Fact Sheet: Rewarding and Fulfilling Profession for SAF Servicewomen

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) demands a wide variety of skillsets to support its full-spectrum of operations. These demands have afforded more opportunities for talented and committed women to serve in the defence of our nation. Our recruitment of servicewomen has further allowed us to overcome some of the manpower challenges of an increasingly tight local labour market.

As women are less exposed to the military, the SAF has held dedicated career fairs for women in recent years to better communicate the diverse career opportunities that are available in the SAF, as well as demonstrate how we are able to support the life-cycle needs of our servicewomen. For example, there are various provisions in place for newlyweds and parents.

We have enjoyed success in our recruitment of servicewomen. 2014 saw a total of 140 servicewomen joining us. This is the highest number of women recruited in recent years, which is double the average of 70 that have joined us annually since 2010. Today, there are around 1,500 uniformed servicewomen in the SAF, comprising around 7% of our uniformed Regulars. We aim to grow this proportion gradually in the years ahead.

Our servicewomen enjoy the same opportunities as our servicemen, in a merit based, best-person-for-the-job system. The nature of military operations and command has also evolved over the years. Other than serving in a diverse range of vocations across all Services, including as Guards Commanders, Naval Divers and Fighter Pilots, a good number of our servicewomen have also risen to helm key positions such as Department Heads, Battalion Commanders, and Division Sergeant Majors. We deploy our servicewomen as we would deploy our servicemen. Indeed, many have contributed to the success of our multinational peace support operations overseas, such as in Afghanistan and the Gulf of Aden.

The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the SAF are committed to providing a rewarding and fulfilling profession for our servicewomen, and we look forward to their continued contributions towards Singapore's defence.