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National Service (NS) in Singapore is the name given to the compulsory conscription of all male Singapore citizens and second-generation permanent residents upon reaching the age of 18. They serve a two-year period as Full Time National Servicemen (NSFs) in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Police Force (SPF), or the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

When a conscript completes his full time service, he is considered to be "operationally ready", and is thereafter known as an Operationally-Ready National Serviceman (NSman). NSmen are the equivalent of other militaries' reservists. The difference in nomenclature is because these NSmen will form the bulk of the Singapore Armed Forces in time of war. The term Operationally-Ready National Servicemen conveys more importance than the reservists.

NSmen are liable for 10 NS training cycles of up to 40 days a year, which do not always fall in consecutive years. After that, they are called up for training for up to 3 days a year until the age of 40 or 50, depending on their rank. Females are not required to serve National Service, though post-operation transsexuals have been known to be called up.

The overwhelming majority serve in the Army, as part of the SAF. The reasons for this phenomenon include the relative manpower needs of the Army, compared with the other armed services, the SPF, and SCDF. Also, compared with the Army, the Air Force and Navy are smaller services composed primarily of regular servicemen. As their manpower needs tend to be more specialized, a constant turnover of staff will be very disruptive.

History

The NS (Amendment) act was passed on 14 March 1967, as the Singapore government felt that it was necessary to build a substantial military force. The country only had about 1000 soldiers at the time of independence. In the late 1960s, the British government had decided to withdraw its troops and bases in Asia, which included the troops stationed in Singapore. That prompted the government to implement a conscription program for the country's defence.

The stated rationale behind conscription is two-fold. Firstly, because Singapore has a population of about 4 million (as of 2004), an army solely comprised of regulars would be too small to defend the country. Secondly, national service is supposed to foster racial harmony among the Chinese, Malay, Indian, and other ethnic groups in the country by requiring all males to go through similar experiences and thus being able to identify themselves to a common purpose of protecting the country (see multiracialism). In practice, racial integration is not fully applied across the various services. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) are disproportionately composed of Malays, and Malays are being excluded, with some exceptions, from certain military vocations and units such as Armour, Signals, Intelligence, Navy, and Air Force.

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has never fought in a war and the set-up of the military is largely designed for deterrence. The SAF also has the important role of participating in humanitarian missions overseas.

Enlistment

Male Singaporean citizens and permanent residents are required to register for national service upon reaching the age of 16½, during which they undergo a medical examination. They are then called up for enlistment at the age of 18, although their enlistment is usually deferred until after they complete their secondary education in polytechnics, high schools, junior colleges, pre-university or other institutions. Some are also allowed to commence their fulltime national service at the age of 16½ if they so choose.

Gay men are required to reveal their sexual orientation to military doctors during their medical examination, but they are not exempt from national service despite being ineligible to serve in the military on a voluntary basis after their full time national service due to the incompatibility of homosexuality with professional military service. Exemptions are rare and are usually due to disability or serious medical conditions certified by the SAF Medical Board. A person could also be exempted if the enlistment would cause hardship to his family, but this exemption is rarely granted.

Children born to foreigners after they have taken up permanent residency in Singapore are required to serve National Service. However, foreigners who take up jobs in Singapore or become permanent residents of Singapore are themselves not required to serve National Service.

Military service

There are several types of Basic Military Training (BMT) conducted by the SAF at its BMT Centre on Pulau Tekong, which is an island off the north-east coast of Singapore. Medically fit NSFs who hold educational qualifications from Junior Colleges and other institutions of higher learning undergo a 9-week Enhanced BMT program. Those from lower educational backgrounds undergo a similar program (Standard BMT program), but without a Sit Test (Situational Test), which is a test used to assess trainees for posting to command schools like the School of Infantry Specialists (SISPEC) and Officer Cadet School (OCS).

NSFs who are less medically fit, depending on their particular medical condition, either have to go a 7-week Modified BMT or just a 5-day Residential program at one of the 2 Schools of the BMTC. NSFs who are medically fit, but have failed the pre-enlistment Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT), will have to undergo an additional 4-week Physical Training Phase (PTP), making it a 13-week BMT program for them. Conscripts who are overweight go through special BMT programs, depending on the severity of their obesity, with the longest BMT program lasting for just over 6 months (24 weeks) for the most obese trainees. The obesity of a conscript is determined by his Body Mass Index (BMI) during the pre-enlistment medical checkup.

Medically fit NSmen also have to take the IPPT every year as part of their training program.

Police Service

Though a majority will serve in the army for their National Service, A considerable number of enlistees will serve their NS years in the Police Force. For those who are chosen to serve in the Police force, they will undergo training at the Police Academy where they will study The Penal code and standard Police protocol. After Training at the Police Academy, they will be posted to various Departments Of the Force eg. Special Operations Command(SOC),Logistics,Divisional Police,Airport Police and etc. Those who are posted to the Police Coast Guard(PCG) will undergo further training.

Civil Defence Service

Those who are enlisted into the Singapore Civil Defence Force(SCDF) will go go through training at the SCDF academy. The SCDF is the FireFighting force of Singapore and they also operate the ambulance service in Singapore.

Refusal to serve

Those who are liable to serve national service, but refuse to, are charged under the Enlistment Act. If convicted, they could face imprisonment for a period of three years and a fine of S$10,000. The penalties were recently increased in January 2006 following a controversy when a famous Singapore-born pianist, Melvyn Tan, received only a fine for defaulting on his national service obligations. Tan has been living in Britain since 1978.

Each year, a small number of people are convicted as such and they are mostly members of the Jehovah's Witnesses, although they are usually kept in a low security confinement facility and separated from other military offenders. Conscientious objection is not a legal reason for refusing to serve NS. Since 1972, Jehovah's Witnesses as a religious group has been banned in Singapore.

Humanitarian effort

Some NSFs have participated in the humanitarian efforts following the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake and the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake.

National Service in arts and popular culture

Film

• Army Daze (1996)

External links

• Ministry of Defence
  • The NSmen Website
  • The NSmen's portal
  • Enlistment Act