Parliament: Monthly allowance for all national servicemen to go up by $70 to $120

SINGAPORE - All national servicemen across all ranks will see their monthly allowance increase by $70 to $120 from March, said Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How.

This increase includes a minimum $50 vocation allowance that is given to all national servicemen in recognition of the different vocational demands, and applies to servicemen in the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force.

The vocation allowance replaces the combat allowance, which was given to servicemen in combat vocations in the SAF, such as armour, guards and infantry.

This was among the moves to benefit national servicemen announced in Parliament on Monday during the debate on the Ministry of Defence's annual budget.

National service allowances were last increased in December 2015, by $80 across all ranks.

The current increase means a recruit in the SAF or SCDF who used to receive $560 a month will now get $630. The base amount for an NSF lieutenant in the SAF or a police inspector is now $1,330, up from $1,260.

Other efforts to benefit national servicemen include expanding a free gym membership scheme for pre-enlistees to more gyms, and increasing the number of courses servicemen can take to prepare for life after national service.

The exercise programme Prep4NS, launched last November to give pre-enlistees free access to Safra gyms for a year, has about 6,000 applicants, he said.

To provide more avenues for them to improve their physical fitness before national service, Mindef and the SAF are working with Sport Singapore to extend the trial to 24 ActiveSG gyms. The trial was slated to end on April 30 this year.

Mr Heng said more details on this extension will be provided at a later date.

More courses will be available under the electronic pre-release employment programme (E-Prep) from April 1, including credit-bearing courses in areas such as engineering, finance, business, and arts and humanities from the National University of Singapore.

Instead of having to co-pay up to 10 per cent of course fees, NSFs will also from April be able to use their $350 E-Prep credits to fully cover the fees, up to the credit limit.

NSFs are eligible for E-Prep in their last year of service, up till one year after their operationally ready date.

They will be able to choose from more than 4,000 courses from April 1, up from about 3,000 now.

Mr Heng noted that some pre-enlistees who are new citizens or permanent residents - and may not have family or friends that have undergone NS - could find the experience challenging.

To support this group, the SAF has partnered the Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence (Accord) to appoint dedicated NS coordinators in foreign system schools and privately funded institutions to assist them with questions on NS, he said.

On adopting digital technologies for national service, Mr Heng said e-services will be improved so that pre-enlistees can complete most of their transactions online in one go, such as their bond and exit permit applications.

Mindef said pre-enlistees will be notified up to 40 per cent more quickly of their application outcomes once this Smart Central Manpower Base (CMPB) initiative is fully implemented.

In his speech, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen also announced the formation of a high-level committee to look at in-camp training and deployment of manpower. This will be chaired by Mindef's deputy secretary for administration and the Chief of Army.

"This committee must address the reduction in manpower and changes necessary to fulfil the aims of the SAF, as well as to meet the needs of a new generation of NSmen," he said.

The committee would also look into better matching the skills and aptitude of NSmen to their vocations, as well as ensure training is more focused on their operational roles, among other things.

Specific changes will be announced in due course, said Dr Ng.

Mindef and the Ministry of Home Affairs will also launch the Safra and HomeTeamNS family schemes by the second half of this year. The registration process and membership fees will be announced by mid-2020.

This would allow NSmen and their spouses and children to enjoy access to Safra and HomeTeamNS facilities and benefits at a single subsidised fee.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.