Background

Singapore's defence and security is a responsibility shouldered by national servicemen, who form the backbone of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) continually seeks to enhance their National Service (NS) experience by reducing administrative burdens, maximising their potential and abilities so that they may contribute meaningfully, and recognising the contributions towards NS by national servicemen and their families.

Pre-Enlistees Exercise Programme for National Service (PREP4NS)

In November 2019, MINDEF and SAFRA launched a trial of the PREP4NS which provides eligible pre-enlistees with a one-year complimentary SAFRA Energy One (E1) gym membership. PREP4NS aims to encourage pre-enlistees to use E1 gym facilities to improve their general fitness so that they will be better prepared for their pre-enlistee Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) and the subsequent physical demands of NS.

Pre-enlistees must fulfil the following criteria to be eligible for the one-year complimentary SAFRA E1 gym membership: (i) have registered for full-time NS but yet to enlist; and (ii) are assessed to be medically fit for NS.

Registration for the PREP4NS trial began on 1 Nov 2019 and will end on 30 Apr 2020. Since November 2019, more than 6,000 pre-enlistees have signed up for PREP4NS. To provide more avenues for pre-enlistees to improve their physical fitness before NS, MINDEF/SAF is working with SportSG to extend the PREP4NS trial to include membership to 24 ActiveSG gyms.

Smart Central Manpower Base (CMPB)

Smart CMPB will include new and enhanced eServices to improve the pre-enlistment process. Pre-enlistees will be able to transact more conveniently and seamlessly through the NS Portal (e.g. Pre-enlistees will be able to complete their bond and exit permit applications in a single online transaction, replacing the current separate applications. Pre-enlistees will also be able to monitor the progress of these applications online.)

Once the Smart CMPB initiative is fully implemented, pre-enlistees will be notified of their pre-enlistment application outcomes (e.g. deferment and exit permit) up to 40 percent more quickly.

Efforts to Ease Transition to NS

The Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence (ACCORD)^[1] has stepped up efforts to better prepare pre-enlistees for NS. In addition to existing NS alumni sharing sessions in Post-Secondary Educational Institutions, ACCORD extended its outreach to 135 secondary schools, which organised NS sharing sessions for their alumni to share their NS experiences with Secondary Three students. Hearing directly from their alumni has been a useful and relatable way for the pre-enlistees to be more mentally prepared for NS.

ACCORD has also fostered the Foreign System Schools' (FSS) and Privately Funded Institutions' (PFI) growing interest in preparing their pre-enlistees for NS. Dedicated NS Coordinators have been appointed within more than 30 FSSes and PFIs, to help allay the concerns of their pre-enlistee students and better prepare them mentally and physically for NS. The inaugural NS Coordinator engagement session in May 2019 was organised by the United World College (South East Asia), to facilitate mutual learning and exchange of best practices among the NS Coordinators.

SkillsFuture@NS – Electronic Pre-Release Employment Programme (E-PREP)

SkillsFuture@NS is part of MINDEF, SAF and the Ministry of Home Affair (MHA)’s continuing efforts to support our full-time national servicemen (NSF)’s lifelong learning journey. MINDEF, SAF and MHA seek to provide support for skills upgrading, career discovery and workforce readiness for NSFs as they transit to studies or work after completing their full-time NS.

All NSFs^[2] are currently able to use their $350 E-PREP credits to co-pay^[3] for more than 3,000 selected preparatory/refresher and skills development E-PREP courses^[4] to help them refresh, update or acquire new skills. This includes 26 credit-bearing courses at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and Temasek Polytechnic (TP), which allows them to obtain course and/or credit exemptions should they further their studies at SUSS and TP.

Under SkillsFuture@NS, MINDEF/SAF is working with public and private sector partners to introduce the following updates to E-PREP from 1 Apr 2020:

Fully subsidise the cost of E-PREP courses: Instead of having to co-pay, NSFs will be able to use their $350 E-PREP credits to fully cover the course fees, up to the credit limit.

Include the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) as E-PREP partners.

Expand the range and number of E-PREP courses to more than 4,000 courses. This includes close to 100 courses offered by Institutes of Higher Learning that will aid NSFs in their university applications and grants for credit exemptions. In addition to the credit-bearing courses already offered by SUSS and TP, NUS will also offer credit-bearing courses in areas of study such as engineering, finance, business, and arts and humanities.

Virtual Care

As part of the SAF's Smart Health framework that aims to improve the healthcare experience for soldiers, Virtual Care (VC) is a new initiative that leverages video conferencing and telemedicine medical devices to provide our soldiers with more convenient access to medical services and reduce wait times.

VC trials were conducted in 2019 and feedback found that the digital consultations were effective and efficient.

Increase in Monthly NS Allowance

From 1 Mar 2020, all national servicemen in the SAF, Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) across all ranks will receive a $70 to $120 increase in their monthly NS allowance. The NS allowance, which supports our national servicemen in their basic personal upkeep, is reviewed periodically.

This NS allowance increment of $70 to $120 across all ranks includes increments in both the Rank Allowance and the Vocational Allowance components. In recognition of the different vocational demands performed by national servicemen, all national servicemen will receive a vocation allowance of at least $50, as part of the revised NS allowance. National servicemen in selected vocations who currently receive combat (for SAF national servicemen) or operational (for SPF and SCDF national servicemen) allowance^[5] will receive up to $100 more for their vocation allowance.

With this revision, an NSF holding the rank of Recruit/Trainee will receive a monthly NS allowance of $630, up from the $560 he currently receives. An SAF NSF naval diver or SPF NSF Police Tactical Trooper or SCDF NSF firefighter holding the rank of Corporal will receive a monthly NS allowance of $1,050, up from the $930 he currently receives.

Table 1 provides a comparison of the current and revised monthly NS allowance.

Table 1: Current and Revised Monthly NS Allowance (per month)

SAFRA Family Scheme

To recognise the integral role of family support in the NS journey and appreciate the contributions of national servicemen and their families towards NS, MINDEF and MHA will launch the SAFRA Family Scheme (SFS) and HomeTeamNS Family Scheme (HFS) respectively by the second half of 2020.

Under these schemes, Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) and their dependants (spouse and children) will be able to enjoy access to SAFRA and HomeTeamNS facilities and benefits at a single subsidised fee.

All existing and former SAF NSmen will be eligible to apply for the SFS, while all existing and former Home Team NSmen will be eligible to apply for the HFS. More details on the registration process and membership fees will be announced by mid-2020.

^[1] ACCORD was established by MINDEF in January 1984 as a channel for the community to provide feedback on issues concerning Singapore’s defence.

^[2] NSFs are eligible for E-PREP in their last twelve months of service. They will continue to be eligible up to one year after their Operationally Ready Date.

^[3] NSFs may use their E-PREP credits for up to 90% of the course fee. They have to pay for any remaining amount.

^[4] This includes Massive Open Online Courses offered by training providers such as Udemy and modular courses offered by Institutes of Higher Learning. 

^[5] The current combat or operational allowance will be replaced by the vocation allowance.