Number of Full-time National Servicemen Downgraded in Each Cohort

Mdm Speaker, National Servicemen are medically assigned a Physical Employment Standard (PES) according to their medical history and health condition. The PES of the full-time National Serviceman (NSF) is one factor which determines their suitability for various vocations within the SAF. It is not the only factor, it is one factor. Other factors include the SAF's operational and manpower requirements, as well as the educational qualification of the individual and his physical fitness. But, generally, PES A and B full-time National Servicemen can be deployed to all vocations, while PES C NSFs can be deployed to combat support and combat service support vocations. Mr Fang asked for percentages. The corresponding percentage for PES A is 27%, PES B is 58% and PES C is 8% at enlistment.

PES E full-time National Servicemen have medical conditions which limit their physical activity but some can still be deployed for combat service support vocations. PES E forms 7% of full-time National Servicemen, with 2.5% assigned

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to clerical and administrative roles within the SAF.

Madam, I thank the Minister for the answers. I would just like to express gratitude at this point to the Minister and the Ministry for the work they have done in making National Service a worthwhile and fulfilling experience for all NS men. As an NSman myself, I have experienced it first-hand. At the same time, I have heard feedback, especially from full-time NSmen in clerical positions, who complain that they do not feel fulfilled or actively engaged in a useful way for the two years of their experience. My clarification is in two parts.

Would it be possible for clerical and administrative functions within the SAF to be outsourced in the way that a lot of the cookhouse functions and some of the training functions have been outsourced to commercial suppliers? As a follow-on from that, would the then non-combat personnel who were allocated clerical and administrative tasks be possibly deployed to carry out some social functions in the same way that many militaries in other countries, including Singapore, contribute during humanitarian disasters or crises to help the broader community. This would then contribute more to Singapore's concept of Total Defence in the economic, social, psychological and civil areas, as well as the military.

Madam, there are two principal considerations when replying to Mr Fang. One is that the SAF and MINDEF fully recognise that when we take these National Servicemen when they are serving their National Service, we have a very strong responsibility to make sure that they are safe. The medical classification or the PES classification allows us to deploy them in areas which are not detrimental to their health or their disease conditions. That is the first principal consideration.

The second is that, at the same time, even those with limited physical ability – as I said, PES E – we want to continue still to deploy them, as the Member said, to meaningful vocations within the SAF. And where it is safe and possible to do so, we have actually, over the years, expanded the list of vocations that they can do.

Pointedly, how do you ensure that even those with administrative activities or responsibilities continue to be meaningfully deployed? I think they still can. For example, the unit can be deployed in operations and while they are doing administrative duties, they ought to see that as part of the function of the whole. But I recognise the challenges that when they are limited to clerical duties, they

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may think that they do not contribute to Total Defence. But they still serve a meaningful role. We will have to continue to engage this group and to find ways in which they feel that they can better support our NS and defence activities.

Minister, what about the second part of the question – whether it is possible to outsource some of these clerical functions?

Outsourcing – that should not be a motivation. Even whether we outsource or not, that is a separate consideration for how do you meaningfully use a small group of National Servicemen with medical conditions that make it difficult for them to be involved in the more combat vocations? For example, we have outsourced, as the Member said, chefs and so on and so forth but that is not our principal driving force. I think the main challenge is, even for those who have PES E or PES C, if we can meaningfully deploy them into combat service support vocations, we will. And for those who we cannot, we still need to engage them and make sure that their time in NS is meaningfully spent.