President Halimah Yacob visited the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC) at Pulau Tekong this afternoon. During the visit, President Halimah was given an introductory brief by Commander BMTC, Colonel Patrick Ong, on BMTC as well as its learning and training frameworks. President Halimah also visited recruits undergoing Basic Close Combat Training and SAR 21 Technical Handling Training, as well as toured the National Service (NS) Gallery, which showcases the evolution of NS and various aspects of the NS experience.

Speaking after the visit, President Halimah underscored the continued importance of NS as the cornerstone of Singapore's defence and encouraged Singaporeans to show their support to National Servicemen. She said, "NS is very important - it is the bedrock of our national defence because we depend on a very strong defence for our survival, our success and our security… And we know that our National Servicemen form the backbone of our National Service, and therefore we must constantly show our support and encouragement for them. That is very important because they are protecting our interests, they are responsible for our defence."

President Halimah also commended the SAF's efforts to enhance training effectiveness through leveraging technology and new pedagogies. She said, "We see (the SAF) leveraging technology as well as new methods being deployed in order to enhance effectiveness and efficiency of training. That is important because we have new generations of recruits coming in, and they learn differently, not like past generations. So, there must be changes to keep up with new needs (and) evolving styles of learning." Additionally, President Halimah noted how the NS experience is meaningful and fulfilling, providing servicemen opportunities for personal growth. She said, "I have two sons who completed NS -  of course many, many years ago -  and I must attest to the fact that NS really contributed to towards their growth and their development as individuals, which is really important for our society. And I am sure that many parents will also feel the same, seeing how their sons have been transformed, and how their sons have grown and developed, which is not only of benefit to defence, but also to society as a whole and also to themselves and their families." 

Accompanied by Senior Minister of State for Defence Dr Mohamad Maliki bin Osman, Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Perry Lim, Chief of Army Major-General Melvyn Ong, and other senior officers from the Singapore Army, this was President Halimah's first official visit to an SAF and Army unit.