Second Minister for Defence Mr Lui Tuck Yew presented the National Service (NS) Advocate Awards for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), large companies and organisations, at the Total Defence Awards (TDA), held at Marina Mandarin Hotel this evening. The NS Advocate Award is the highest accolade for exemplary support towards Total Defence and in particular, NS.

Addressing the guests at the dinner, Mr Lui underscored the importance of strong community support for NS, noting that every stakeholder plays a part in contributing towards national defence. Mr Lui also highlighted the need to uphold Total Defence, which is the cornerstone of Singapore's successes, for our nation's continued peace and progress. He said, "The tasks of defending Singapore are not vested solely in the uniformed services, although our servicemen and women are our front line against threats. Strong support for NS from the entire population is also critical. The concept of Total Defence counts on all of us being united as one people, resilient and willing to take difficult, but necessary, measures to overcome adversity and threats."

Also present at the dinner was Second Minister for Home Affairs and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Masagos Zulkifli, who presented the NS Advocate Awards for individuals. These individuals include family members, employers, supervisors, co-workers and community members who have gone the extra mile to support NSmen in fulfilling their NS duties and commitments.

The TDA was first introduced in 1986 to recognise employers and civil resource owners for their contributions towards Total Defence. From this year, the TDA will recognise a broader spectrum of NS advocates beyond businesses, to include educational institutions, family and community organisations as well as individuals. As part of this revamp, the Home Team National Service Awards for Employers, which were given out separately in the past, have been integrated into the TDA, and the TDA will now include recognition for those who support Home Team NSmen. The revamped TDA aims to strengthen advocacy for NS and encourage others to play their part in supporting our national servicemen.

In total, 122 pinnacle awards were presented to 53 SMEs, 34 large companies, 25 organisations and 10 individuals.