter, the effort in transformation will eventually see a third generation SAF emerging over the longer term. This will be an SAF that has enhanced capabilities through exploitation of new concepts and technologies, an ability to fight across a wider spectrum of operations, flexible, and much more efficient in the use of resources.

The SAF has, for many years now, been exploiting technology as a force multiplier and investing significantly in R&D locally as well. We have built up many centres of excellence in a number of high pay-off strategic transformation technologies - such as comprehensive awareness, network-centric warfare, electronic warfare, and precision strike - in the Defence Science and Technology

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Agency, DSO National Laboratories, and Singapore Technologies Engineering. Our local laboratories and industry have a solid depository of the technologies that are needed for the future.

While I am unable to describe many of the remarkable achievements and capabilities because they are classified, I can say that some of these are in technologies one reads about on the war in Iraq. But given the importance of their work in developing the third generation SAF, MINDEF intends to showcase some of these technologies at an exhibition later this year that will coincide with the Defence Technology Prize Award ceremony. In addition, I would be happy to invite Members for a visit to the Defence Science and Technology Agency to view some of these technologies.

One of the key advantages that we have is that we are fortunate that we have well educated soldiers who can easily master the technologically sophisticated weapons and equipment. We also have a strong science and technology base and a solid R&D set-up. These are things which no country can create overnight, and which we are fortunate that we have built up both nationally and within our defence establishment and industry over many years. The implications for the SAF are profound. It means that we will not be held back by numbers. A small population will not be a constraint on our ability to defend ourselves and to deter would-be aggressors. Our technological edge and our transformational capabilities will not only neutralise but more than compensate for this.

Sir, the transformation of the SAF is a critical initiative. It is an effort to make sure that Singapore is safe not just for today, but for our children and our children's children. That is why we must continue to invest a portion of the defence budget for transformation, for

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research and development. That is why the Government is prepared to invest a significant share of the budget in MINDEF.

Maintaining operational readiness and transformation are both key priorities for the SAF. One priority, operational readiness, ensures that the SAF can carry out the missions required of it to defend Singapore against the spectrum of threats to our security - a spectrum which has grown both in range and complexity. The other priority, transformation, ensures that the SAF continues to be a credible deterrent for many years to come, sustaining the clear edge over potential adversaries, equipped with the capabilities to fight the wars of the future.

Sir, I am happy to note the firm support for defence investment which has been expressed here today by several hon. Members. The firm commitment of our people to the defence and security of Singapore has allowed the Government to maintain a steady and prudent course over many years in the development of our defence capabilities. Ours is not a feast or famine approach. We do not splurge in good times nor do we cut back and leave ourselves exposed in difficult times. Defence capabilities cannot be built up in fits and starts. Singaporeans understand that the optimal development of defence capabilities takes time and careful planning with a long-term horizon.

Defence is not an optional extra for Singapore - it is critical for a small state for which there will be no second chance if we lose the first battle. Defence spending is the largest part of our budget by far, reflecting the importance the Government and people attach to ensuring Singapore's security and the seriousness we put into the effort. The Government is committed to spending up to 6% of GDP on defence. We have been spending between 4.5% and 5% for several years

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now. MINDEF has requested only for what is needed to ensure our defence, and has not always asked for the full amount. We will keep to this policy. MINDEF is committed to prudent spending.

Sir, allow me to elaborate on some of the measures MINDEF and the SAF have adopted to stretch each dollar of our defence expenditure to get maximum value. The MINDEF Productivity and Innovation Committee is chaired by the Minister of State for Defence. The MINDEF Economy Drive Committee indeed has been in place since 1976. Over the last few years, the Committee has helped MINDEF to make cost savings of an average of $125 million a year. Last year, the saving was $195 million, or 2.37% of the defence budget. The savings are effected without compromising operational readiness and effectiveness and allow these resources to be ploughed back to develop other areas of defence. MINDEF's Economy Drive effort is the analogue of what the civil service has adopted in its Economy Drive campaign. At the individual level, a strong culture of cost consciousness and striving for improvement is encouraged. In the last quarter alone, the SAF suggestions scheme yielded cost savings of $62.7 million. This amounted to $144 of savings for every dollar that MINDEF and the SAF awarded servicemen for the suggestions that they put up.

We have also been able to leverage on technology to increase productivity and stretch our defence dollar. For instance, the SAF uses some of the most advanced simulators in the world. These simulators have improved training effectiveness in such areas as armour and marksmanship training, flight training, and navy procedural and tactical training. They have both increased the effectiveness of our forces and reduced the cost of training.

At force structure level, we have stretched our defence dollar by upgrading

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our platforms where possible, and replacing them only when they are no longer cost-effective to deploy. Our A-4 fighter aircraft and missile gunboats would have been upgraded several times and been in service for 25 to 30 years by the time they are replaced. In fact, they are older than most of the servicemen who serve on them.

In manpower productivity, our artillery guns are a good example. In earlier days, we needed 12 men to operate each 155 mm gun. Then we developed locally our FH-2000 which needed only eight men. Last month, I was in New Zealand with Dr Ong where we carried out the first live firing exercise of the Primus, our Singapore Technologies built self-propelled 155 mm howitzer which has improved mobility, faster response time and more lethal firepower. It requires a crew of only four National Servicemen. Over a decade, we have increased manpower productivity three-fold for our artillery guns. We were able to do so through innovation in operational thinking and engineering, and also because we could leverage on the increasing proportion of A-level and Diploma qualified men in each cohort to operate these systems.

Hon. Members have asked about the effect of a lower birth rate. This is not a new challenge for the SAF. The Ministry of Defence and SAF have had a policy of zero growth in regular manpower establishment since 1986 while cutting down on the requirement for full-time National Servicemen. This is possible despite the greater demands on the SAF and the deployment of more capabilities, because of productivity improvements and constant attention to restructuring in both front-line units as well as support units.

Outsourcing is one important cost-saving measure. For instance, Members may not be aware, but we now do our air-grading, ie, how we identify those with

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flying potential, in a place called Tamworth in Australia. It is a commercial arrangement where we do not even own the aircraft. We provide the key people to do the assessment but we do not own the aircraft and we do not maintain the aircraft. The savings from doing our air-grading in Tamworth, instead of the previous way of maintaining a fleet of our own trainer aircraft, has resulted in savings of $7 million a year. Yet another example is the maintenance of our C-130 aircraft for the operation in Iraq. Members may not realise that the maintenance of the C-130 has actually been outsourced and together with our pilots and crewmen operating in Iraq, are ST Aerospace technicians who service the aircraft when the aircraft returns from a mission.

There are other initiatives which MINDEF has pioneered in the civil service to cut costs. One example is how we commercialised our logistics through the setting up of the Army Logistics Base. In a private financing initiative arrangement, a commercial company put in the investment and MINDEF assured it of a multi-year contract.

To address Mr Steve Chia's comments, all investments in new capabilities go through stringent assessments of requirements in relation to the SAF's missions and war-fighting strategies. Our current programme to select a New Fighter Replacement is a case in point. It is being watched closely by the aerospace industry and other air forces because, as the Financial Times said in an article last year, "much of the intensity is due to Singapore's reputation as a 'reference customer', one of a handful of countries that carry weight because of the stringency and transparency of their procurement process."

Sir, when we buy weapons and we look at them, our engineers and our people do so very seriously and with a

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keen eye to cost-effectiveness, to make sure that we make the most of our defence dollar. Our engineers and procurement officers ensure that we get the most cost-effective systems, and we undertake creative sourcing, strategic cost previews and cost audits. As an example, we started using reverse auctions for procurement in 2001, not something always that our suppliers like or enjoy. This procurement method has yielded an average 10% savings over traditional methods. We have activated about $100 million worth of reverse

auctions per year and this has generated an average of $10 million savings each year. For the Ministry of Defence, such efforts are not merely driven by financial considerations. Taken together, they give the Ministry of Defence a real strategic advantage by ensuring that we get maximum value for each and every defence dollar that this House votes for MINDEF.

2.15 pm

Sir, Dr Ong Chit Chung, Mr Tan Soo Khoon, Mr Sin Boon Ann, Dr Tan Cheng Bock, Ms Irene Ng and others - Dr Tan Cheng Bock is not here, but he mentioned this to me outside the House - raised the issue of training and safety. The interest in this subject and the concerns that have been expressed are fully understandable and well placed given that almost every Singaporean family has a son or husband, or other male relative, who is a SAF serviceman doing National Service. I would like to reiterate the assurance I gave Parliament last October after the tragic deaths of three SAF servicemen doing training. The SAF will train our servicemen hard and train them realistically for the defence of Singapore, but we will never compromise on safety nor risk the lives of our servicemen during their training. I am heartened by the very mature response of Singaporeans and Members of this House. Singaporeans

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understand the need for the SAF to have tough and realistic training. Many have told me so. But they also expect the training to be conducted safely, and rightly so. They must also have the confidence that if, in spite of the procedures and checks in place, an incident does occur, that MINDEF and the SAF will deal with it professionally and in as open a manner as possible, to uncover any problems and shortcomings, learn from them and prevent a recurrence.

The SAF has completed a full review of its training safety system. The review affirmed that we have in place a strong safety system to support our training. The safety structures, processes and procedures that had been developed over the years are robust. The review also found that for the safety system to work most effectively, there must also be a strong safety culture. This has been pointed out by Members of this House - Dr Ong, Mr Tan and others. And this is one of the areas of focus of the SAF's efforts to further improve training safety. The enhancement of a safety culture includes emphasising openness, command responsibility and an attitude of performing one's job professionally and safely. Safety hotlines have been installed in all three Services to encourage feedback. The SAF has also taken steps to ensure that not just accidents, but near-accidents are thoroughly investigated and lessons learned from them.

Besides enhancing the safety culture, the SAF has also improved the dissemination of safety information within its ranks. A knowledge management system for safety information is currently being set up. The SAF is also studying trend forecasting methods to anticipate and address potential safety problems before they arise.

The review of the training safety system included a full review of lesson plans to ensure that they are up to date.

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To make sure that training is actually conducted in accordance with the lesson plans, we have stepped up senior commander visits and audits by the Service inspectorates. All instructors and all army commanders now undergo safety-related training before they take up their posts, so that they are well equipped for field training. In addition, all three Services have beefed up their inspectorates and safety sections with additional staff. They are also looking into how best to engage external safety auditors so that we may further improve training safety. We are also benchmarking SAF safety standards against those of established armed forces.

The review concluded that medical coverage for SAF training was adequate. Nonetheless, we have made a number of improvements to the medical support system. Training centres now have advanced resuscitation equipment, such as defribillators. Additional training for first responder resuscitation is conducted for both medical and non-medical personnel. This means that more and better firstline medical response can be provided in the field. The training for medical vocationalists has been revised so that our doctors and medics are current in advanced life-saving skills.

The SAF is working hard to maintain high training and safety standards. The review that we have just completed has led to several measures being implemented, as I have enumerated. But safety has to be a constant, ongoing concern. And I assure Members that attention to safety will continue to be of the highest priority for the SAF. We have a substantially good system, but we know that we can always try harder and improve, and we will.

Sir, on a related matter raised by Dr Ong, the issue of compensation for SAF servicemen was raised in Parliament last October. I informed Parliament then that MINDEF would carry out a review of the

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compensation issue. MINDEF compensates servicemen for death and injury sustained due to military service in accordance with the SAF Regulations. While the basic compensation provided is based on the provisions in the Workmen's Compensation Act, MINDEF also has the flexibility to pay up to 30% in additional compensation in cases where circumstances merit this. In exceptional circumstances, MINDEF has also paid compensation beyond the 30% cap.

The principles that MINDEF applies in computing the compensation amount are consistent with the legal principles applied by the civil courts in assessing damages for injuries and deaths. I am satisfied that MINDEF's current framework is essentially adequate to provide fair and reasonable compensation to our servicemen.

I have directed MINDEF to formalise these arrangements into a framework for compensation. This framework will provide greater clarity for decisions on compensation for deaths and injuries sustained due to military service according to the merits of each case.

In addition, I have asked that for the purpose of compensation, MINDEF treats full-time National Servicemen and NSmen on par with regular soldiers. This means that for deaths due to service, we will also provide a lump sum pension of a minimum of one year's equivalent of a regular's pay in addition to the compensation.

Aside from compensation, there is also a range of additional benefits, such as welfare grants from the SAF Benevolent Fund and a dependants' pension depending on the family's financial circumstances. There is also a comprehensive group insurance scheme which our soldiers are encouraged to take up. It provides coverage of up to $400,000 at affordable premiums of $16 per month for every $100,000 of coverage.

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Sir, MINDEF knows that no amount of compensation or benefits will alleviate the grief or make up for the loss to the serviceman's family. However, with these improvements to our compensation framework, we will be in a better position to compensate our servicemen's families as fairly as possible.

Sir, Dr Ong Chit Chung has asked about the SAVER Scheme. We have a policy of keeping the SAF young. With the threat environment and war-fighting becoming ever more complex, the timely renewal of the SAF leadership is key if we want to keep the SAF dynamic, vigorous and forward-looking, with a constant supply of fresh ideas and receptiveness to new concepts and change. This is the best way to make sure that our generals are always prepared to fight the next war and not be trapped trying to fight the last war.

In 1998, MINDEF implemented a 23-year career for our officers. This maintains a balance between the requirement for experience while ensuring timely leadership renewal. This also means that the individual officer is still young enough to acquire the skills and knowledge to make a switch in career, and he has enough working years left to have a meaningful second career.

To support this new career structure, MINDEF introduced the SAVER Scheme. This scheme offers our officers accelerated career advancement and a very good salary and benefits package. A key feature of SAVER is a generous superannuation scheme to support their transition to a civilian career when they leave the SAF. This is designed such that an SAF officer in his 23-year career would earn close to 75% of what his private sector counterpart would earn in a 40-year career. Since its inception, the SAVER Scheme has met its objectives of

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improved recruitment and retention of officers and timely leadership renewal.

Currently, MINDEF is enhancing the career transition programme to provide better support to those officers who are leaving as the employment environment in recent years has been more difficult. The programme offers career counselling, networking opportunities and outplacement services in preparation for their career transition.

Dr Ong has also referred to some complaints by retired officers that they did not get good returns from the SAVER Scheme. Let me exaplain. The SAVER fund is no different from other pension funds which are invested, and we have explained to our officers that they should take the long-term view. In fact, the returns are slightly higher than the benchmark which the fund compared itself to. SAVER benefits are invested with a view to giving good returns over the long term, based on a strategy of balanced asset allocation. There may however be a few years when the performance of the fund is negative, and there may be a small minority who leave the SAF at that point where the returns are negative. The performance of the fund, as I have said, so far has been better than our benchmark, and better than numerous established pension funds in the market. Our officers also have the option to move. They can move their retirement benefits into a more conservative portfolio two years before their retirement, depending on their risk appetite. But of course, if they do that, and if the investment makes exceptional gains in those two years, then they will not benefit from those exceptional gains. So those are the risk return benefits. However, having now run the fund for about six years, MINDEF is reviewing the fund structure to fine-tune it to see whether there are more options that can be developed to meet the needs of the

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fund members at the various points of their career.

Sir, good and strong leadership in the SAF is vital and cannot be compromised. MINDEF will ensure that our employment schemes continue to attract officers of quality which can meet the demands required of those who shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding our nation's defence and security.

Sir, I am most heartened by the degree of support which hon. Members have shown for the need to ensure Singapore's defence and security. Underlying many of the points which they have raised is the recognition that security is the basic building block of our nation's well-being. Without security, economic development and social progress, nation-building cannot proceed. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the support that Members of this House and Singaporeans, in general, demonstrated for the SAF through the difficult times last year. That brought the people and the SAF closer together. It also helped to reinforce confidence in the SAF, and strengthened deterrence.

RECORD III

Dr Ong Chit Chung: Sir, recommendations of RECORD III which was convened in the year 2000 were accepted by the Ministry of Defence. I wish to ask the Minister on the progress of the implementation of such recommendation, in particular, how many National Servicemen benefit from the award of bonus points for admission to NUS and NTU. Is it time now to convene a new RECORD IV to further review the needs of the National Servicemen and to further recognise their contributions?

The Chairman: Order. I propose to take the break now.

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Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

Mr Speaker: Order. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair again at 2.50 pm.

_Sitting accordingly suspended
at 2.30 pm until 2.50 pm. _

Sitting resumed at 2.50 pm

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

**** Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Head J (cont.) -

The Chairman: Dr Warren Lee is not here. Mr Arthur Fong.

National Service

**Mr: Arthur Fong (West Coast) ** : Sir, two years ago, my parliamentary colleague Dr Chong Weng Chiew made a plea for a review for the reduction of the length of National Service term. He argued that, given the advancement of modern technology and the lesser reliance on manpower, would it not be possible for the length of our National Service to be shortened. Sometime later, the then Minister for Defence, DPM Dr Tony Tan, informed this House that MINDEF had studied the request in detail and responded to Dr Chong's plea.

Sir, I wish to take up this issue again for several reasons.

Firstly, MINDEF had anticipated and made preparations in response to our falling birth rate. For instance, I understand that MINDEF is relying more on technology, so much so that the building of assault bridges, for example, no longer requires or relies on a lot of manpower. We have also added more advanced

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weaponries that trim manpower needs tremendously. Hence, in this regard, the utilisation of our NSmen need not be a compact two years.

Secondly, we are addressing the falling birth rate, but we cannot be sure of how it will turn out. That being the case, it makes our smaller manpower pool all that more precious. Our youths today face competition not just from amongst their peers, but on the global arena for jobs. Our young graduates, as it is, compete against their peers from some countries with a very much lower starting salary, as they hit the job market two to two and a half years later than, say, a Malaysian, European, Indian or American professional hired here on local terms. Although these and other nationals can augment our pool of professionals and perhaps even given a PR later, our very own young men who bear the responsibility of national defence start a peg below these other foreigners.

Finally, our current employment situation, where workers above the age of 45 are having difficulty in securing re-employment, means our youths need to be economically productive to their family as soon as possible. Many of these NSmen have parents who are in this age group and who are worried that, if they lose their jobs, they will have problems supporting their children through university after their NS stint. A few of such families have described the time when their children are still in NS a very stressed period, as some of them are saying that they are on borrowed time, hoping not to get retrenched or getting the pink slip. Although there was a review and a welcome revision of NS allowances recently, and notwithstanding the importance of national defence, given Singapore's unique situation, the families of many of these NSmen are worried and would like to see their children launch into their career or further studies earlier,

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thereby relieving some of the stresses and burdens of the families.

Mr Chiam See Tong (Potong Pasir): Sir, I would like to suggest that we introduce National Service for our female citizens for a 1-year period, starting from 18 years old. I would suggest that our girls do basic military training for three months, including the use of weapons, and the balance nine months be taken up for basic nursing and nursing related training.

Sir, it is not a new thing for women to do National Service. Recently, the Malaysian government made the girls there do national Service, and the girls in Israel do national service as equals to their men. I believe that basic training in nursing is good for all our girls. It shall equip them to be better and more mature women, and to cope better with life generally. After a period of training in nursing, I believe our girls can manage emergency situations better. They shall also be better housewives. It shall, in a way, prepare our girls to embrace motherhood more readily to help in the procreation policy. The basic training in nursing will make it easier for our girls to take up full-time nursing as a career, and to be able to fill the many vacancies in our hospitals. Even if they do not take up full-time nursing, the training can make them deal with life better.

In Singapore, we do not have a war situation like in Israel, and there is no need to involve the women to do National Service in combat duties. Our girls, after they complete their 1-year stint in National Service, can be deployed in non-combatant duties, such as in the medical corps, administration or logistics. They can thus relieve a lot of our men from carrying those non-combatant duties. I think, generally, our girls would not object to do 1-year National Service. They get to mix with the guys, and they are in a better position to find a boyfriend or a husband.

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Dr Wang Kai Yuen: Sir, Mr Arthur Fong has raised the issue of the declining birth rate on National Service. I support his concern. The declining TFR highlighted by the DPM in his Budget Statement has its implications for defence a decade or so down the road.

Sir, ours is a national service doctrine, based on full-time National Servicemen. Furthermore, the full-time NS obligation of two to two and a half years, one of the longest in the world, was established years ago, based on the requirement to maintain a standing force of a certain size. As the number of NSmen has declined from the 1960s to now, how do we maintain a standing force of a certain size must have occupied the minds of the MINDEF establishment. As the number of recruits drops, to maintain the same operational force size, we will need to extend the NS period, or the requirement for the standing force must have changed. There are no two ways about it.

In his statement earlier, the Minister touched upon manpower productivity measures where MINDEF has somehow found a way to work with fewer National Servicemen. As they look down the road 10 years from now, they must have prepared for the day when the number of our National Servicemen will be even much smaller. The Minister has already painted the future of the 3-G SAF, where technical capabilities are becoming more crucial and indispensable in the defence of Singapore. Since war was first pursued, generals have always asked for more men and more weapons. The Chinese proverb duo duo yi shan , which means the more the merrier, was attributed to General Han Xing, who helped to establish the Han Dynasty. In recent times, one is reminded of the American generals in the conduct of the Iraqi war. It was at the insistence of the US Defence Secretary, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, that the US military already had sufficient forces at hand to pursue its campaign that the general reluctantly

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went ahead. Otherwise, the military would have waited for more men and more equipment.

Sir, MINDEF would have to live with a much smaller force a decade down the road. Sooner or later, we would have to adopt a different doctrine for a totally different war of the future and not, as the Minister said, wars of the past. Could we have taken advantage of our transformation into a 3-G SAF, thereby reducing the size

of a standing force, even today? If so, could we have moved more aggressively so that we could reduce the full-time and part-time commitments required of our National Servicemen?

Mrs Lim Hwee Hua (Marine Parade): Sir, although National Service has been introduced for more than three decades, for a variety of reasons, females have never been enlisted. MINDEF's response has hitherto been that, based strictly on our current defence needs, there is no need to enlist women for NS.

Sir, perhaps it is time to reconsider this policy for three reasons:

Firstly, women have an equal responsibility to men for the well-being of Singapore. Singapore belongs as much to the women as she does to the men. On the economic front, women already have equal access to education and to employment, whilst on the social and political fronts, there are no hindrances to participation and contribution. By the same token, women should not be excluded from National Service.

Secondly, National Service need not be limited to military service. Equally compelling possibilities are nursing and civil defence but not for the reasons that Mr Chiam has given, which appear to revolve around stereotype views. My point is about enlarging the whole concept of National Service, regardless of gender, and not to reinforce stereotype

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views that nursing is only for women. Even for military vocations, there are women who are professionally employed currently. As the Minister has said, as technology and knowledge will be applied on an increasing scale, that is, more brains than brawns, the exclusion of women becomes less defensible.

Thirdly, currently, NSmen are recipients of preferential treatment in several ways. NSmen who join the public sector are afforded higher starting salaries. They are given tax reliefs and issued more distributions by Government, for example, the New Singapore Shares. They enjoy membership of SAFRA club facilities. But, most importantly, on an intangible scale, every male has a shared experience that facilitates bonding with one another. Overall, NS has helped foster ties and served as a leveller, and as a melting pot for our diverse cultures.

In a quick survey by the newsapaper, Today , some 45% of the women aged between 14 and 25 years polled said "yes" to NS. Although not all females are enthusiastic about being conscripted, as my two girls will readily tell you, we should bear in mind the bigger picture. The fact that only men are made to serve NS is a form of discrimination. The current policy of enlisting men only fails to recognise the equal role that women can play in the defence of our nation. It also denies them the privileges that their male counterparts are afforded by virtue thereof.

Sir, DPM spoke of forging a strong society which must necessarily entail the contribution of all Singaporeans, both men and women. I do not deny that extending NS to women will increase defence and related spending as well as have potential ramifications for our labour supply. But change is what remaking Singapore is all

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about, is it not? I would therefore like to ask the Minister for his reasons for not introducing NS to females.

Mr Chandra Mohan K Nair (Nominated Member): Sir, National Service has become a way of life in Singapore. Many of us, male citizens in Parliament, have undergone military or Police National Service since its inception in the 1960s.

In the old days, military or Police National Service personnel had to do two or three years of NS, depending on the rank he held. It could be asked: how productive was he during these 2-3 years? What is the productivity level of National Servicemen undergoing 2½ years of NS today? Is there a need to serve that long? Could the Minister consider reducing National Service liability, in a few years' time, say, with effect from 2006 or 2007, to 1½ years instead of 2½ years, so that our young NSmen, while serving the nation, could go on to be more productive in studies and working life as soon as possible? A great deal of their training may be repetitive and unnecessary. Alternatively, NS could be served during university or polytechnic holiday periods.

It has been constantly discussed by our people and leaders whether National Service should be extended to females once they attain 18 years of age. Thus far, the Ministry has not favoured it. Should this be reviewed? Should it be considered on a voluntary basis or should it be compulsory plus voluntary basis, serving perhaps, for one year, and beyond that, on a voluntary basis of another half year if it is going to be 1½ years?

Should they not be given a chance to serve the nation too like men, maybe not in a combat role except those who are really keen to do so? They could easily be assigned to do many jobs in the military or Police, including administrative, planning, medical, etc. Also, this will ensure that they keep fit and will learn and appreciate

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what NS is all about and be loyal to the nation.

One thorny issue that crops up often but seldom gets a full airing is the issue of Malays doing National Service. What is the ratio mix of NSmen in the SAF and Police National Service currently? Compared to our population of Chinese, Malays and Indians, what is the percentage of Malays in the military and the Police National Service? What is the percentage in the Army, Navy and Air Force? There is, for many years, the perception that Malays are not to be given sensitive positions in the military. Why not? Is it because of the sensitive Malay-Muslim population in this region and because of Malaysia and Indonesia? Would our Malays be sitting on the fence if there is a conflict between Singapore and Malaysia or Indonesia? What if there is a conflict with India or China? Would the Indians or Chinese be sitting on the fence too?

We should treat all citizens alike and the nation and its leaders must be confident of its citizens to be loyal. During confrontation in the early 1960s, the Malays defended Singapore against Indonesia, so did the Chinese and Indians. There should not be a mental discrimination against race in the Singapore Armed Forces or Police Force National Service.

Dr Jennifer Lee (Nominated Member): Sir, I fully agree with Mrs Lim Hwee Hua's call for Government to reconsider the issue of having our women serve in National Service. Apart from the very pertinent reasons that Mrs Lim has enunciated, there is also a very practical issue which I think we should consider.

While compulsory National Service for young men ensures that the Armed Forces will be adequately manned, there are many sectors as well in the country that have to be fully geared and operational in

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the case of an impending war or other such national emergencies.

Currently, not an insignificant percentage of the staffing in our hospitals are non-Singaporeans. In the case of an impending war, there is a significant probability that these workers may return to their homes, leaving our hospitals and other healthcare institutions very short-handed, particularly in a situation where the men with National Service obligations will also have been called up.

I expect that this may similarly be the situation in other equally important sectors, besides healthcare. Therefore, I think this is a situation which should be addressed and we should therefore consider the introduction of National Service for Singaporean women. It is important, as Mrs Lim has said, that our women are allowed to serve as well as our menfolk do in the defence of our country. Besides that, there are other reasons and benefits for the women and the nation.

Firstly, opportunities for women to be educated and sensitised to national issues which I think is currently quite a gap, as women transit from school to work and then considering a total involvement in family issues and, therefore, they do not have the same kind of exposure and opportunities as our young men do.

Secondly, increase opportunities for them to foster understanding and bonding across racial and socio-economic classes through the mixing that is possible in the period of National Service. This concurrently enables them to widen their own network of friends and colleagues into the future.

Thirdly, opportunities to pick up skills which will be useful throughout their lives.

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Fourthly, opportunities for young women with potential to be identified so that the development to optimise their contributions in future leaderhip roles can be facilitated.

With all of these in mind, I therefore trust the Minister will give this proposal some consideration.

Operationally Ready NSmen

Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad (Pasir Ris-Punggol: ): Sir, the policy of having Operationally Ready NSmen has been the key pillar in our total defence policy in deterring any potential aggressors. I wholeheartedly support this policy. However, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister for Defence if there is room for some flexibility to accommodate our intended shift to an entrepreneurial economy, without sacrificing the effectiveness of our reservist policy.

A start-up entrepreneur does not have it easy if he has to attend to the call of reservist duty for several weeks a year. A start-up entrepreneur puts in much longer hours than the average working people and his absence from work will have a significant impact in his budding business. Is there room to review the duration of reservist duty? And if shortening the training period is not feasible, could the training be split into two or three segments in a year to make it easier for our entrepreneurs?

Sir, the Minister for Defence earlier, and hon. Members, Dr Wang Kai Yuen and Mr Arthur Fong have just also spoken at length about the dramatically different conditions under which our NSmen currently operate. Application of state of the art and leading edge technology has enabled the requirements of much lesser manpower resources to deploy sophisticated equipment in much shorter time.

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Nation Building

Ms Braema Mathiaparanam: Sir, I am also rising to raise this issue of women doing National Service, like the other hon. Members of Parliament.

However, I am not talking here about just making babies. I think we should leave making babies as a national service, it is not a national duty in the first place. As to why I see it as a nation building exercise is because I see that there are two arms to National Service. One part of it is that there are other sectors as mentioned before - the SCDF, Singapore Red Cross, the Police, the health sector - that also do their own little bit in building up this nation. And then, we have the military arm. If we were to put these two arms together under a bigger corporate whole, maybe consider it as a nation building exercise, then within this realm, both men and women can play a more productive role. In that context then, I would like to hope that both men and women can be given an opportunity to choose which arm of these sectors they would like to compulsorily give their service to. And in time, perhaps a year's stint, and if they wish to specialise, they can sign up for a longer training period or be enlisted into the military arm or the other arm. There are interesting models already around, from Switzerland to now I hear that Sweden too is going to table this in Parliament for discussion.

On the need for women to be conscripted into nation building, this is inevitable on two counts. If women wish to see gender equity as something that is due to them, then it is also fair that women see this as part of their duty towards the nation to serve in the military or to serve in any one of these sectors. Secondly, women coming into this fold are also equally important as human resources are getting scarce and it will become inevitable that women need to play a bigger role in this area of nation

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building. In fact, the then Prime Minister had already brought this up in 1978 and this was brought up again in 1998 when Parliament discussed this issue all over again.

Some women, of course, might find this unpalatable. Why should they be serving in such an exercise? However, I think it is a fair demand for women to do their bit in this. An AWARE's position, which was tabled to the Remaking Singapore Committee, is that it is something we ought to do as women if we are asking for gender equity. Women need to know also that doing such a stint is beneficial as it prepares them for national emergencies, something that Dr Jennifer Lee has already said, and the throwing together of people from diverse backgrounds is both an enriching and challenging exercise.

These bonds of friendship will extend into work and family life for both genders. While men have to have a rethink of man as the head of household, the women too have to rethink on what gender equity really means for them at the personal level.

3.15 pm

Accounting Practices

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, in the last year alone, there were several media reports that were rather worrying with regard to the accounting practices in the SAF, namely, the case of the fake bids for maintenance work involving a very senior officer, the case of NSmen making false salary claims, and recently the findings of the Public Accounts Committee report that found similar lapses in concentration with regard to financial accounting practices. Sir, compared to the total defence budget, the sum involved in these cases may be small, but given the current economic conditions and our policy on financial prudence, every dollar counts. The public needs to be assured that the practices are sound

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and will not lead to any lapses again. So I would like to ask the Minister what are the reasons for such lapses in accounting practices and how has the SAF improved on its system to prevent such lapses from happening again.

Irregular Claims

Dr Ong Chit Chung: Sir, I join my colleague, Dr Maliki, on this item. For the Ministry of Defence there are reports by the Auditor-General and the Public Accounts Committee of irregular medical claims, over-consumption of leave, over-claims of subsistence allowance, disappearance of $14,000 in a mess fund, and at least $100,000 from two accounts could not be accounted for, and over $600,000 were wrongly credited to the Retirement Premium Plan of servicemen.

Sir, although these figures are small in comparison to the overall budget of MINDEF, it is nevertheless an important concern to all of us. Such irregularities should not happen so often. I wish to ask the Minister whether more stringent control could be put into place and, whether the staff will be drilled on financial procedures. I believe all staff should be made aware of the appropriate penalties as well. MINDEF should be strict and firm in such matters.

The Minister of State for Defence (Mr Cedric Foo Chee Keng): Sir, let me first address the issue raised by Dr Ong Chit Chung on the recommendations made by RECORD III. The Committee to Recognise the Contribution of Operationally Ready National Servicemen to Total Defence, or RECORD for short, was formed to identify ways to recognise the contribution of NSmen to Total Defence. RECORD III was convened in June 2000. The key recommendations were:

(1) Relaxation of exit controls to facilitate regionalisation of Singapore

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businesses. Measures included the extension of passport validity and the waiver of monetary bonds for NS-liable males who accompany their parents on overseas employment.

(2) Initiatives to keep up with educational trends such as (i) recognising NS for admission to Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs); (ii) calling NSmen for training during specific periods of the IHL vacation window to minimise disruption to their studies; (iii) providing e-learning courses to facilitate the transition of full-time national servicemen into further studies or the workforce.

(3) Enhancing recreational facilities for NSmen, such as the new golf course in Kranji.

(4) Harnessing information technology to enhance NS management and administration, such as automating the recall/mobilisation system and allowing online updating of NSmen's personal records. The pay processes have been enhanced to make NS Pay administration more convenient for NSmen. NSmen can now submit their Make Up Pay Claims online.

I am pleased to inform this House that most RECORD III recommendations have been implemented with the remaining few slated for completion by the end of this year. I have circulated to Members a table showing the key recommendations and their status. But I would like to highlight three of these that were completed in 2003:

(a) Servicemen who hold leadership positions (ie, officers and specialists) and who have demonstrated outstanding performance during full-time NS are eligible for Co-Curricular Activities points for NS. These count towards the bonus points for admission to NUS and NTU.

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(b) An e-learning facility was set up for full-time national servicemen who wish to take up on-line courses during service to facilitate their transition to further studies or the workforce.

(c) NSmen can now update their personal records online via MIW.com.sg. This is one of the several e-initiatives introduced as part of the RECORD III recommendations.

Dr Ong has also raised his concern on the award of NS points for university admission. Under the NUS and NTU admission system, students are awarded points for participation in CCA, in junior colleges, centralised institutes and the polytechnics. These can constitute up to 5% of the total score for admission into these universities. Like CCA, National Service also cultivates qualities such as leadership and teamwork, which contribute to the development of a well-rounded person. One of RECORD III's recommendations was to award additional CCA points for NS to help national servicemen in their application to NUS or NTU. MINDEF has worked with both universities to establish this system. The additional points for NS are awarded based on NS performance, and level of responsibility held. This system was implemented as of the last admission exercise in 2003. For that exercise, out of 1,081 NUS and NTU applicants who were eligible for the scheme, 570 (53%) were awarded additional CCA points. MINDEF will review the outcome of the implementation of the recommendations in RECORD III and consider when to convene RECORD IV.

Sir, Mr Arthur Fong commented that NS allowance is inadequate in the context of the high cost of living in Singapore. He suggested a market allowance that is commensurate with NSFs' "A" levels and polytechnic diploma qualifications. Sir, National Service (NS) is a duty performed by male Singaporeans and Permanent

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Residents upon reaching the age of 18 years, to safeguard Singapore's security and sovereignty. It is not a form of employment where remuneration is pegged to market rates. Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) receive an allowance that is meant to help cover basic upkeep, such as transport and incidentals. Lodging, food, clothing and medical care are provided for by the SAF as most of them stay in camps.

MINDEF recognises the sacrifices and contributions of our National Servicemen. We regularly conduct reviews of NS allowances, taking into account inflation in the cost of living and the level of responsibilities shouldered by them. The last revision was made less than two years ago in July 2002, when NS allowances across all ranks were increased significantly by about 50%. A recruit's monthly allowance was raised from $240 to $350. A combat specialist holding the rank of Third Sergeant had his monthly allowance increased from $420 to $660, while a Lieutenant had his monthly allowance increased from $780 to $1,150. Over a two to 2½ years' period, Full-time National Servicemen will receive progressively higher allowances from $350 to $1,150 per month, depending on the rank attained. Since the last increase in NS allowances in 2002, the CPI, last year (2003), was only 0.5%. MINDEF will continue to track the inflation rates and will review NS allowances from time to time.

Sir, Mr Chiam See Tong thought it a good idea to introduce compulsory National Service for women and he suggested that three months be put aside for basic military training and nine months to train them as nurses. This, he said, will equip them to be better homemakers, more able to cope with emergency situations, with people and with children. But, Sir, nursing is an elaborate course. Nanyang Polytechnic, for example, runs such a nursing course and it takes three

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years full-time to train a competent nurse. Dr Jennifer Lee also supported National Service for women, but for a different reason, so that they may help out in the healthcare sector, especially in times of emergency. Mrs Lim Hwee Hua believed that NS should be a shared responsibility between males and females, and nation building should be applied to both. She also mentioned nursing or civil defence. Ms Braema suggested that women be offered the option of volunteering for NS.

Sir, I am heartened to hear so many Members speaking up in support of National Service, and for women to get involved in NS, should the need arise. This is an acknowledgement of the importance of NS to the security of Singapore. The primary purpose of NS is to ensure that we have the operational capability to defend Singapore. Compulsory NS for male citizens was introduced in 1967 as we could not afford to rely solely on a regular Army to build a credible defence force for Singapore. The reason is obvious. Our population is too small. Today, National Servicemen form the bulk of our defence force. NS continues to be vital to the defence and security of Singapore. But the Government's decision on compulsory NS for male citizens was taken only after very careful and very serious considerations. It was not taken lightly. It recognised that the purpose to compel a person to serve must be of critical importance. It decided that the defence of Singapore is indeed a purpose of critical importance.

There have been suggestions that NS for women can be the solution to the shortage of SAF manpower caused by the falling birth rate. But the dwindling cohort of NS resource is not new to the SAF, as the Minister has pointed out, and it is true that our pool of national servicemen will continue to reduce in the long term. Nevertheless, MINDEF will have the ability to maintain operational readiness effectively by leveraging on technological

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advancements, commercialisation of support functions and higher productivity. There is, therefore, no need for MINDEF to enlist women for NS compulsorily to meet SAF's operational requirements at this point.

Many Members spoke about the value of NS and how it contributes to social cohesion and nation building. This is well-taken and is, indeed, a good and desirable outcome of NS. However, the primary purpose of NS is to defend Singapore, as I have explained earlier. We have to examine whether the objectives of social cohesion and nation building can best be met by means other than compulsory NS for women. Calling up women for NS would take them temporarily out of the workforce and result in significant cost to both the nation and our women. It is a decision that should not be taken lightly as the purpose of building social cohesion is not of the same order of critical importance as the defence of Singapore.

Even if we are to introduce NS for women, the SAF can deploy some women for operational duties, as pointed out by Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, since we have a group of regular servicemen who are women and they perform operational roles. However, at this time, the SAF does not have a need and would not be able to place all our women (about 15,000 of them per cohort) in operational positions. So if we were just to choose some of them, then it will breach the principle of universality of NS. Who do we choose? How do we ensure equitability? These are all relevant questions.

Ms Braema and Mr Chandra Mohan have suggested that women volunteer for NS. I am pleased to inform them that many women currently volunteer their services to the SAF.

Most of them serve as nurses in Combat Support Hospitals (CSHs). They perform various important duties in the Combat Operating Theatre,

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High Dependency Care and Treatment Sections. In addition, there are about 6,000 active Civil Defence volunteers, out of whom about 2,000 are women. They play an important role during civil emergencies like CPR, first aid, shelter management and administration of blood donation drives. These are some of the functions mentioned by Dr Jennifer Lee. However, these are volunteer services rather than compulsory service.

Mr Chiam alluded to Malaysia's NS system whereby they also enlist women for a short period, and wondered why it is not the case for Singapore. As Members are aware, the 12-week National Service Programme which was introduced recently in Malaysia is different. It is aimed at nation-building and fostering a stronger sense of patriotism, cohesion and unity amongst Malaysian youths. Most of these objectives and others, such as racial integration, national education and community service, are already largely addressed in our school system in Singapore. The Malaysian NS programme does not encompass military training. It is different from NS in Singapore, due in part to the different social circumstances of our two countries.

Therefore, MINDEF currently has no plans to extend compulsory NS to women. However, the Government will revisit this issue from time to time to weigh if there are strong arguments for extending NS to women. The SAF will continue to welcome woman volunteers whenever there is a need.

Role of National Service in Nation-Building

Nation building is a continuous process, involving every Singaporean in every sector of society, whether it is at the workplace, in school, in the sports field, or at home.

National Service is one key institution which contributes to nation building.

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Singaporean males of all strata of society train shoulder to shoulder to fight as a team. Their common experience in NS helps bond them, and shape the Singaporean identity and character.

Some Members have also raised the point about women wanting to contribute to nation building. Let me say that our women are already contributing to nation building and total defence in many ways. As our men, and some SAF regular women as well, participate in military defence, our women contribute to economic defence by their participation in the workforce. Women are also critical pillars in support of civil, psychological and social defence. Many of our woman employers - Dr Jennifer Lee included - support our men employees when they are called up for In-Camp Training.

In recognition of such support, spouses of NSmen are entitled to a tax relief of $500 effective from the year of assessment 1997, which has since been increased to $750 effective from the year of assessment 2003. The Government does recognise the contributions of women to nation building in wide and varied ways.

Sir, Dr Wang Kai Yuen spoke about the challenges facing the SAF in view of the declining birth rate. The declining fertility rate and smaller NS resource pool is not a new problem for MINDEF. In the 1970s, the average size of the NS cohort was 22,000. In the mid-90s, the male cohort size shrunk to about 15,000. MINDEF has been tackling the decline in NS resource pool for some time now and if our TFR remains low, we would have to do more. Over the years, through the greater use of technology and the commercialisation of our logistics and support functions, MINDEF has been able to make do with the smaller resource pool without compromising operational readiness. Workflow and procedures are also constantly reviewed and streamlined to

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ensure that manpower usage is optimised. These measures have helped us to free our scarce manpower resources for combat jobs. The SAF is also reviewing its long-term force structure to meet operational and training requirements with a reduced NS resource.

Let me briefly mention some of these measures. Firstly, commercialisation of support services. Wherever possible, we have commercialised non-combat support services. The Minister mentioned about the ST Aerospace crew which has accompanied our C-130 aircraft in its deployment to Iraq. Any activity that is not critical for field operation, we will contract it out to the private sector so as to free our National Servicemen for the more important and critical combat jobs. For example, we have commercialised the SAF cookhouse about six years ago to very good effect. SAF camps now serve food of a higher quality and at competitive prices.

Secondly, manpower productivity and technology development. This has been covered in some detail by Minister Teo Chee Hean. To maintain operational readiness with minimum manpower, we have invested in better training techniques, like simulators, to reduce the need for manpower and to increase their effectiveness. The Primus, as mentioned by Minister Teo, is a good example of higher productivity, where what used to be operated by 12 soldiers is now operated by only four, a multi-fold increase in productivity.

Thirdly, progressive training. We used to have one form of Basic Military Training (BMT). However, over the years, we have revamped it to minimise the attrition due to training injuries. BMT is the crucial period, since a certain acclimatisation period is required to transform a civilian into a soldier. Most recruits would not have been exposed to

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the intensity of physical activity prior to NS. We need to build them up progressively so that attrition as a result of physical injuries is minimised. This translates to a higher retention of combat-fit soldiers who can be deployed in combat vocations post-BMT.

Fourthly, refining the medical classification system. The PES grading system used by MINDEF is reviewed every three years by HQ Medical Corps and the Medical Classification Centre. The review ensures that the recommendations on fitness for military duties are consistent with latest medical knowledge and practice. It also takes into account improvements in medical treatment that allows servicemen with certain medical conditions to be safely deployed in combat vocations. This has allowed us to maintain a relatively steady stream of combat fit servicemen for deployment in the SAF.

With these various measures, I am pleased to inform Members that the SAF is coping well with the reduced NS resources. Our operational readiness has been maintained. Dr Wang mentioned about transformation and 3G SAF. Although we have made much achievement in this regard, transformation does take time. Our operational readiness and standing force effectiveness, however, has been maintained.

Sir, Mr Chandra Mohan asked whether 2-2½ years of NS is too long. This is also a question posed by Mr Arthur Fong. Mr Chandra Mohan also questioned about the racial mix in the SAF. Let me address these questions.

National Service plays a vital role in safeguarding the security and sovereignty of Singapore. It is important that National Servicemen are well trained, proficient and operationally ready. The length of

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National Service is determined by the time required to train our National Servicemen to the required level of military proficiency, especially for military commanders, warrant officers and specialists. They are trained not only to handle their own personal equipment, but also to be able to fight effectively as an integrated force. Our National Servicemen have to operate at the battalion, brigade and up to the division levels. As many Members have pointed out, MINDEF has increasingly used technology. While the use of technology and sophisticated weapons systems has given us a decisive capability edge, soldiers still require a significant period of training and familiarisation to operate these advanced weapons systems proficiently.

MINDEF would not want National Servicemen to spend more time than necessary for NS duties because we are acutely aware of the commitment and sacrifices that they have to make. For this reason, MINDEF has a scheme whereby physically fit enlistees who attain at least a Silver standard in the National Physical Fitness Award (NAPFA) test do not have to undergo the physical training phase before Basic Military Training, and have their National Service duration reduced by two months.

Racial Mix and Officer Selection in the SAF

Sir, let me now turn to the subject of racial mix in the SAF, a topic raised by Mr Chandra Mohan.

Full-time National Servicemen are deployed to the SAF, Singapore Police Force (SPF) or the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), which are all part of our Total Defence system. National Servicemen contribute to the security of Singapore, regardless of the uniformed service in which they are serving. The allocation of National Servicemen to these different uniformed services is based on

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various factors, such as educational qualifications, physical attributes and vocational aptitudes, amongst others. Taking our Total Defence system as a whole, the ethnic composition of National Servicemen corresponds to the ethnic profile of our population.

The Defence Minister has explained that the SAF now has an expanded role and has to accomplish these roles with a dwindling pool of available manpower. Therefore, the SAF intends to make the most use of all available manpower. To this end, the SAF, like all sectors in the Singapore society, works on the principle of meritocracy. This means that so long as a person is committed to Singapore, dedicated to the SAF and is capable of doing the job, his appointment and advancement in the SAF will be based on performance and merit, regardless of his race or his religion. Selection for Officer Cadet Training is a good case in point where meritocracy is applied. Out of the pool of eligible Malay candidates, which comprises those with 'A' levels or Polytechnic diplomas, the percentage selected to attend Officer Cadet School (OCS) is comparable to that of non-Malay candidates.

MINDEF is committed to ensuring that our limited manpower resource is optimally deployed to ensure the defence and security of Singapore.

Sir, Dr Ahmad Magad asked whether NS hinders entrepreneurship, and he would also like to know if we would exercise more flexibility for those who have just started new businesses. MINDEF and the SAF are mindful that NSmen face competing demands of NS duties, family and work. Hence, NSmen are called up for no longer than the period required to meet the training objectives. While NSmen can be called up for a maximum of 40 days of NS in a work year, in practice, an NSman is generally called up for not more than 14 days for local training, or 21 days for

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overseas training, in his high-key training year.

As part of SAF's continuous effort to enhance training effectiveness and administrative efficiency, the National Service Training System (NSTS) was recently reviewed. What used to be a 13-year system with nine high-key years and four low-key years has been reviewed. By capitalising on our extensive investment in training technology, the new system aims to maintain the operational readiness of our NS units, while at the same time provide more meaningful, focused and effective training by optimising the time commitment of our NSmen during In-Camp Training (ICT). The concept of this new system includes two phases, namely, the first 10 years ICT period and the next 3-year of BIT (Basic Individual Training) period. Under this system, NSmen will serve at least seven high-key ICT, compared to the nine previously, out of a total period of 13 years, which remains unchanged. But in the last three years, they are called up for just two days each for BIT to refresh them on their basic soldiering skills. This, in effect, represents a reduction of operationally-ready NSmen ICT training. MINDEF has also restricted the number of times an NSman can be called up for NS duties to a maximum of three times per work year. Also, we have strived and done our best to ensure that notices are provided at least six months in advance of the training commencement date.

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NSmen may request for deferment from NS training if they have established a new business just before their scheduled training. Unit Commanding Officers, who are themselves NSmen, decide on such matters on whether or not the deferment request can be accommodated after considering the unit's operational training schedule. Priority will be given to NSmen who have a good ICT attendance and

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performance record. In addition, commanders are given the flexibility to grant time-off of up to two days for NSmen to attend to urgent business matters which may crop up from time to time during their NS training stint.

MINDEF has also set up 'Business Centres' complete with PCs, fax and other communication devices. These Centres are set up in SAF camps where our NSmen are trained. They enable our NSmen to communicate with their offices during off duty hours of their In-Camp-Training stints.

With these arrangements, MINDEF believes that NS duties should not unduly hinder entrepreneurship. Many of our NS commanders, including Key Appointment Holders, are successful entrepreneurs. They recognise that their contributions as NSmen make for a safe and secure Singapore without which business ventures cannot succeed. Nevertheless, MINDEF welcomes suggestions and will continue to look into ways to further reduce the impact on NSmen starting new business ventures, provided always that the operational readiness of the SAF is not compromised.

Sir, I would like now to address the issues of accounting practices and irregular claims, as raised by Dr Maliki and Dr Ong Chit Chung. Sir, let me first thank both Dr Ong and Dr Maliki for their concerns regarding the findings of the Auditor-General's Office and the Public Accounts Committee on MINDEF. Their concerns are understandable and MINDEF will continue to improve upon our financial control systems.

Before I address the background of the specific irregularities, I would like to seek Members' understanding that, for a large organisation, like MINDEF, to function efficiently, a certain amount of decentrali

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sation, delegation and empowerment is essential and in fact desirable. As such, even though MINDEF spares no efforts in strengthening its financial controls to minimise systemic weaknesses, human lapses or non-systemic problems sometimes occur. I shall take the Members through the irregularities which occurred in MINDEF over the last four years, as raised by Dr Ong and Dr Maliki.

Sir, each time an irregularity was noted, its causes were investigated and measures were taken to address any system flaws to prevent the lapses from recurring. Most of these cases reported were due to human lapses and non-systemic problems. To deter and prevent such problems from recurring, MINDEF has sent a strong signal to its personnel that it will not hesitate to take disciplinary actions against any one found guilty of deliberately circumventing controls for personal gains. In cases where personnel were found to be negligent, disciplinary actions commensurate with the gravity of the case, were also meted out against them.

In the audit of the claims system, the Auditor-General reported seven cases of intentional splitting of claims, 21 cases of duplicate claims and 83 cases of claims made for visits to Chinese physicians, which should not have been allowed.

Like the PAC@Gov used by the rest of the civil service, the Personal Claims System in MINDEF is an honour-based claim system. The system relies on the honesty and integrity of individual servicemen to submit only legitimate claims. Claimants are personally accountable for the claims made. They are subject to severe disciplinary actions if they breach the trust of the system.

The seven cases of spilt claims amounted to about $995, which is about 0.1% of the $1 million of claims paid out in that fiscal year. Though the amount

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involved may not be significant, MINDEF takes a serious view of these cases of breach of faith. Full investigations were conducted. Claimants found to have intentionally split the claims were summarily dealt with or court-martialled. Many were fined depending on the gravity of the offences. One was fined $500 and sentenced to 10 days' detention.

Twenty-one cases of duplicate claims were investigated. It was concluded that there was no intent to cheat. All were isolated instances of claimants being careless in their filing or arose out of unfamiliarity with the procedure of making amendments to the legitimate claims resulting in duplicate entries.

For the 83 cases of claims made for visits to Chinese physicians, investigations revealed that the personnel had thought that such claims were allowed since Chinese physicians were registered with the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioners Board.

MINDEF has recovered all the wrongful claims. Claimants and the Approving Officers have been cautioned to be more vigilant in the filing and processing of claims. Depending on the degree of negligence, the claimants were either given Record of Verbal Warnings or verbally reprimanded.

MINDEF has also issued an advisory to all servicemen on the proper submission of claims and has reiterated that it will take severe disciplinary action against any personnel found guilty of cheating. Checklists for Approving Officers as well as a list of common mistakes committed in the Personal Claims System have also been promulgated. In addition, the system has also been enhanced so that claimants may select only from a list of clinics registered with the Ministry of Health. The system has also been upgraded to identify duplicate and split claims and will prompt the Approving Officers to verify

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the original receipts to detect likely duplicate or split claims.

Sir, next, the over-consumption of leave and over-claim of subsistence allowances. This case was discovered in 2002, that an officer at an overseas detachment had omitted to submit his leave records and had over-claimed about $1,500 in subsistence allowances. The investigation established that the over-claim of subsistence allowances was due to the misinterpretation of guidelines by the processing staff.

As for the over-consumption of leave, the investigation established that the officer's action of not submitting the leave records was unintentional. It was attributed to the heightened training activities that the officer was involved with as well as the immense stress that he had due to domestic family matters. All over-claimed subsistence allowances and over-consumption of leave have been recovered from the officer. He was also given a Letter of Warning for the lapses. This Letter of Warning has an adverse impact on his next promotion for the next three years.

As for the case of the $14,000 of Mess Funds not accounted for as reported by the Auditor-General in 2001, the unaccounted sum was a result of lapses in accounting management by the Manager engaged by the Mess and this Manager is a non-SAF person. The Mess Manager was consequently dismissed and the amount was fully recovered.

In 2000, the Auditor-General reported a case of misappropriation of about $100,000 from MINDEF. It had been established that it was due to fraud committed by the account holder and negligence by his Supervisory Officer.

The account holder has been court-martialled and convicted on 21 charges. He has made full restitution of the money

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misappropriated. He was fined $3,000 and sentenced to 15 months' detention. His Supervisory Officer was summarily dealt with and fined $1,500.

MINDEF, having carried out the investigation, is satisfied that there were no systemic problems in this case.

Sir, the last case, for the over-crediting of over $600,000 to the retirement accounts of servicemen, I acknowledge the oversight of my officials. However, I assure the Members that the lapses did not result in any loss of public money.

For the 475 Premium Members' accounts that were over-credited, none of the cases were due for payment yet. To administer the Premium Scheme for the Warrant Officers, Specialists and Enlistees, the Premium Administration System was developed. As in all other MINDEF systems, a User Acceptance Test was conducted and this was one of the procedures for IT system development before the system was rolled out, so as to ensure that the system is functioning correctly. Unfortunately, one system check was missed out and overlooked. The errors have since been rectified and the system check put in place.

Sir, MINDEF recognised that some of the lapses were the result of inadequate training in financial procedures. Since 2002, we have introduced a policy where staff must be trained and certified in the necessary procedures before they can be given financial appointments. They are also provided with the opportunity to undergo refresher courses as and when needed. This process of training and certification enables the vast majority of financial appointment holders to conduct their responsibilities properly and with the full knowledge of the relevant policies and procedures. When human error occurred,

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these were caught, in large part, by the stringent controls that MINDEF has put in place.

Sir, I would like to assure Members that MINDEF has in place a basically sound financial control system with proper segregation of duties, a staff rotation policy and an EDP cum audit checks. MINDEF has and will continue to learn from these lapses and to improve upon our internal controls to minimise systemic weaknesses. We will continue to simplify and clarify financial guidelines, and take various measures to further enhance our system. Our adoption of the Risk and Internal Controls Evaluation (RICE) which is also a Control Self Assessment system is a step in this direction. It is an approach which is increasingly considered an Internal Audit Best Practice. It requires staff to assess for themselves the risks and adequacy of financial controls of the business processes they are responsible for. And such self assessments are conducted with the assistance of the Internal Audit Department. Such a system transforms the traditional role of the Auditor from that of an unwelcomed inspector to one in which the Auditor is a partner to help correct weaknesses before lapses even occur.

Sir, I believe I have addressed all the Members' questions.

Ms Braema Mathiaparanam: I was saying that women should do NS compulsorily.

The Chairman: Dr Warren Lee is not here. Dr Ong, do you want to withdraw the amendment?

Dr Ong Chit Chung: Sir, I wish to take this opportunity to thank the MINDEF Ministers for their clear and comprehensive answers to the clear and present threat to our security and, in particular, to thank Minister Teo Chee Hean for reviewing the compensation for our

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National Servicemen. Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: Amendment No. (2), Mr Wee Siew Kim.

Pre-National Service Fitness Programme

Mr Wee Siew Kim: Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head J of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code JA 1500.

Sir, the MOS has talked about females in National Service. I want to focus back on the male students. Presently, our male students in primary and secondary schools, junior colleges, polytechnics and ITEs do not go through a systemic physical fitness programme tailored to prepare them for the rigours of National Service. They have some exercise each week in the physical education

classes and in their CCAs, but not all choose to select sporting activities. The Minister for Health has been encouraging us to exercise at least three times a week, but I am not sure that many of our children get that much exercise. Without a concerted effort, my concern is that a relaxed attitude towards our boys' physical training may not prepare them sufficiently well for the physical demands of National Service.

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May I suggest that the Ministry consider setting the desired level of fitness we expect of our recruits and work backwards all the way to Primary 1, and work with MOE and MOH to set in place a systematic training programme to prepare our boys for National Service. A multi-agency approach to build a rugged society is required. By the way, I have just heard yesterday that monkey bars would be banned from playgrounds. I find that such

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a move is a deviation from our need to build tougher and more rugged males. If the boys are effectively built up gradually and systematically over 12 years from ages six to 18, we probably can expect a higher standard of fitness. There will be no surprises. In view of our declining population, we should not lose anyone on account of physical fitness.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence (Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee): Sir, I would like to report that Dr Warren Lee is unable to attend the afternoon part of this session, as he has an important duty to do. He is a National Servicemen. He is in the field today leading a group of medics and officers and men.

The Chairman: I am aware of that, Prof. Koo.

Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee: Sir, I would first like to thank Mr Wee Siew Kim on behalf of the Ministry. MINDEF, MOE and MOH are already working very closely together to make students as physically fit and healthy as possible by the time they enter National Service. For example, Sir, the Ministry of Education requires all schools to run a Trim-and-Fit Programme for students from the primary to pre-university levels to reduce the percentage of overweight students and improve their overall physical fitness. And MINDEF provides support for this programme by providing schools the MINDEF Physical Fitness Performance Awards to encourage schools to improve levels of physical fitness among their students.

The Ministry of Health also contributes to the fitness programme through the Health Promotion Board. What does it do? It provides medical screening and nutrition counselling for the severely overweight students and develops the norms used in schools to identify overweight students. The principals and teachers are encouraged to give attention and priority

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to these programmes. MINDEF meets the principals of the various educational institutions regularly to brief them and to let them know the general trends in the fitness levels of the new enlistees, and specifically on how the individual educational institutions have performed relative to each other in terms of the percentage of students that have taken and passed the National Physical Fitness Award. This is an important test, because this test determines whether or not the enlistees need to come for the six-week physical training phase before their basic military training to improve their physical fitness levels and to meet the rigours of National Service.

Sir, the home environment and parents also play a critical role in encouraging our children to adopt a healthy lifestyle and be physically active and fit.

The Chairman: Mr Wee, are you withdrawing the amendment?

Mr Wee Siew Kim: Sir, I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for his reply, and beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: Dr Warren Lee is not here.

The sum of $8,244,512,570 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $377,000,000 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.