Speech by Second Minister for Defence Mr Ong Ye Kung at the inauguration of the Centre of Excellence for Soldier Performance, on 1 Dec 2017 at Selarang Camp at 1010hrs

Chief of Army, Major-General Melvyn Ong,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am happy to be here today to inaugurate the Centre of Excellence for Soldier Performance (CESP). The CESP's inauguration today marks an important milestone in the Army's efforts towards holistic development of our soldiers.

A New Generation of Soldiers

When I was in National Service (NS) - that is some years ago, maybe before some of you were born - during my recruit Basic Military Training (BMT), we did our first 8km route march. At that time to me, that was the longest I have ever walked. Then later on in NS, we did 24km, again that was the longest I have ever walked. Unthinkable! How to walk 24km? And then my unit did 40km in Full Battle Order. I must say at that time we broke the SAF record. It did not stand for very long; next year it was broken again. Again, it was (an) unthinkable distance. But today, being Minister for Education, I speak to students in polytechnics and junior colleges about fitness, and many of them have done marathons, many of them (have) gone overseas for trekking (and to) climb mountains, to them 24km is nothing. So adventure and sports programmes are now a common feature in schools. This is a generation that is much more exposed to sports and fitness, and they know a lot more about sports and fitness.

Competitive sports has also changed. I follow the English Premier League, and I support a certain team. So recently, the team that I supported had a star player who was injured and (had) just recovered from injury. I read what the manager said. He said that the player could start a match, but can only play for 60 mins, until fatigue sets in. But if he plays, (and is on the right) diet, he can recover faster. We do not hear coaches speaking like that ten (to) twenty years ago. Performance (and) recovery from injury, is so much more scientific now. During my time, when we were sportsmen, we were asked to play through pain. I used to run, and run my pain away. Now, it is a totally different approach.

If even in the competition of football and sports, the science for performance has received so much attention, what more the competition of sovereignty and fighting for our dignity. The SAF will therefore also do so, and do it well.

In the last 52 years, our country has developed, and so has our armed forces. The SAF has made huge strides - from two infantry battalions and two boats, it is now a modern, advanced and integrated fighting force. But our threats have evolved too. The security environment is much more complex now, and presenting new challenges. We face multifarious threats in the conventional and non-conventional realm, with new methods of attacks. Part of our response is to bring out the best in every soldier.

Bringing Out the Best in Our Soldiers

We already have the benefit of a well-educated population. Our servicemen have grown up with technology, and know how to multiply their influence with the impact of IT and machines. We must train them efficiently, develop their resilience and leverage their mental and physical strengths, to develop every soldier into a well-rounded individual.

The CESP was established to achieve this. We have brought together the Army Fitness Centre, the Soldier Performance Centre and the Soldier Systems Integration Laboratory to form the CESP, so that we integrate technology, sport science, and nutrition to bring out the best in our soldiers. The CESP will also be supported by a range of deep domain experts such as sport scientists, nutritionists, physiotherapists, human factors engineers, and psychologists. They will make training more targeted and customised to every soldier's abilities.

With the employment of sport science in the CESP, we will customise fitness training to match the unique physical demands of each vocation and the individual's abilities. If load lifting is predominant in a soldier's combat task, such as for an Artillery soldier, we will emphasise the strengthening of the arm and back muscles.

Our training will also be more efficient. We will introduce new fitness training methodologies such as High Intensity Interval Training that has shown to be able to produce optimal performance results within a much shorter time. We will introduce fitness programmes that focus on injury prevention, as this is always better than cure.

We will implement "pre-habilitation" programmes to reduce the risks of common injuries. For example, for Infantry soldiers who are often required to bear heavy loads that may place more strain on their back muscles. So lower back strengthening exercises will be included in their fitness programmes to reduce the risk of such back injuries.

We will also change the approach to rehabilitation. Very often when soldiers get injured, they stay inactive until they fully recover, which is not the best approach because their overall physical condition would have deteriorated by then. CESP will introduce rehabilitation programmes to help the injured recover faster. For example, rehabilitation programmes might focus on strengthening non-injured muscle groups so that our injured soldiers continue to remain active. Ultimately, such programmes will allow the injured soldiers to resume normal training faster and in a better physical condition.

The CESP will build up the mental resilience of our soldiers too. In BMT, they will be taught resilience-building concepts, and be equipped with the knowledge and skills to better manage stress and anxiety.

Post-BMT, soldiers will be gradually exposed to stressors typically encountered in operational settings, and will undergo unexpected and unique training scenarios and situations. Such training will increase their situational awareness, improve their adaptive skills, and strengthen them holistically as individuals.

The CESP will also apply human factors engineering to improve the ergonomic design of equipment, thus enhancing our soldiers' combat effectiveness. I was just wearing the Load Bearing System outside and it feels quite different from the Skeletal Battle Order that we used to wear. For example, well-designed equipment that distributes weight well across the body can delay the onset of fatigue. It also improves the mobility of the soldiers significantly. This will ensure that the equipment our soldiers wear and use fits them well and allows them to perform their combat tasks effectively. Such engineering principles were adopted in the design of the new load bearing system, and they are on the display outside. Soldiers who participated in the trial programmes gave very positive feedback that the new system is indeed more ergonomic, compact and lighter.

Collaboration with External Agencies

While the CESP has its deep domain experts, it can only do so much on its own. That is why the CESP needs partners, who are amongst us here today. And also, bearing in mind that our servicemen, beyond full-time National Service, they move out (and) they become Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen). (So) the civilians and our partners will be able to reach out to them and continue their journey of fitness. Recently, a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) on fitness and healthy living was signed between the Health Promotion Board, Mr Zee Yoong Kang is here today, SportSG Mr Lim Teck Yin is here today, and the Army. Together, we are committed to share information, co-develop programmes, and provide our servicemen with increased access to our partners' fitness programmes and facilities across Singapore. So we work hand in hand to raise the fitness of all our NSmen. Such collaborations, in addition to our existing partnerships with local hospitals, universities and research institutions, allow the CESP to leverage national resources and expertise to benefit our soldiers. I am heartened and delighted by the developments in this area.

In conclusion, the establishment of the CESP is a key milestone in the Army's efforts towards more targeted and effective training. By putting our soldiers first, we are able to develop each soldier to his full potential and give our soldiers a positive NS experience. Through its resources and programmes, the CESP can help to develop soldiers who are stronger, fitter, and more mentally resilient. Ultimately, these developments make Singapore a safer place by allowing our Army to better deploy our NS resources to deal with the complex security challenges that we will face in the future. Thank you and congratulations for this very good effort.