Written Reply by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen to Parliamentary Question on the Emotional and Psychological Assessment of Service Personnel in Roles Involving Access to Weapons and Live Ammunition

Assoc Prof Randolph Tan: To ask the Minister for Defence whether service personnel in roles which involve access to weapons and live ammunition are periodically re-assessed on the stability of their emotional and psychological state.

Dr Ng Eng Hen: MINDEF/SAF recognizes the importance of ensuring that all servicemen and women who handle live arms are of sound mind and physical capabilities. The SAF has in place various levels of checks to determine the psychological well-being of service personnel. Before enlistment, all pre-enlistees undergo a comprehensive medical screening at the Central Manpower Base for both physical and mental health conditions. Pre-enlistees are asked explicitly if they have a previous record of mental health conditions during the screening. In addition, we require the parent or guardian to endorse this declaration. There is a balance between privacy for the enlistee and potential safety concerns of those with previous mental health conditions. But since 2016, MINDEF/SAF has also been working with the Ministry of Health to identify pre-enlistees with records of mental health history at public hospitals. If a possible mental health condition is surfaced, the pre-enlistee will be referred to appropriate specialists to certify that that enlistee is mentally capable of performing their National Service duties and to handle firearms.

A serviceman who is deemed unsuitable to handle firearms because of his emotional or psychological state are excused from such duties and re-deployed to vocations which do not require him to have access to weapons and live ammunition.

SAF servicemen have avenues to obtain counselling or medical assistance, should they face any emotional or psychological distress, including a 24-hour SAF Counselling Hotline. Those diagnosed with mental health conditions are closely monitored while in service, and where necessary, are provided with regular medical treatment and counselling by psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors and para-counsellors. We deploy dedicated psychologists at the formation level to assist commanders in the management of such servicemen. At the unit level, our commanders interview all servicemen at regular intervals to find out if they are facing any stresses, including emotional or psychological problems. Commanders also undergo basic training to help them better understand mental health conditions, so that they can try to identify and manage servicemen with such conditions, including referring them to trained professionals for more assistance, or restricting their access to weapons and ammunition. 

MINDEF and the SAF will continue to periodically review and strengthen the mental health system, in consultation with the SAF Psychiatry Specialist Advisory Board, which comprises senior psychiatrists drawn from public healthcare institutions, to ensure that all our servicemen are able to discharge their duties and at the same time, to receive good emotional and mental health care.