Volunteer corps, more cash for IPPT among changes recommended for NS

[UPDATE on Thursday, 22 May at 11:30pm: Adding reactions]

The establishment of a military volunteer corps, relaxing of IPPT windows and increase in cash incentives for IPPT are among a slew of 30 recommendations unveiled by the Committee to Strengthen National Service on Thursday.

The volunteer corps, which the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will model after the police force and civil defence force, will consist of willing women, first-generation PRs and new citizens.

Volunteers will be put through either of two tracks: under the Operations track, volunteers are trained and deployed in island defence tasks like the protection of installations like Jurong Island and Changi Airport. The specialist track involves uniformed specialist staff roles that fall within fields like legal, psychology, information, medical and engineering.

For both tracks, volunteers with the SAF volunteer corps will go through a four-week basic volunteer course, where they will learn basic military skills and values. These feed into a commitment of between one and two weeks each year, subject to annual call-ups of up to 40 days for a minimum of three years.

There are currently no age restriction or specific definitions on who should participate in the volunteer corps, and Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said he does not have specific targets for its eventual size. “We’re not looking for numbers,” he said. “It must be meaningful, and it must be meaningfully deployed.”

More cash for IPPT, 12-month IPPT window

Should the committee’s recommendations be passed in Parliament, NSmen can also look forward to an additional $100 in cash incentive for their annual Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT), for attaining a “Pass with Incentive” level and up. This will push the monetary rewards up to $500 for Gold, $300 for Silver and $200 for Pass with Incentive.

Additionally, it is recommended that the current nine-plus-three-month IPPT and Remedial Training (RT) window system will be revised to a new 12-month system, where NSmen will have a year to complete the IPPT at least once. Should they fail, instead of having to complete 20 RT sessions within the three months that follow, they will have an additional year to finish them.

Another recommendation from the committee concerns overseas notifications — NSmen will need only file overseas notification for trips that exceed 14 days in length, a move toward greater convenience on many who may make shorter trips on a more regular basis.

Asked when these recommendations, if approved, can take effect, Brigadier-General Perry Lim, the Chief of Army, acknowledged that “there will be transition issues” in shifting from the “9+3” system to the full 12-month one. “We’re still in the process of working out details, and it will take us some time,” he said.

An implementation committee for the recommendations has already been convened, added Ng, who hopes that all the recommendations, should they be approved in Parliament, can be put in place by next year.

“I want to ask NSmen and the public some forbearance for this, because it is a big system, and when we shift, these are very, very big pieces. Every single line item can mean tens of thousands of people being affected,” he said.

NSmen welcome recommendations

When contacted, NSmen whom Yahoo Singapore spoke to welcomed the recommended reforms, especially the ones relating to IPPT, RT and the overseas notification system.

"They're good on many levels," said financial planner Gabriel Fok, who served with the Commandos and completed six cycles of in-camp reservist training. "It motivates us, and shows that the government appreciates our service -- the army has softened a lot for regulars and conscripts (over the years), so it's actually over-compensating!"

For lawyer Eugene Leong, the changes are a step in the right direction, although they could lead to significant confusion for NSmen who are consistently unable to pass their IPPT.

"For those who perenially fail, it's just 20 RTs per year, every year -- or 10 IPTs(IPPT preparatory trainings) plus 8 RTs," he said. "If that is so, though, it's still WAY better than having to do it all in three months!"

Before the IPT scheme was introduced, though, Leong said cramming 20 RT sessions in three months was difficult, especially since he had started working.

"Being unfit, I suppose, is one thing, but being squeezed on one side by the army and the other side by your boss is no fun," he added.

Asked for his thoughts about whether his wife, for instance, might join the volunteer corps, he voiced his doubts, saying it would take people with a lot of patriotism to make it work. "Suffice to say, I think most regulars who are part of the professional part of the army don't even have that much belief in it, much less the general population," he said.

Would businesses support the volunteer corps?

When asked, President of Singapore's Association of Small and Medium Enterprises Kurt Wee said that in his view, companies would generally not object to their employees signing up for the proposed volunteer corps.

"I feel that companies would generally not object to something that is worth welcoming," he told Yahoo Singapore. "That individual that has the bandwith chooses to go the extra mile not for himself or herself... a quality I think employers will welcome."

Wee noted, however, that it is important for a volunteer to ensure that work and professional duties are not compromised in the line of his role with the volunteer corps -- especially because terms of the recommendation currently state that a volunteer could be called up for as many as 40 days a year.

"It is something that will require more fine-tuning between Mindef, servicemen and employers," he concluded.

Read the full list of recommendations by the Committee here.