FULL-TIME NATIONAL SERVICE DURATION (Statement by the Minister for Defence)

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FULL-TIME NATIONAL SERVICE DURATION:

(Statement by the Minister for Defence) RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Mr Speaker, Sir, Singapore introduced National Service 37 years ago in 1967, just two years after independence. With a small population, we needed National Service to build up a credible SAF in order to deter potential aggressors and protect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of our small and vulnerable nation. This remains as vital today as it was in the early days of our nationhood.

The peace and prosperity that Singapore has enjoyed over the past four decades have been built on the dedication of the generations of National Servicemen who have served since then. About 680,000 Singaporeans have served

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National Service in the Singapore Armed Forces, Police Force and Civil Defence Force. Sons now follow their fathers through this rite of passage in which our boys become men as they learn to defend our nation.

Singaporeans understand and accept the need for National Service. Our young men want to do their best when they serve. They put in the extra effort in order to take on the challenge and responsibility of becoming commanders.

Review of full-time National Service duration

The duration of full-time National Service depends on two factors: how long it takes to train soldiers and commanders to be operationally proficient in their duties, and how large a standing force we need, ie, how many full-time units we need for defence and contingency purposes during peacetime.

Since 1971, we have required National Servicemen who are promoted to the rank of Corporal and higher to serve 2½ years of full-time National Service while all other National Servicemen serve for two years. All National Servicemen who have attained A-level and Diploma qualifications or higher are promoted to at least the rank of Corporal and therefore serve 2½ years of full-time National Service.

Over the years, the Ministry of Defence has periodically reviewed the training methods and operational deployment requirements. We want to ensure that, on the one hand, the SAF is always ready to carry out its missions, while on the other hand, National Servicemen spend no more time than is necessary to carry out their NS duties. In other words, we aim to keep the period of full-time National Service not longer than what is necessary for our defence needs.

Sir, MINDEF has recently carried out a thorough review of the full-time National

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Service duration. MINDEF has concluded that it can reduce the full-time National Service duration for those who currently have to serve 2½ years by six months, to two years, while maintaining the operational readiness of the SAF and its ability to fulfil its mission. This means that all National Servicemen will therefore serve 24 months or two years of full-time National Service.

Two key factors come together to make such a change feasible now. First, the key driver for this change is the Transformation to the 3rd Generation SAF and second, the key enabler for this change is a surge in the National Service intake over the next 10 years.

Transformation to the 3rd Generation SAF

Sir, we have steadily built up the SAF into a potent fighting force, operating modern, sophisticated and technologically advanced systems. As I informed Members in the Committee of Supply this year, MINDEF will be moving beyond this to transform the SAF over the next decade into the 3rd Generation SAF. The 3rd Generation SAF will be a military force that makes greater use of superior technology in areas such as comprehensive surveillance, battlefield awareness, precision strike and network-centric warfare. The 3rd Generation SAF will rely less on numbers of soldiers and more on the higher education levels and capabilities of our National Service soldiers.

While this transformation will take a decade to unfold, it is already underway and bearing fruit. One example of this is the Apache Longbow helicopter. The Apache's radar, guided missiles and data links between helicopters are an example of battlefield awareness, precision strike and network-centric warfare. The Apache transforms the battle into an asymmetric helicopter versus tank battle, allowing tanks to be destroyed at long range.

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Another example is the Army's new Primus self-propelled howitzer, which requires only one-third of the crew but is far more mobile and delivers greater firepower. Our investments in research and development and new systems will pave the way for such transformations not just at the unit and tactical level, but also at the operational and strategic levels.

The transformation of the SAF is the key driver that allows us to transit to a shorter National Service duration. With the transformation of the SAF, more National Servicemen will be deployed in positions which are more challenging and make better use of their education and training, while serving a shorter period of full-time National Service.

Surge in NS intake

The second key factor is the coming surge in the National Service intake. This is the enabler that allows us to make the transition to a shorter National Service duration now. There will be a 15% to 20% increase in the annual intake of full-time National Servicemen over 10 years starting from 2006. This surge is a result of the higher number of births per year starting in the 'Dragon' year of 1988 and lasting till 1997. This surge in NS intake over the next 10 years will allow us to maintain our operational readiness and standing force requirements even as we move to a 24-month National Service system and carry out the transformation towards the leaner 3rd Generation SAF.

Maintaining SAF operational readiness

For officers and section commanders, a 24-month full-time National Service period is needed. This will allow for up to 12 months of training and at least another 12 months of deployment for operational duties. For non-commanders, a 24-month period is sufficient to train a battalion for

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operations and to meet our standing force requirements.

Improvement in training effectiveness

The SAF's training and operational standards will be maintained even with the six-month reduction. Over the years, the SAF has significantly improved its training effectiveness through the introduction of new systems and technologies. For example, today, a recruit at the new Basic Military Training Centre in Pulau Tekong learns how to shoot on the Individual Marksmanship Trainer which is within marching distance in his camp. His shooting technique can be analysed, corrected and improved on in this marksmanship trainer before he goes to the live-firing range. In the old days, a recruit could spend the whole day out at the range, mostly waiting for his turn to shoot just ten rounds, and at the end, he would not really know why he shot well or why he shot badly, nor how to improve. Simulators and trainers have also proven effective for drivers, tank crews and signallers. And we have provided more efficient and focused training for commanders with the introduction of wargaming systems. The use of such simulators, war games and Computer Aided Instruction has enhanced training effectiveness while saving time.

The SAF's operational readiness and its ability to achieve its mission will also be maintained. The investments we are making in transforming to the 3G SAF and the new capabilities we are developing will enable us to maintain a strong SAF and reduce our dependence on large numbers of full-time National Servicemen. This reduced NS duration of 24 months will be sustainable over the long term.

I would also like to thank Members of this House for their continuing strong support for national defence. Despite the

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economic challenges Singapore has faced in the last few years, this House has remained fully committed to national defence. This year, the budget caps of all Ministries were reduced by 2%, except for MINDEF. And Members of this House have, during the Budget Debate, robustly reaffirmed the need for a strong SAF.

Implementation

Sir, let me now address the implementation details. MINDEF will implement the revised 24-month full-time NS duration with effect from the batch of National Servicemen who will be enlisted in December 2004, ie, at the end of this year.

To minimise transitional anomalies where servicemen who enlist later complete their full-time NS before those who enlist earlier, there will be a graduated reduction in duration for batches enlisted earlier than the December 2004 batch.

Those who are enlisted between June and November this year for 2½ years of full-time National Service will get a four-month cut in full-time NS duration. Full-time National Servicemen who are currently serving their 2½ years of service will get up to a two-month cut in service duration. I said "up to a two-month cut" because the earliest date that the ORD for these in-service National Servicemen can be brought forward to will be 30th June 2004, to allow time for the units to do their administrative out-processing arrangements.

Full-time National Servicemen returning from disruption to serve out the balance of their 2½ years of full-time National Service will also be given a corresponding cut in their NS duration based on the cohort in which they were enlisted.

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There will be no change for those serving two years of full-time National Service.

The current eight-week reduction in National Service duration given to National Servicemen who have attained a pre-enlistment fitness level of at least a NAPFA Silver will remain. This eight-week reduction for fit enlistees will be granted in two parts - four weeks at the beginning of their service during the Basic Military Training phase and four weeks at the end of their full-time National Service period.

The Ministry of Home Affairs will be implementing the corresponding changes for National Servicemen currently serving in or who will be enlisted into the Singapore Police Force and the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

MINDEF will be working with our local universities to better align the university intake schedules from 2007 when the first batch of National Servicemen serving the new NS duration completes their full-time National Service.

Conclusion

Sir, the rapid advance of technology and new war-fighting concepts have made it possible for us to carry out a transformation to the 3rd Generation SAF and reduce the duration of full-time National Service. The surge in National Service intake over the next 10 years enables us to maintain the SAF's operational readiness while making this transition. A strong National Service system, with dedicated and committed National Servicemen, both full-time and in the operationally-ready service, remains the bedrock of our defence to guarantee the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Singapore.

Sir, let me conclude by thanking all our National Servicemen who have served

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over the years in the defence of our nation. I would also like to thank the parents, wives, girlfriends and other family members for the support that they have given to our National Servicemen. Those who have served are the role models for our future National Servicemen. Their dedication and commitment made it possible for Singapore to enjoy the peace and security, which is the foundation for our prosperity and progress, and made us the nation that we are. [Applause.]

Dr Ong Chit Chung (Jurong): Sir, this is indeed good news for the National Servicemen. I am sure it will be welcomed by all Singaporeans.

I want to ask the Minister whether this move will adversely affect the operational readiness of the SAF, especially now when we are in an era of conflict and terrorism where more demands

than ever are being made on the SAF, and whether the National Service reduction will give the wrong signal to others that we are going soft on defence, and whether the Minister can assure us that we will do whatever it takes to maintain a strong defence force and defend Singapore's sovereignty.

Sir, the Minister is well aware that MINDEF is very cautious about the length of National Service. We wonder what made MINDEF reduce the length of National Service. When was the turning point for such a decision?

RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Sir, Dr Ong asked what motivated the change in National Service duration. I would like to reassure Dr Ong and Members of this House as well as the public in general that our commitment to defence remains strong. And I would like to thank Members of this House also for their continued commitment to defence.

The transformation to the 3rd generation SAF will make the SAF more

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capable of defending Singapore, and will make it more capable while at the same time making the SAF leaner. What motivated this change is that the transformation that we have been making in the SAF over the last few years has begun to bear fruit. We are more confident that the technologies available, the systems that we have fielded, will be able to give the SAF that edge as these technologies unfold and become fielded over the next 10 years. With our National Servicemen who are highly educated, well motivated, we are confident that they will be able to master these new technologies and systems and deliver for Singapore a defence which is even more capable than the one that we have today, notwithstanding the reduction in National Service period. In fact, what I do hope is that with this period of National Service of 24 months, our servicemen doing their full-time National Service will be even more motivated to give of their best during this period.

What was the turning point? There was a confluence of two factors. The 3G SAF is the driver for this change which leads us to this reduction in National Service duration and a leaner SAF. The enabler was the surge in the National Service intake which will be taking place in the next 1-2 years lasting for 10 years. This allows us to do this transformation while maintaining the operational readiness of the SAF. And with the confluence of these two factors, we decided to proceed.

Dr Tan Cheng Bock (Ayer Rajah): Sir, the Minister has given two reasons for the reduction of the training period. One is the surge in NS intake over 10 years and the 3G SAF. May I ask the Minister whether this NS training period would revert to 2 1/2 years after this NS surge is over? Can the 3G SAF cope with this change when this surge in intake is over?

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In other words, is this a temporary measure? How much has public pressure contributed to this shortening of NS period? This is important, because if we just give in to public pressure, then it is not a very good reason to shorten the NS period. Is this a reflection of the confidence of the SAF's ability to defend our country even with this lesser intake of NS men?

RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of Defence has done a careful study and came to the conclusion that the two years of National Service duration will be able to be sustained over the long term even after this 10-year surge. What this 10-year surge provides us with is the ability to do this transformation and maintain our operational readiness at the same time.

If I can refer Members to the chart that I distributed on total National Service full-time resource, the average level of National Service resource for the past 15 years, from 1990 to the year 2005, was 19,100 annually. Over the next 10 years, we expect it to be 24,300, and in the 10-15 years after that, we expect it to come down but not to as low a level as it is today. We expect it to come down to about 20,600, based on current estimates and even current estimates of our total fertility rate.

Sir, I am happy to inform Dr Tan that public support for National Service is high. More than 90% of the people that we surveyed feel that National Service is worth while and is necessary for our defence. And we know that many of the young men who come into National Service today really want to do their best. Many of them strive very hard to become commanders and officers. This is a very good sign. So, this is really not a response at all to any public pressure on National Service. In fact, what it does is that it draws on the very strong public support for National Service, the very

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strong motivation of our young men to do well in National Service, to give them more challenging and demanding things to do so that they can give us a better defence.

Mdm Ho Geok Choo: Sir, I have not served National Service. But I am interested to know whether the nurturing of character development is part of the programme during the course of National Service training. And if indeed it is, would the shortening of six months in any way compromise the continuous training of this aspect of the training for the National Servicemen?

RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Sir, character development is an important part of National Service training. It is certainly a critical part of the training of our commanders, particularly of our officers. I think all parents know that their sons go into National Service as boys and come out as men ready to defend the nation.

Will the six-month cut affect that? Of course, from a purely defence point of view, I would like to have as long a time as possible, but it is incumbent upon the Ministry of Defence when we have a National Service system to ensure that the length of National Service is always sufficient to meet our defence needs but, at the same time, it is not longer than it is necessary for our defence needs, and that must be the primary consideration.

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong: Sir, I would like to thank the Minister for assuring us that the reduced NS period will not compromise on our operational readiness. I would like to ask the Minister whether the training itself would now be intensive for those who have to be compressed from 2 1/2 to 2 years, and also whether the Minister will consider sending them more on peacekeeping missions to make sure that they are indeed operationally ready to face any conflict situations and we hope that they will not be tested in war.

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The second question is that the House has supported MINDEF in its increased budget, because we want to see a strong SAF. And with the change that has been announced today, there will be small savings. Although that is not the motivating factor for the change, can I ask the Minister whether he can assure and enlighten the House on how the budget of MINDEF will be spent to ensure that indeed despite the changes announced today, MINDEF will be stronger and continue to build up its capabilities to deter and to defend Singapore.

RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Mr Speaker, Sir, to some extent, the training will be more intensive and, in fact, this is something which has been happening over the years. For example, we have much more mechanisation in the Armed Forces today. And to train an armour crew is more complex and more complicated than training infantry men, and we have many more armour crewmen today. But because we have very much improved training systems, like our armour simulator, we can take our crewmen and give them very high value and very intensive training and good feedback in that training in a relatively short period of time. So our tank crewmen can actually do the equivalent of a battle with their tanks whilst sitting in the simulators within one or two hours when, previously, they would have had to take out their tanks, drive out for one or two hours administratively to the training areas to conduct an exercise before coming back again for one or two hours administratively. So, from that point of view, you can say that the training is more intensive. It makes better use of time and is much more effective.

Will we send our people for more PKOs? I must say that PKOs have been very useful for the SAF in developing its operational doctrine and giving it

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operational experience. And where this fits in with our national objectives, we will do so. But for National Servicemen, the principle that we have followed for PKOs is that we have asked them to volunteer for these PKOs. And I am glad to say that a good number of National Servicemen have done so. This speaks well of the SAF and speaks well of our National Servicemen.

Will there be savings from this reduction in NS period? That was not the primary consideration at all, I should say. In fact, whatever savings that we may get from the reduction, we will absorb completely because of the increase in the number of National Servicemen coming into the SAF. As I said, that was not the primary consideration. We will put in as much as we need to for defence. What we have done in the Ministry of Defence's budget is to place high priority on transforming into the 3rd generation SAF. And if you ask me where would I put the marginal dollar today, I would prefer to put the marginal dollar into investment in transformation of the SAF rather than putting the marginal dollar into more people. Indeed, I informed the House in the Committee of Supply that we are putting aside 1% of the defence budget for experimentation. And I am glad that many Members of this House actually took up my invitation to visit the SAF Centre for Military Experimentation a couple of weeks ago.

Dr Wang Kai Yuen: Sir, before I put my question, I would like to congratulate the Minister for making a very bold decision in the history of National Service. I would also like to explain why I applauded his decision and also why other Members applauded. I believe we applauded not because of our diminished commitment to National Service nor public pressure to reduce the NS period. The SAF, being a human manpower oriented organisation, I

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believe it must have been very difficult to get his commanders' agreement to reduce the National Service period, and that is the reason why we applauded for his very insightful decision.

The question I would like to ask is why would he only reduce the National Service period for those who are committed to serve 2 1/2 years and these National Servicemen are primarily commanders and officers.

Have they considered reducing correspondingly those non-commander National Servicemen by even a token period, not necessarily by six months but maybe three months, given the fact that there is a confluence of two factors which he mentioned, like the 3G SAF and also the increased number of National Service intake?

RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank Dr Wang for his remarks and compliments. But the compliments also go to my officers in the Armed Forces because they have studied this matter very carefully over quite a long period of time. They themselves have come to this conclusion that the way forward for the SAF is the 3rd Generation SAF, and that this is the way to get more capability for the SAF while maintaining the period of National Service for as short as possible in order to meet our defence needs.

Sir, why 24 months of National Service and why have we not been able to cut it shorter for those who, for example, are currently serving 24 months of National Service? As I explained, we need to maintain sufficiently large units in order to have a standing force to meet our peacetime contingencies. Our units are made up of both "A" level and diploma National Servicemen as well as those who do not have "A" levels and diplomas. So they are mixed units. We need about 12 months in order for the men to complete their individual as well as collective training to reach a sufficient level of proficiency for the whole unit. And after

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that, we need to have enough units who are operationally ready in order to meet these peacetime contingencies. Our estimation of the situation is that we need the units to serve for one year after they have been trained for 12 months in order to have sufficient units to meet our peacetime contingency requirements. If we were to reduce the period of National Service below 24 months, even for some of the soldiers, what it would mean is that there will be gaps in those units which will not be filled, and those units will not be able to fulfil their operational duties.

Mr Speaker: Admiral Teo, since there are many Members who want to seek clarifications, maybe you could take the questions first and reply later. Mr Leong.

Mr Leong Horn Kee: Mr Speaker Sir, I would also like to join Members to welcome this move and applaud the Minister for his bold policy decision, though it comes a little late for me - I had done full-time NS - as well as for my son who just completed his 2 1/2 years of full-time National Service. Anyway, I do welcome this move because it benefits the nation and the future batches of National Servicemen.

I would like to ask the Minister whether there is any consequential impact from this change of policy, eg, will there be any change or impact on the early disruption scheme? In the past, a person going for tertiary education, who had only a few more months to serve, was allowed to get his NS disrupted, go for his tertiary education, then come back and serve National Service for one or two months. In this case of a shorter NS period, could the Ministry still allow some disruption, so that students do not need to wait for a full year and have their school's programme affected? So, please do consider whether to continue with the early disruption scheme.

The second question is whether it has any impact on the period for reservist

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training. At the moment, there is a limit of 40 days. Usually it is shorter for yearly reservist training. In fact, I hope there is no increase in the reservist training period as a result of the shorter full-time training period. On the contrary, as the Minister has said, if modern technology could allow training to be more efficient, maybe, as a collateral, the reservist training period could be reduced further as well.

Mr Iswaran: Sir, I would like to echo Mr Leong's point on what I suppose would be the 2G SAF NSmen, many of whom are probably in this Chamber.

Sir, I would like to know, as we make this transition to a 3G SAF, how will the reservists be prepared for that transition where, I presume, there is going to be a lot of technology input in the way they are trained. In short, what impact would this transition to a 3G SAF have on the nature of reservist training and the duration of reservist obligations?

Dr Warren Lee (Sembawang): I join my colleagues in this House in applauding the Minister, especially since I am still a serving reservist.

I would like to ask the Minister to what extent has improved matching of the educational, medical and physical attributes of our National Service cohort contributed to the ability for the SAF to take this bold decision. Can we do even more to prepare our future batches of National Servicemen in this regard, so that we can make the best use of the time available for National Service?

Finally, I wonder whether, in terms of administrative details of enlisting a National Serviceman, consideration will be made to time the enlistment of future batches in such a way that there will be a minimal need for disruption, as has been brought up by other Members in this House, for the purpose of further education abroad or in local universities.

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Mr Heng Chee How (Jalan Besar): Sir, I applaud the bold decision by the Ministry of Defence, and I fully support it.

My question relates to National Service (Police) and Civil Defence because they will also be affected by the same policy change, and I ask if MINDEF will be working very closely with the Ministry of Home Affairs to ensure a smooth transition such that Police presence and the effectiveness of the Civil Defence will also be maintained.

Mr Chandra Mohan K Nair (Nominated Member): Mr Speaker, Sir, first of all, I would like to declare the fact that my son is doing National Service. He started in January this year.

The introduction of National Service was in 1967. At that time, we had an armed forces of regulars. What is the percentage of regular soldiers as compared to National Servicemen today, say, in 1967? Is there a mindset change today that our parents of National Servicemen are willing to consider the possibility of having professional soldiers as full-time regulars, instead of National Servicemen? Would we want to have a regular Armed Forces not of National Servicemen but actual soldiers doing full-time service for life or until retirement age? And, if so, would MINDEF consider the possibility of having a stronger full-time regular force, instead of a full-time National Service force?

RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Mr Speaker, Sir, perhaps I should take Mr Chandra Mohan's point first, because I think that is an important point. We have had National Service since 1967. At that time, we had two battalions of soldiers. In fact, not all of them were Singaporeans; many of them were not Singaporeans. We had no air force and we had, I think, one ship, the old and much beloved RSS Panglima .

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We would not be able to have the defence force that we have today without National Service - not just full-time National Service but also National Service for those who have finished their full-time service and gone out into the operationally-ready National Service force.

With a population base of three to four million people, we will never be able to have a force which is sufficient to provide for our own security and defence in the situation that we are in. I think that you only need to look at the armed forces of countries which are of about the same population size as we are to realise that it is just not possible to have an armed forces of sufficient capability for our needs, based only on a regular force.

We do, however, have many committed regulars in the SAF, and they do duties which require a longer period of professional service and training. So, many of our people in the Air Force and in the Navy, for example, are regulars, and they have a much higher proportion of regulars than in the Army. In the Air Force, of course, all our fighter pilots are regulars, although we have some who, after their regular service, continue flying with the Air Force in their operationally-ready service. So we will need to continue to depend on National Service for our defence needs for a long, long time to come, unless there is a fundamental change in our strategic circumstances, which I do not see happening.

I would like to thank Mr Leong Horn Kee for his dedicated service in National Service, and also his son. He asked about disruption. The basic principle which we follow today, and which we will continue to follow, is that for people who are in the same cohort, we will allow them to go to university or higher education at the same time in the same year, basically. What it does mean is that we will be less liberal with disruption, because it is a shorter

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period and most of the students should be able to go on to higher education within the same year. So, there will be less need for disruption. But, at the same time, we will be less able to give disruption because the period is already shorter. But I do not see any great difficulties. There should not be any cases of students who, with the new duration of National Service, will go to higher education later than they do today. As I said, we will be discussing with our own universities to see what kind of changes in the schedules would be possible. But, of course, we cannot influence the academic calendars of universities in the northern hemisphere, for example.

The impact on reservist training was also a question which Mr Leong Horn Kee and Dr Warren Lee asked about. In fact, I think reservists have already seen some impact on their training. Members may not be aware, but in April last year, we did make a change to our reservist training cycle. We used to have eight high-key years and five low-key years in a 13-year cycle. In April 2003, we changed that to seven high-key years, three low-key years, and three BIT (Basic Individual Training) years where the serviceman is called up for one to two days of basic proficiency refresher. So there has been an adjustment in the requirements for training for operationally-ready National Servicemen. And, again, these adjustments were made consciously and with the defence needs in mind to ensure that this would be sufficient for our defence needs, but that we do not call upon our operationally-ready National Servicemen for more than is necessary.

Dr Warren Lee asked whether we can do improved matching for our National Servicemen so that we can make better use of the resources that we have. In fact, we constantly try to do so. Medical classification is imperfect as a science. So we tend to err on the side of caution. We are not able to deploy them in all the

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areas that perhaps they could be deployed in. We have, for example, been relaxing our eyesight standards for various vocations. We have even been relaxing some of our medical fitness requirements for some vocations because there is more mechanisation in some of these vocations. So that means that we can deploy more of our people in such vocations. And, indeed, in many of our vocations, what we do require are people with better

education and the ability to operate more complex systems and this fits in well with the abilities of the National Servicemen who are coming into the SAF today. I believe that is also the question that Mr Iswaran asked.

Mr Heng Chee How asked about whether or not the National Service (Police) and SCDF will also have the same arrangements. Yes, we have been discussing with the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Home Affairs will be making similar transitions and arrangements for the Police as well as the SCDF.

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BILLS INTRODUCED: