Written Reply by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen to Parliamentary Question on Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) Failure Rate of NSmen

Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Minister for Defence (a) what is the annual Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) failure rate, as a percentage, of NSmen in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s respectively; and (b) what are the IPPT stations that have the highest failure rate for these respective age groups in ascending order.

Dr Ng Eng Hen: The results of SAF servicemen's physical fitness tests are not made public, in keeping with common practice amongst militaries. Instead, militaries benchmark their operational effectiveness with each other through actual operations and training exercises. In this regard, within this decade, the SAF has been commended for its professionalism and operational readiness during operations in Afghanistan, the Gulf of Aden, as well as humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR) missions in response to the Boxing Day Tsunami, the earthquake in Christchurch, and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. The professionalism of the SAF, with the majority as NSFs and NSmen, continues to be held in high regard by our foreign counterparts during bilateral and multilateral exercises.