National Service recommendations accepted

Some key recommendations by the Committee to Strengthen National Service (CSNS) include establishing a volunteer corps in the Singapore Armed Forces, increasing benefits and incentives for servicemen and cutting down on waiting time for pre-enlistees.

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Recommendations by the Committee to Strengthen National Service

The Committee to Strengthen National Service (CSNS) was convened in May 2013 to propose measures to strengthen the National Service (NS) system and enhance public support for this key Singaporean institution.

After a year of public engagement and review of the NS system, the CSNS announced its 30 recommendations in six areas on 22 May 2014.

The Government has accepted the 30 recommendations:

A Strong NS Training System

1. The NS training system will be strengthened with an additional 1,100 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) regulars, as well as 230 regulars in the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

More Opportunities for National Servicemen to Contribute

2. The percentage of commanders in the SAF, SPF and SCDF will be raised from 30% to 40%.

3. The skills and preferences of full-time national servicemen (NSFs) will be considered during deployment in NS.

4. There will be more leadership opportunities and deployment options for servicemen in service vocations (i.e. non-combat vocations).

5. The skills and personal qualities gained during NS will be accredited.

6. There will be opportunities for NSFs to contribute as Regulars on short contracts after they have completed their full-time NS

7. Scholarships will be provided to develop talents in engineering and science who can contribute to the SAF.

8. NSmen who have completed their Operationally Ready NS (ORNS) cycle will be able to volunteer in niche areas where their specialised expertise is required.

The SAF Volunteer Corps

9. An SAF Volunteer Corps (SAFVC) will be set up to enable women, new citizens and first generation Permanent Residents to contribute to national defence.

Recognition and Benefits for National Servicemen

10. The NS Recognition Award (NSRA) will be revamped into the NS HOME (NS HOusing, Medical and Education) Award to support servicemen in housing, healthcare and education.

The current NSRA provides NSmen with $3,000 at three significant milestones during a serviceman's NS journey: (i) the completion of full-time NS; (ii) the midpoint of the ORNS training cycle; and (iii) the completion of the ORNS training cycle, for a total of $9,000.

The amount disbursed at each milestone will be increased by $2,000, which will go into the servicemen's Central Provident Fund Medisave Account. Hence, servicemen will receive up to $15,000 (or $16,500 for commanders) under the NS HOME Award.

11. Life and personal accident insurance coverage of $150,000 will be provided for national servicemen during full-time NS and the period of their ORNS call-ups.

Expand Community Support for National Servicemen

12. Recognition for the families of servicemen will be increased, such as through an extension of the Family Recognition Voucher (FRV) scheme. The number of NSmen who are awarded FRVs will be increased from the top 10% to the top 30% of In-Camp Training (ICT) performers, with the quantum raised from $100 to $200 for the top 10%.

13. Small gifts to servicemen will be given at significant milestones of their lives, such as marriage or the birth of their child.

14. The Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence (ACCORD) will be restructured to comprise (i) an Educational Institutions Council; (ii) an Employer and Business Council; and (iii) a Family and Community Council, to deepen stakeholder engagement.

15. Awards for employers and individuals supportive of NS will be enhanced to include the "NS Mark", which recognises companies with pro-NS policies and human resource practices.

16. National Education efforts will be strengthened through the SAF Veterans' League and Home Team Veterans, to impart core national values to the younger generation and boost community support for defence and security.

17. SAFRA and HomeTeamNS recreational facilities will be expanded for servicemen and their families.

18. Community recognition will be improved by supporting community-led initiatives that recognise servicemen and raise public awareness of NS.

19. NSFs' transition to employment and further studies after they complete full-time NS will be facilitated by expanding the range of companies and institutes of higher learning at career fairs.

A Positive NS Experience - Easing Administrative Restrictions

20. The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will partner NSmen to improve their physical fitness, by providing more time and flexibility to meet their Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) requirement. The IPPT and IPPT preparatory Training windows will be extended to 12 months, up from the current 9 months. For those who fail IPPT, the Remedial Training window will be extended to 12 months in the servicemen's next birthday window.

21. NSmen who put in the extra effort to keep fit and do well in their IPPT will be better recognised through increased monetary incentives for the attainment of Gold (up from $400 to $500), Silver (up from $200 to $300) and Pass (up from $100 to $200) with Incentive standards.

22. MINDEF and MHA will engage schools and educational institutions to help pre-enlistees build up their fitness prior to full-time NS.

23. Enlistment wait-time for pre-enlistees will be reduced to between four and six months after the completion of post-secondary education

24. MINDEF and MHA will work with tertiary institutions to explore ways to reduce transition time after full-time NS.

25. Servicemen will only be required to notify MINDEF and MHA of overseas trips longer than 14 days.

26. Make-up Training will be implemented for high-key In-Camp Training (ICT), which will allow NSmen to keep pace with their ORNS training cycle.

27. NSmen will be allowed to use electronic devices such as tablets and laptops during their ICTs, in non-sensitive areas within their camps like accommodation blocks and cookhouses.

28. Engagement and communication between commanders and servicemen will be deepened to achieve better unit cohesion.

29. NS Relations Offices will be established to assist NSmen with complex administrative issues.

30. NS-related touch points, such as the NS Portal, will be improved to make NS administration more efficient and user-friendly.

Letter by the Committee to Strengthen National Service to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong:

Prime Minister,

The Committee to Strengthen National Service (CSNS) submits its report for the Government's consideration.

Convened in May 2013, the CSNS was tasked to recommend measures to ensure that support from national servicemen and the general public remains high. The Committee recognised the vital importance of its work as NS is critical for Singapore's continued stability and progress.

Members of the main committee, which I chair, and the two Working Groups chaired by Second Minister for Defence Mr Chan Chun Sing and Minister of State for Defence Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, undertook their duty with diligence and seriousness over the past year, spending many hours engaging with Singaporeans from all walks of life through face-to-face interactions, a webchat, e-mails and visits to many units.

We reached out to more than 40,000 people and received wide ranging ideas and suggestions to improve NS. Much of this ground-up feedback has been formulated into discrete recommendations within the report. These recommendations will comprehensively refresh our NS system to address challenges and aspirations of a new generation of national servicemen.

They will strengthen our NS training system and empower national servicemen to contribute more to our defence capabilities through better matching of aptitudes, skills and leadership potential to their vocations during NS.

The Committee has also set more stringent performance targets for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Police Force (SPF), and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) to reduce waiting time before enlistment and facilitate a smoother transition to work and studies after full-time NS.

We also feel that increasing the benefits in housing, healthcare and education through the revamped NS HOME (HOusing, Medical and Education) Awards is timely to recognise the contributions of national servicemen. The Committee also recommends the setting up of an SAF Volunteer Corps.

This specific proposal has garnered widespread support from the community as it provides an avenue for women, new citizens and first generation Permanent Residents to play a meaningful role in defending Singapore. The SPF's Voluntary Special Constabulary and SCDF's Civil Defence Auxiliary Unit provide a positive example of how much can be accomplished through their volunteers.

The full list of recommendations and their details are in the CSNS report. lf fully implemented, these recommendations will cost MINDEF and MHA about $4.5 billion over the decade, about half of it for more benefits and better support to national servicemen and the remaining amounts to improve the training system.

The recommendations from the CSNS will require a significant investment from the Government into our defence spending. However, the Committee feels that this is a worthwhile investment into programmes and initiatives that will result in a stronger NS system that will give Singapore and Singaporeans the confidence and assurance of a secure future.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Ng Eng Hen

Mr Chan Chun Sing

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman