Budget 2019 debate: NSmen no longer need to notify authorities of overseas trips under 6 months
National servicemen who are travelling overseas for less than six months are no longer required to notify the authorities, said Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How on Friday.
Speaking during the Committee of Supply (COS) debate in Parliament, Heng noted that Operationally-Ready NSmen are currently required to notify the MINDEF Notification Centre (MNC) and Home Team Overseas Notification Centre (ONC) of their overseas trips of less than six months.
“From 1 March 2019, we will remove this notification requirement. Servicemen just have to keep their contact details, including temporary contact information, up to date on the NS Portal,” said Heng, who is also a Member of Parliament for Jalan Besar GRC.
The 57-year-old stressed that removing this requirement will not compromise operational readiness, because other exit control measures will continue to apply. “Exit control measures could be tightened if the need arises,” said Heng.
“Our national servicemen have to balance their personal and NS commitments, and we must strive to increase convenience for them by reducing administrative burdens wherever possible. This will help them to focus on their training.”
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