Forum Letter on the SAF's support during Train Service Disruption

We refer to the recent reports and forum letters on the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)'s support during train service disruptions.

The primary responsibility of the SAF is to safeguard Singapore's peace and security. From time to time, the SAF may be called upon to assist during extreme circumstances which affect the national population. The SAF responded to contain the SARS crisis in 2003 and in 2013, when the haze blanketed Singapore, the SAF distributed N95 masks to Singaporeans. The SAF's assistance in these circumstances ensured the well-being of Singaporeans and protected livelihoods as the scale of these national disruptions overwhelmed the existing resources of other agencies.  Even as the SAF responds to assist Singaporeans in times of national need, we will only commit limited assets so as not to compromise our ability to perform our primary role.

Similarly, the SAF will only respond to large-scale train service disruptions when all the resources of local agencies cannot cope. This is to ensure that Singaporeans are not left stranded for hours at MRT stations or on the tracks. The LTA and the public transport operators will still be primarily responsible for having comprehensive contingency plans.