Reply by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean to Parliamentary Questions on the SAF's plans to review its fitness training

Mr Speaker, Sir, Ms Indranee Rajah has asked about the SAF's fitness training. The SAF has a fitness training regime which aims to train and measure the overall fitness of our servicemen. The SAF reviews this training regime regularly to ensure its continued relevance.

The Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT), which we are currently using, has been well validated as a good baseline measure of our soldiers' physical fitness. We have comprehensive sets of data on the appropriate standards for each age group and gender to support this. The IPPT is simple to administer and has specific targets for our NSmen to achieve. This is of particular importance to the Operationally Ready NSmen who have to train on their own for the IPPT. We do not want a complex physical fitness test that requires much resources to administer, and much time on the part of the Operationally Ready NSmen to train and achieve the baseline fitness level.

A pass in the IPPT indicates a basic level of fitness to perform a range of activities relevant to the SAF, with a silver or gold achievement indicating a higher level of fitness. However, a pass in the IPPT is only a base-line level of fitness from which a serviceman can be trained for his vocation. In parallel to the physical fitness built up through the IPPT, the SAF conducts combat fitness training to prepare soldiers for activities specific to their combat vocations. This includes the building of core strength. For example, there is the Standard Obstacle Course for combat vocations. Another example is the Recce Surveillance Trooper who now carries a mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicle or UAV on his back to help in surveillance operations. To carry the UAV and launch it, the soldier requires muscular strength in his lower body and agility in his upper arm, and his combat fitness training will specifically target the muscle groups that require more emphasis.

While these vocation-specific fitness training activities are relevant to the combat fitness of soldiers, we do not yet have sufficient data on the specific standards to be measured. Furthermore, there will be a range of such combat fitness training activities, each specific to the vocations of the servicemen. Proper validation and data collection are required before we introduce any test. In the meantime, the SAF will continue to use the IPPT as the baseline physical fitness test, while enhancing the combat fitness training for specific vocations according to their combat requirements.