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Written reply by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen to Parliamentary Question on Additional Safety Measures for NSmen Undergoing ICT in Light of New COVID-19 Strain on 5 July 2021

5 July 2021

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Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong: To ask the Minister for Defence in light of the new COVID-19 strain and the recent increase in community infections (a) whether additional safety measures will be taken for the protection of all NSmen undergoing In-Camp Training (ICT); and (b) whether NSmen who are due to serve their ICT in the coming months will be allowed the option of taking their full COVID-19 vaccination ahead of their ICT even if they may not be due for vaccination by virtue of the age group which they belong to.

Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen:

Safe Management Measures (SMMs) were implemented within the SAF to protect the integrity of our units, especially Critical Ops Units, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore last year.

These measures included testing of trainers and new entrants of Basic Military Training (BMT) and ICTs before they started training. Units are also cohorted i.e divided into small groups. Soldiers remain in their group during training and interactions between groups strictly controlled. A mask-on policy is enforced. Commonly used equipment and high-touch surfaces are wiped down and sanitised after each use. While there have been cases of SAF personnel with COVID-19 acquired from within the community, to date, no secondary clusters have formed within SAF units as a result of these SMMs.

With an endemic COVID-19, vaccination will be the mainstay of mitigation against the virus within the SAF, just as it is for the general public. As of end-June (30 June), 92% of the total MINDEF/SAF active population have received their first dose, and 84% are fully vaccinated. For NSmen who are mostly below 40 years of age, the national programme has been significantly ramped up, and they would be able to complete their vaccinations within the next month or so. These high vaccination rates among all servicemen will facilitate the resumption of training within the SAF.

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