Written Reply by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen to Parliamentary Question on Women in the Singapore Armed Forces

Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) how many servicewomen have signed on with the Singapore Armed Forces since 1997; (b) what are the main challenges facing servicewomen as they progress through their career; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider broadening its recruitment of servicewomen into the service across combat and support arms.

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen: The SAF is proud of the contributions by our servicewomen, which today add significant capabilities for our national defence. Currently, 1500 of our regular military personnel are women. This makes up about 7 percent of the regular corps in the SAF. SAF servicewomen are now deployed widely within the SAF in diverse vocations and the range of combat and military expert roles in infantry, artillery, combat engineers, pilots and naval officers, amongst others.

Career progression within the SAF is meritocratic and based on the principle of "best person for the job". Many women have risen up the organisation based on abilities to hold senior command and staff appointments at the Brigade and Battalion levels. Our servicewomen have also been sent to undertake multinational peace support operations, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions overseas. For example, in 2004, many servicewomen participated in the tsunami relief efforts in Aceh. And more recently, they were deployed to Afghanistan and the Gulf of Aden as part of Singapore's contribution to these international efforts.

The SAF will help males and females alike to have fulfilling careers in the SAF. We do take into account specific events which may require added support and flexibility as when they are newly-weds or become parents. We ensure that pregnant servicewomen in particular are able to perform the physical duties required for their jobs, and re-deployed to do so when necessary.

The SAF seeks to attract more capable women to join the SAF. The SAF Merit Scholarship has been awarded to women since 1993. In 2010, one recipient of the prestigious SAF Overseas Scholarship was a lady, LTA Sharon Tan. The military is a fulfilling profession for our servicewomen and they have contributed towards making the SAF an effective fighting force.