Written Reply by Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing to Parliamentary Question on the Refreshed Medical Classification System on 6 May 2026

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence regarding the refreshed National Service medical classification (a) whether the refresh is intended to sustain combat unit staffing amidst declining birth rates; and (b) how medical reviews resulting in changes to medical exemptions will affect vocational reassignments.

Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence, Mr Chan Chun Sing:

The refreshed Medical Classification System (MCS) is part of broader efforts over the years to optimise the deployment of our national servicemen in the SAF and Home Team.

As the nature of warfare and our security landscape evolve, traditional notions of “combat fitness” are no longer sufficient. The SAF and Home Team have therefore adopted technology and developed new operational concepts to address the evolving security threats, taking into account the manpower available today and in the future. This has opened up a wider variety of operational roles for our servicemen.

By providing a more precise understanding of each serviceman’s medical fitness, the refreshed MCS enables our servicemen to take on roles that better reflect what they can do, and thus increasing meaningful opportunities for them to contribute in the SAF and Home Team. Some 1,200 servicemen each year will be eligible for more training activities and roles they would have been previously ineligible for.

SAF pre-enlistees enlisting from Oct 2027 onwards and Home Team pre-enlistees enlisting from Nov 2027 onwards will be graded under the refreshed MCS. Similar to today, NSFs who experience a change in their medical conditions during Full-Time National Service may be redeployed as their conditions should commensurate with the requirements of the roles they are in.