预算辩论 · 2015-03-05 · 第 12 届国会

国防与国民服役回顾

Committee of Supply – Head J (Ministry of Defence)

AI 与国家安全AI 与公共部门 争议度 2 · 温和质询

议员质询国防部关于SAF50纪念活动及国民服役历史，强调国民服役需认同防卫对象。政府回应介绍SAF志愿者招募情况，强调国民服役的重要性及历史教训。核心争议在于国民服役的认同感及其演变过程。

关键要点

  • • SAF50纪念意义
  • • 国民服役历史回顾
  • • 服役认同感重要
政府立场

支持国民服役及志愿者计划

政策信号

强化国防认同与志愿服役

"The most powerful weapon that Singapore and SAF ha"

参与人员（19）

完整译文（中文）

Hansard 英文原文译文 · 翻译日期：2026-05-02

SAF50

席多义彬议员（波东巴西） ：女士，我请求动议，

“将估算表J项下的总拨款减少100元。”

女士，2015年既是新加坡50周年（SG50），也是新加坡武装部队50周年（SAF50）。上个月，国防部启动了系列纪念活动中的首场——SAF50@Vivo。我想先请国防部长与本院分享他对SAF50意义的看法，以及新加坡武装部队打算如何表彰我们武装部队先驱者的贡献？

女士，去年我在本院鼓励大家报名成为武装部队志愿者。我很高兴从武装部队得知，自那时起，约有800人申请加入武装部队志愿者团（SAF Volunteer Corps，简称SAFVC）。大约50名成功申请者将于下个月开始基础训练。

我们应为有这么多人主动参与SAF-VC，分享国民服役的经历并作出自己的国民服役承诺而感到高兴和自豪。

女士，国民服役几乎与国家同龄。它始于1967年3月，当时时任国防部长吴庆瑞博士动议《国民服役（修订）法案》的二读。他还宣布，将征召1949年1月1日至1949年6月30日出生的9,000名男性服役。到1967年4月中旬，超过90%的符合条件的9,000名男性已完成登记。

你们可能认为这是新加坡国民服役1.0版本。我想本院许多人，包括我自己，得知后会惊讶地发现这实际上是国民服役2.0版本。

国民服役1.0版本早在1952年就开始了，当时《国民服役法案》于3月4日提交。法案二读时，时任代理殖民地秘书安德鲁·吉尔摩向立法会解释，法案的主要目的是赋予政府在必要时引入国民服役的权力，以满足新加坡的防务需求，并确保保卫殖民地的责任能在民众中公平分担。

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国民服役志愿者团

《国防条例》于1954年3月1日生效，殖民地政府随后尝试通过抽签征召1,000名青年，约有24,000名符合条件者登记。此举并不顺利，1954年5月13日约有500名华文中学生示威反对新法，与警方发生冲突。此事件后来被称为1954年国民服役骚乱。

女士，我们从失败的国民服役1.0版本中能学到的主要教训是什么？首要教训是，服役者必须相信自己是在保卫属于他们的东西。当时殖民地属于英国，而非被征召的青年。

正如国防部第二部长陈振声数周前所说：“新加坡和武装部队最强大的武器，不是我们从海外购买的，也不是我们能建造的，而是我们内心的东西。那是为独立而战、保持独立、以便我们能决定自己命运的渴望和意愿，世代相传。”国民服役1.0失败，是因为最强大的武器——内心——不存在。2.0版本成功，是因为我们独立了，内心因此站在正确的位置。

许多人也认为SAF-VC计划是武装部队志愿者团1.0版本。实际上，它甚至不是2.0版本，可能是3.0版本。1.0版本可追溯至1965年12月30日《人民防卫军（PDF）法案》通过后不久。三个月后，约有3,200名男性自愿加入PDF。这是在我们今天所知的国民服役形式引入之前。但鉴于我们人口稀少，志愿PDF无法充分满足新加坡的防务需求，因此吴博士不得不于1967年引入“现代”国民服役2.0版本。

即使在1967年引入国民服役时，也有一种志愿者计划同时启动。许多技术人员自愿帮助启动武装部队能力建设。例如，武装部队医疗军团始于1960年代，许多志愿医生和护士无需服国民服役。医疗军团现为武装部队的专业分支，训练有素，装备精良，能执行世界多地的艰难任务，正如我们在多次灾难救援任务中所见。

女士，但其领导层最初主要是志愿者。许多人现已七八十岁，有些已故。国防部长会熟悉医疗领域的一些巨擘，如已故朱志明医生、卢尔医生和杨理查医生，我们的前常任秘书兼医疗服务主任郭顺美医生等。我希望国防部在庆祝SG50并表彰国民服役先驱者时，也能记住这些帮助塑造武装部队初期的志愿者。

海外任务带来的善意

女士，让我们回顾国防部和武装部队的既定使命。

“国防部和新加坡武装部队的使命是通过威慑和外交增强新加坡的和平与安全；若此失败，则迅速且决定性地击败侵略者。”

下午4时45分

逻辑上，武装部队的首要使命是作为威慑。潜在侵略者因武装部队强大而不敢攻击。第二使命是在战争爆发时迅速且全面地消灭敌人。

与我之前谈及的软实力不同，武装部队是我们最原始、最明显的硬实力形式。但它也可作为软实力的工具。

外交是软实力的体现。正如国防部和武装部队使命所述，外交有助于增强和平与安全。武装部队过去多次通过海外任务实现这一点。例如，2004年海啸时援助泰国和印尼邻国，2011年新西兰地震救援，去年底马来西亚吉兰丹洪灾救援，以及最近海军协助印尼搜救亚航QZ8501航班事故。

这些重要任务中，武装部队在多方面作出显著贡献，超越表面。这些任务促进了相互理解、尊重和信任。经历共同困难的国家和军队更能理解、尊重和信任彼此，因而较少发生战争。做一个好邻居符合我们的利益。这是武装部队参与外交、确保和平稳定使命的一部分。

此时，我想请国防部长与本院分享武装部队从海外任务中学到的经验。

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当然，我们部署武装部队资源参与此类任务的频率和规模有限。首要限制是其他国家必须欢迎并邀请我们，我们才主动提供援助。第二考虑是，作为以征兵为主的军队，我们必须注意不让国民服役青年承担不必要的重大风险。

即便如此，我鼓励国防部长考虑让国防部和武装部队采取更积极的态度。我们甚至无需等到危机或灾难发生，便可参与人道主义行动。随着我们庆祝SG50和神圣的国民服役制度，武装部队的发展和成熟，也到了积极发展国防部和武装部队第三项既定使命——外交——的时候了。

【（程序文本）提案已提出。（程序文本）】

主席 ：林伟杰博士，你有两项质询，请一并提出。

区域防务外交

林伟杰博士（义顺） ：女士，新加坡的安全与邻国关系密不可分。因此，了解邻国的军事和防务能力及计划非常重要。近年来，东盟地区出现军备竞赛的讨论。部分国家因领土争端开始增加军备进口，尤其是潜艇。

过去几年，我们邻国的防务预算年增长率（绝对值和百分比）是多少？部长认为东盟地区是否存在军备竞赛？我们应否担忧？我们与邻国的双边防务关系状况如何？

此外，国防部采取了哪些信心建设措施，以建立良好持久的邻国防务关系？我欣慰地注意到，国防部长黄英贤最近与马来西亚国防部长签署了加强军事和防务合作的意向书。我们需要在邻国间建立信任和理解。我相信未来我们能与其他东盟邻国达成类似的确认和友谊。

国际防务外交

女士，美国和中国等大国在本地区安全与稳定中扮演重要角色。近年来，两国均加强了在本地区，尤其是南中国海的军事存在。据报道，美国计划于2018年前向新加坡部署四艘军舰，预计将轮换驻扎。

冷战时期似乎正从欧洲逐渐升温至亚洲。我预见俄罗斯迟早会关注本地区。他们一直在拉拢中国和印度，以免被边缘化，但目前他们主要关注欧洲局势。

东盟各国与美国之间，以及东盟国家间存在交叉的防务安排。这种美中军事存在的增长对本地区战略防务安排和架构有何影响？我们是否应预期未来本地区将接纳更多外国军事存在？这将如何影响我们在本地区及与驻地大国的防务外交？

维护和推进与大国的防务关系对安全和外交至关重要。尤其是联合训练，将互利且极大丰富我们的防务力量，我希望我们能争取更多此类安排。国防部如何持续推进与大国的防务关系？

国际与区域安全

李慧玲议员（森巴旺） ：主席，负责任的国际社会成员国应愿意分担国际和区域安全负担。新加坡虽小，被称为“小红点”，但自独立以来，一直致力于在符合国家利益和能力范围内，参与联合国批准的安全和人道主义合作。去年全球面临多起恐怖主义、流行病和气候问题。

这些问题对国防部的角色有何影响？国防部能否更新其对国际和区域安全的贡献，例如打击ISIS威胁、反海盗行动和灾难救援？

军事外交

刘程强议员（阿裕尼） ：女士，尽管长期讨论实施《南中国海各方行为宣言》及达成《海上非计划遭遇行为准则》协议，东亚海域仍无约束性安排管理和减少摩擦。事实上，南中国海持续存在摩擦。

这些问题可能影响区域稳定和新加坡持续繁荣。新加坡需谨慎在美国、中国及邻国间周旋。国防部的防务外交及对外接触与其他机构合作，对新加坡国家安全和利益有重要影响。

我想了解国防部当前及计划中的防务外交努力如何为新加坡国家安全带来具体利益。

国防部长去年在香格里拉对话会上谈及应对硬安全挑战和实现具体成果的必要性。他还讨论了东盟防长会议加框架，并重点介绍了文莱政府间热线计划及越南提出的“先不使用武力”协议。部长能否更新这些提案，说明它们如何具体助益国家安全，以及政府的回应？

除这些提案外，国防部目前还开展哪些举措？国防部如何通过防务外交，除会议和论坛外，减少不确定性、增进理解和改善区域及更广泛范围内的协调？

打击伊拉克和叙利亚伊斯兰国（ISIS）

普里坦·辛格议员（阿裕尼） ：去年11月，部长宣布国防部将加入美国领导的反ISIS联盟，贡献KC-135空中加油机和影像分析团队。部长今年早些时候澄清，武装部队已派遣需求评估和调查团队及联络官，促进武装部队与联盟部队的规划协调。

鉴于威胁性质不断演变，我想问部长，新加坡是否会寻求在具独特价值的领域贡献力量。例如，宗教康复是我们独特贡献，除硬件和分析能力外，其他盟友也能提供。

其次，我想询问国防部如何管理任务蔓延的可能性，避免武装部队在反ISIS战斗中投入比目前更多的前线力量。

最后，我想了解国防部如何与东盟邻国合作，制定东盟对ISIS威胁的应对方案，促进邻国间的信心建设和军队间合作，从而带来更团结、更安全的东盟，并推动东盟成员国，尤其是马来西亚和印尼这两大邻国间更紧密的安全整合。

国防开支

谢健鹏议员（海洋坊） ：女士，我们2014/2015财年的国防预算创下125.6亿新元的历史新高，比2013年增长3.2%。去年军备开支达122亿新元，2004年为86亿新元。

自2008年以来，我们的国防开支每年稳步增长约4%。持续的国防投入对国家安全至关重要，安全形势日益严峻。恐怖主义成为现实威胁，国家间紧张局势依然令人担忧。除了维持良好外交关系，新加坡还需不断提升自身防务能力和安全，以威慑潜在侵略者。

看看隔壁的马来西亚，最近宣布2015年暂停国民服役计划，以节省开支。虽然国防部预算有时受批评，但不够投入国防、危及国家安全是不可想象的。

虽然新加坡在东南亚国防开支最高，但本区域其他国家也在增加国防预算，削减新加坡开支可能带来影响。

女士，我了解到我们的国防开支包括人力资本投资、运营和发展开支，以及新能力投资。国防部能否概述这三方面的开支分配情况？

我在主旨演讲中提到国防部是新加坡重要的公共空间。部长能否告诉我，国防部是否有追踪其多年来积累的社会资本的方式？如果没有，能否探索相关方法？我总是惊讶于校友们组织的聚会——涉及服役者。国防部能否考虑支持此类活动，甚至在营区举办？我认为这有助于社区融合，是构建更紧密包容社会的另一途径。

资源优化与生产力

林伟杰博士 ：女士，国防部今年预算获分配最高开支。国防部也是最大公共土地和公共部门人力的管理者。我相信部里已有资源利用的规划和策略。

我想问国防部如何确保这些财政和人力资源得到充分合理部署。部长能否与本院分享未来五年的规划？

国防部一直非常重视创新和生产力。过去几年，国防部因节约成本的方案和创新理念屡获认可，我在此向相关工作人员表示祝贺。我想请问部长，能否分享国防部近期正在探索的一些生产力提升措施，以及这些措施的成效如何。

国防开支与节省

普里塔姆·辛格先生：国防部长此前曾在议会表示，未来几年国防部的开支增长将大致与通胀率同步。然而，今年国防部2015/2016财年的预算比去年增加了5.7%。

我记得去年国防部长在参谋长会议上介绍了2030年新加坡武装部队（SAF）可能的形态，包括更大容量的登陆舰（LST）、下一代战斗机，以及计划将陆军更多传统作战单位转型为机动平台，这些都是SAF战斗序列可能的变革。

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今年国防预算的增长是否归因于国防部计划未来几年采购的平台？如果不是，国防部如何解释与去年相比开支的增长？

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其次，鉴于国家层面保持财政审慎，国防部是否考虑将更多节约成本的措施作为国防采购的关键标准？例如，媒体广泛报道的引进Aerostar无人机，据称已使国防部在相关任务上的运营开支减少了29%。

最后，我想询问国防部对最近由马来西亚作为东盟轮值主席国提出的建立东盟维和部队建议的实施计划。国防部目前对此有何看法？

主席：杨铨文先生不在议场，法蒂玛·拉蒂夫副教授。

新加坡武装部队的转型

法蒂玛·拉蒂夫副教授（海洋坊）：女士，新加坡武装部队在2000年代初启动了第三代转型，旨在确保其保持高度能力、相关性和受尊重的国防力量。这些变革是渐进且积极的，旨在让部队应对当今日益变化且每日、每月都充满不确定性的环境中的挑战和突发事件。

这些发展涵盖硬件和软件两个方面，任何转型过程都必须两者并进。

除了在技术、机械、武器、信息技术和运输方面的投资外，人员的培训、成长、发展及认可同样重要。

未来的挑战，如我们迅速下降的出生率和人口老龄化，以及应对新兴安全威胁，也必须加以应对。值此SAF成立50周年之际，迈向未来，部长能否提供SAF转型计划的最新情况，以确保我们继续成为一支能够应对任何威胁的有效战斗力量，保护我们的小红点？

议长女士：国防部长。

国防部长（黄永宏博士）：主席女士，首先感谢各位议员提出的有益问题和富有见地的评论，许多观点我深表认同。今年是一个特殊的年份，正如多位议员所言，2015年是我们独立的金禧年，也是SAF成立50周年。正如本院多位议员指出的，这是一个适合回顾、审视根基并共同检视我们所取得成就，更重要的是展望未来的时刻。

如果回顾我们的开国元勋及其经历，他们经历了三个可以说是痛苦的时期。首先是英国向日本投降及随后的占领；其次是对峙时期（Konfrontasi）；然后是与共产党的斗争。仅仅一个挑战就已严峻，但我们的先驱经历了这三者。因此，他们从痛苦的教训中领悟到一个顿悟，并坚定地认为只有拥有强大的国防，新加坡才能维护主权，因为没有强大的国防，新加坡人永远无法掌握自己的命运。

作为一个人力有限的小国，我相信今天大多数新加坡人都明白，强大的国防只能通过大量财政资源的投入，尤其是国民服役人员的努力和牺牲来建立和维持。

我们一再强调，但值得重复：如果新加坡人不能或不愿保卫新加坡，没人会替我们保卫。在这个金禧年，我相信我代表本院所有议员，重申我们坚定且持续的保卫国家的承诺。

如今，新加坡人可以安心，因为经过数十年持续投资国防能力，SAF已是一支强大且有能力的军队，能够保护我们的利益和边界。除了SAF和国民服役人员，全民防卫的理念——我们团结一致才有力量——也已深入社区。

多位议员——司徒义彬、林伟杰博士、法蒂玛·拉蒂夫副教授和普里塔姆·辛格先生——询问了SAF现状及未来形态。

首先，SAF现状如何。我认为我们可以客观自信，因为我们持续将SAF与其他先进国家军队进行基准比较。我们通过现实训练和实战演练测试系统。过去十年，我们在美国进行了四次“锻造利刃”演习。自2000年以来，我们每年赴澳大利亚参加“Wallaby”演习。在那里，我们让士兵和装备接受严格且现实的测试，包括无人机（UAV）、F-15和F-16战斗机、阿帕奇直升机、高机动性火箭炮系统（HIMARS）和海军舰艇。演习场景复杂，要求高度整合。我很高兴报告，每次演习后，我们的整体系统都得到验证，并学到了重要经验以弥补不足。

当我说整体系统得到验证时，意味着我们的指挥控制系统反应迅速且协调一致。我们能闭环处理所见信息并实施响应。

除了演习，SAF还积极参与加强国际和平与安全以及人道援助和灾难救援（HADR）的任务。司徒义彬先生提到了这一点。

2003年至2013年间，约有1.5万名军人部署于伊拉克和阿富汗，参与多国稳定重建行动。自2009年以来，我们也派遣军人至亚丁湾支持反海盗行动，并三次指挥联合特遣部队。最近，SAF舰艇和飞机参与了亚航失事搜救，舰上人员在“Swift Rescue”号上发现了机身残骸。陆军也曾部署至吉兰丹，利用水质净化队伍为马来西亚洪灾受灾者提供饮用水。

无论是演习还是实战行动，这些都验证了我们的准备状态和专业水平，为军人提供了宝贵经验，并增强了与关键伙伴的协同作战能力。通过这些演习和实战，SAF展现了作为一支整合的专业力量，能够果断行动并完成任务。

议员们询问了我们对SAF未来五年的规划。林伟杰博士对此提出了问题。我们将继续稳步提升SAF能力。明年起，海军将开始用新型近岸任务舰替换巡逻舰。陆军也将采用新型防护反应车，替代V200装甲车。一些年长的国民服役人员可能用过V200，其他人可能不熟悉，但V200已相当老旧，因此将被新车替代。

我们的超级美洲狮直升机——议员们对此较为熟悉——服役近30年，需在未来十年内更换。

除了升级具体平台，正如普里塔姆·辛格先生提到的，SAF需要根据新安全威胁重塑自身。法蒂玛·拉蒂夫副教授对此表达得很精彩。展望SAF50金禧年，我们期望SAF能应对哪些威胁？其核心使命是什么？如何塑造自身以应对威胁新加坡及新加坡人的挑战？

我们可能会将威胁分类，但威胁新加坡和新加坡人的因素并不总是带有明确标签。这是我们必须问的核心问题。

外部方面，SAF必须应对网络威胁和战争中日益增长的信息战。形势正在形成。上个月我参加的UNIX安全会议中，有多场讨论“混合战争”，即国家和非国家行为者结合常规与非常规战争手段的战争形式。

什么是混合战争？这是一个“时髦”的术语，但具体含义是什么？新加坡人容易理解，因为它正好是我们几十年前启动的全民防卫的对立面。混合战争是一场有组织的运动，旨在通过破坏目标国家在民事、经济、社会、心理和军事方面的防御，瓦解其团结。

我想让议员们听听俄罗斯联邦总参谋长瓦列里·格拉西莫夫将军的惊人言论：“战争规则已改变。实现政治和战略目标的非军事手段作用增强，在许多情况下，其效力超过了武器的武力。”

非军事手段已超过武器的武力。他继续说：“冲突应用方法的重点转向广泛使用政治、经济、信息、人道及其他非军事措施，并与民众的抗议潜力协调配合。”

他还说：“所有这些辅以隐蔽性质的军事手段，包括信息冲突行动和特种作战部队行动。公开使用武力，通常以维和和危机调解为幌子，仅在特定阶段使用，主要为实现冲突最终胜利。”

言辞冷静却令人不寒而栗。为何？因为这段混合战争的教科书式描述，在克里米亚吞并和乌克兰近期动乱中被精准演绎，颠覆和欺骗通过血肉之躯的挑衅者及社交媒体上的虚假信息实施，制造目标人群的分裂和异议，随后才动用军事力量。

混合战争还有另一个例子，即基地组织和ISIS的激进化效应。一些议员问及ISIS及我们的应对措施。仔细看，这也是混合战争的一个方面，不过这次是非国家行为者发起的。

数万名外国战斗人员被ISIS的虚假意识形态激进化，前往伊拉克和叙利亚，可能在返回本国时发动暴力袭击。

乌克兰和ISIS的例子促使许多国家加紧研究如何防御外部敌对势力策划的混合战争运动。因此，正如我们所见，挑战并非整齐划一。我理解普里塔姆·辛格先生的问题：“我们的核心使命是什么？何时算是任务蔓延？”

这是个难题。但核心是，只要威胁新加坡和新加坡人，即使形式不常见或不受限，我们都必须应对。

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混合战争的概念与战争本身一样古老，这也是我们1984年启动全民防卫的原因。新的是社交媒体放大了虚假信息的传播。没有国家，包括新加坡，能免疫于虚假信息战争，SAF必须提升能力，检测并反制网络和信息领域的威胁。

除了混合战争，乌克兰动乱及其对欧洲其他地区的影响也给新加坡带来重要教训。让我描述一下去年慕尼黑安全会议的氛围。那是2014年，会议主题围绕二战后70年的和平，气氛喜庆，理应如此。冷战结束，俄罗斯融入欧洲和全球经济，欧盟扩大，更多国家加入欧盟甚至申请加入北约。甚至有人质疑北约的存在意义。去年气氛确实欢庆。

事实上，过去十年，欧洲许多国家减少国防开支以“分享和平红利”，有些国家甚至废除或暂停了军事征兵，即他们的国民服役制度。然后，去年3月，慕尼黑安全会议两个月后，难以想象的事情发生了——克里米亚被吞并。所谓的叛军袭击并占领了克里米亚和乌克兰东部关键城市的主要建筑和军事基地，这些叛军包括“绿色小人”，即戴面具、装备俄制武器的身份不明士兵。同时，俄罗斯在乌克兰边境集结了大量兵力，乌克兰高级官员估计超过8万人和270辆坦克。

数十年历史的正式条约和承诺被撕毁，基本假设欧洲和平被颠覆。今年的慕尼黑安全会议上，有一句话令人震耳欲聋：“欧洲和平已破裂”；仅仅一年时间。对欧洲小国的影响更为严峻和威胁。

上个月2月25日《金融时报》一篇文章标题为“俄罗斯恐惧促使立陶宛恢复军事征兵”。立陶宛是波罗的海三国之一，地理上最接近俄罗斯。文章称：“立陶宛恢复军事征兵，显示波罗的海国家对俄罗斯意图的焦虑。”

这些国家担心克里米亚的遭遇会发生在自己身上，不再对未来充满信心。立陶宛实际上在2009年才暂停其国民服役制度，六年前，因为当时认为邻里安全。现在，立陶宛正拼命扩军。今年早些时候，立陶宛政府向学校和公众发放了入侵应对手册。波罗的海国家极度担忧克里米亚和乌克兰的情况会重演。立陶宛人口约三百万，虽比我们多，但规模不大。

新加坡与波罗的海国家一样是小国。我认为我们应认真听取他们的警示故事。永远不要把和平视为理所当然。和平只能通过国民服役人员和全体新加坡人的共同承诺换取。绝不能因忽视或自满而削弱我们多年来建立的强大国防。建设强大国防的时机是在和平时期。强有力的威慑是新加坡最好的防御。你们已经多次听到这些话。

当危险临近，如波罗的海国家那样，才想建立防御就太迟了。与预期的和平与稳定会持续不同，局势可能迅速恶化。正如我所说，一年内氛围完全逆转。

只要政府和人民支持，SAF将全力履行保护国家和人民的职责。SAF将清醒认识潜在威胁和挑战。我们不假设威胁会整齐划一，正在重塑自身以提高未来效能。部分议员提及新加坡的人口趋势，尤其是法蒂玛·拉蒂夫副教授谈及长期趋势。是的，SAF必须在人员减少的情况下保持效能。无论是机动能力、火力、新能力，重组后的SAF即使更精简，也将更强大多样。我们之所以能做到，是因为采用了先进技术。

我们谈到生产力和国防开支。说到生产力，我告诉你，SAF感受最深，不仅因为我们愿意，更因为现实所迫——国民服役人员数量减少。我们的兵源不像民间那么灵活。因此，每当计划引进新平台时，关键问题之一是：如何用更少的人力完成任务，甚至更有效？

例如，我们的无人机系统已经能够连续飞行超过24小时。在陆地上，陆军在某些情况下使用机器人拆除爆炸物。陆军还在研究使用更多无人地面车辆进行安全巡逻。例如，在海上，未来无人水面舰艇可能会巡逻我们拥挤的水道。如果我们能在没有有人驾驶舰船的情况下做到，为什么不呢？这些先进技术具有更高的精确度、更长的续航能力，且使用更少的人力，使我们能够以更精简的部队保持强大战斗力。

新加坡武装部队（SAF）将进一步利用新技术应对安全挑战，无论是外部还是内部，无论这些挑战是有形的还是无形的。新的网络防御单位正在组建中。利用信息通信技术、机器人技术和人工智能的更好能力正在测试和整合到现有系统中。

但即使拥有最先进的技术和装备，我们也不断提醒自己，我们的人才仍然是我们最宝贵且不可或缺的资产。确实如此。许多议员也这么说，我同意你们的看法，我们的人才最终才是决定性因素——士兵、空军和海军官兵的强大战斗精神，以及正如薛东先生正确指出的，领导层的素质将使SAF能够威慑侵略者，并在威慑失败时战胜潜在的侵略者。

我们必须继续保持这种力量直到未来。没有有能力且有奉献精神的服役人员，特别是国民服役人员（NSmen），我们无法建立一支有效的部队，而他们构成了SAF战斗力的主体。我们正在落实加强国民服役委员会的建议。陈振声第二部长将详细说明，但让我先强调两个正在顺利推进的重要提案。

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首先，我们承诺将国民服役入伍等待时间缩短至完成中学后教育后不超过六个月，目前进展顺利。

其次，SAF志愿军团吸引了大量响应，我们计划今年招收首批志愿者。

虽然国民服役人员是SAF的骨干，但我们需要确保有足够的常备军人员来训练部队和建设能力。我在加强国民服役委员会期间宣布，我们将加强招聘更多训练员，并且我们正按计划从今年年中起将基础军事训练中心的常备训练员人数翻倍。SAF也在招募更多女性常备军人员，因为随着我们使用先进平台，更多职业机会开放。

多位议员提出了关于国防开支的问题——谢健鹏先生、林伟杰博士、普里坦·辛格先生。他们非常细心，询问我们是否注意到东南亚的国防开支有所上升。确实如此。过去十年，东南亚作为一个整体的国防开支以名义价格增长了约150%，年均增长率约为11%。同期，中国的国防开支增长了四倍多。

亚洲整体的国防开支持续上升。我们密切关注这一趋势。我们没有采取急剧增加的应对措施，因为正如我们常说的，我们希望避免国防开支的急剧波动。尽管有这一总体趋势，我们的策略仍是长期规划，保持国防开支的稳定。正如议员们所说，过去十年我们的国防开支名义上平均增长了4%，大致与通胀保持同步。

普里坦·辛格先生问今年为何增长了5.7%。对此我想说明，我们的规划是基于较长的时间跨度，不是逐年调整，而是五到十年期的规划。这使我们能够避免突然调整，无论是在人力培训还是平台采购方面。这样做实际上更有效率。我的意思是，长期规划让我们有机会进行聪明的采购。我们不会在平台刚推出时就购买。即使购买新平台，我们也会观察价格何时下降，在生产减少、价格上涨之前进行采购。这样我们可以计划何时采购。

感谢议员们提醒国防部（MINDEF）需要谨慎使用资源。我们知道作为单一部门，我们的开支比例最大，因此我们会谨慎行事。国防部和SAF的默认做法是升级现有平台，而不是购买新平台——除非新装备能明显提供所需的更优能力。

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举个例子，我们最近升级了扫雷舰。我们没有购买新舰，而是升级了现有舰艇，因为升级后更高效，且能与无人水面系统集成。因此，扫雷速度提高了五倍。

不仅是财务资源，我也接受包括林伟杰博士在内的议员们关于我们是否谨慎使用土地的观点。我们认识到新加坡土地宝贵，因此利用技术提高土地使用强度。有些议员可能参观过，如果没有，我们愿意安排参观多功能射击场综合体。

对一些议员来说，你们可能记得旧时SAF训练学院有多个射击场。那是平地，但我们把它们集中建成高层建筑，一栋楼里有七个射击场。占用的空间相当于一个射击场的面积。你们还记得服役时必须等到晚上才能进行夜间射击。现在只需关灯即可进行夜间射击。另一个重要例子是巴耶利峇空军基地（PLAB）迁移至扩建后的樟宜东部空军基地和中部空军基地。

国防部和SAF主动且谨慎地研究了这一方案，因为我们知道土地宝贵。结果，我们将释放出800公顷土地供其他用途，并且取消PLAB周边的高度限制。我们非常重视土地使用，能强化的地方就强化，能搬迁的就搬迁，包括SAF士兵的海外训练。但——这是一个重要的“但”——我坦率告诉议员们，维持我们的防御资产、训练士兵和确保防御能力完整性，在新加坡有最低土地需求。

我再说一遍——有最低需求。这不仅仅是“你有多少土地，能否压缩到一块地里？”低于某个面积，我们会失去防御系统的整体性。

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我欢迎议员们提出关于外部环境的问题，因为即使我们专注于SAF内部，也必须关注地缘政治环境和与其他国家的防务关系。林伟杰博士、李慧玲女士、普里坦·辛格先生和刘谦强先生都谈到了这个问题。刘谦强先生问，除了香格里拉对话和东盟防长会议（ADMM），新加坡还做了什么，能做多少。

有时，我希望我们能做得比实际更多。但我们是一个小国，需要建立强有力的伙伴关系，以促进区域安全环境。我们从不高估自己的规模、实力或力量。最终，我们一再强调这点，虽然听起来陈词滥调，但确实如此——我们永远不会忘记自己是一个小国，是一个红点，一个小红点；我们希望是闪亮的红点，但仍然是小红点。

因此，我们必须建立强大的伙伴关系。在二战结束后的70年里，美国在亚洲的存在促进了地区稳定与繁荣。正因如此，新加坡支持美国在此的存在。我们允许他们使用PLAB和樟宜海军基地作为中转站。第二艘美国海军近岸战斗舰最近抵达新加坡，轮换部署。

此外，我们与美国的密切关系使我们能够获得高端防御系统以及在美国的训练空间。我提到过高机动火炮系统。一些曾是炮兵的议员会知道，过去部署火炮需要多少人力。那是艰苦的工作，需要快速反应。大约12人，他们告诉我。但现在，美国的新系统只需三人在卡车前操作——射程70公里，高精度，射击后迅速转移。

我们与中国的防务关系非常好，我们认可中国希望在本地区发挥和平与建设性作用的愿望。反映这一密切关系，去年11月我访问中国期间，中国国防部长常万全与我联合发布新闻稿，旨在加强防务互动，并纪念今年新中建交25周年。我们进行了联合演习。看到解放军士兵和SAF士兵一同冲锋上山，夺取目标，场面非常壮观。中国的某些做法颇具风格，他们拥有大型训练场地，可以坐着观看大规模演练。我们没有那样的空间。这次互动非常好。

我们积极与最亲近的邻国马来西亚和印度尼西亚接触。我们共享许多共同利益，以建立理解和相互尊重。SAF是最早协助邻国搜寻MH370和QZ8501航班失踪事件的部队之一，也在几个月前马来西亚洪灾时提供援助。我们与两国的防务关系牢固，军方之间频繁互动。

印度尼西亚国防部长赖亚米扎德今年1月首次访问东盟时选择了新加坡作为首站。正如林伟杰博士指出的，我最近接待了马来西亚国防部长希沙姆丁，我们共同签署了意向书。我们将与印度尼西亚和马来西亚——我们的最亲近邻国——开展更多合作。我们将加强与印度尼西亚、马来西亚及其他沿海国家的联合海上巡逻，因为我们区域水域存在海盗和海上抢劫问题。

正如刘谦强先生所说，ADMM和香格里拉对话是重要平台。它们为小国提供了难得的发声空间，能够把问题摆到桌面上，提出关乎集体安全的问题；同样重要的是，鼓励各国军队建立理解。没有理解，就会产生误判和误解。

我告诉议员们，东北亚国家的军队很少互相交流。他们不见面。这不健康，实际上非常危险。非常危险。当文莱主办ADMM时，我们鼓励文莱举办18国联合演习，我们提供帮助、支持和协调。想象一下，来自18个国家的4000名士兵，中国派出和平方舟号，印度派出舰船，日本派出舰船；他们部署在不同舰船甲板上。不同国家的士兵，包括美国士兵，登上彼此的舰船甲板，进行交流。至少，这建立了一定的理解，对部分国家来说，更建立了信任，降低了误判风险。

这可能不会成为头条新闻。我们不指望每次会面都有“可宣布”的成果，但那是不现实的。防务外交进展缓慢，有时艰难，就像大多数外交一样。我们不应误以为仅仅因为会面没有“可宣布”的成果，就认为没有成效。耐心和缓慢的培养为我们赢得更多空间；它实际上赢得了朋友，建立了理解。

降低南海紧张局势非常重要，因为那是我们的后院。明年五月，我们预计东盟及其“加号”伙伴的舰船、飞机和人员将参加另一场关于海上安全和反恐的重大演习。我们有额外优势，可以让军队共同演习。这是我们努力推动的。这种务实合作非常及时且相关，尤其是在ISIS恐怖威胁增加的背景下。普里坦·辛格先生问东盟是否能发布共同声明——他是对的。这非常有用。这是马来西亚主席想做的。议员们可能已从报纸上看到，马来西亚人在伊拉克和叙利亚。印度尼西亚国防参谋长来新加坡时表示，他担心战斗人员回国后的行为。这是现实且迫切的威胁，是我们安全部队的核心任务。

这也是我们在香格里拉对话中所做的。去年，我们有26位部长级代表，来自35个国家的参与者。我们不指望每年都有“可宣布”的成果。但当成果出现时，影响力很大。几年前，马六甲海峡被劳氏名单列为与战争风险区等同的风险类别。保险费上涨。你必须支付如同船只穿越战争风险区的保险费。当时，纳吉布总理兼任国防部长，他在香格里拉对话中提出联合海上空中巡逻的想法，天空中有眼，随后在各自主权水域开展联合马六甲海峡巡逻。这降低了海盗活动，劳氏将该区域从风险名单中移除。

我们将做更多工作，发挥建设性作用，正如议员们所要求的。这就是为什么我们设立了信息融合中心和樟宜区域人道援助与灾难救援协调中心——这是薛东议员提问的。他问我们是否能加快防务外交。我很高兴更新消息，中国、法国、泰国和文莱已向该区域协调中心派驻联络官员，澳大利亚和老挝已建立操作联系。

女士们，先生们，最后让我介绍今年国庆庆典（NDP）的细节。今年的国庆庆典非常特别。我知道稍后会有问题，我先给议员们一些提示。今年是非常重要的一年，实际上是我们的金禧年。回顾过去50年，新加坡非常幸运，我们有许多值得共同庆祝的成就。

2015年国庆庆典将铭记我们的历史根源；我们将记住我们的来处。这就是为什么我们选择在帕丹举行。我们将回顾作为一个国家的集体成就，并展望所有新加坡人共享的进步未来。

因此，国庆庆典将在帕丹举行。为什么？因为1966年我们的第一次国庆庆典就在这里举行。阅读李光耀先生在回忆录中对那次庆典的描述，充满激情，讲述了当时的挑战和发生的事情。我们每年都有国庆主题。金禧年的主题是什么合适？筹委会经过深思熟虑，当我念出主题时，你们会觉得这是个好选择。主题是“前进，新加坡”（Majulah Singapura）。这呼应了独立时对所有新加坡人的号召，那时我们是一个贫穷的国家，四面受困——无论是就业、住房、教育还是基本生活必需品的问题。

听听我们现在在议会的辩论。正如所说，那是好问题。想象一下独立时的议会——问题多得数不清，资源极少，几乎没有。正是在这样的背景下，“前进，新加坡”成为了我们团结一心、克服挑战的号召，我们成功了。

因此，国庆庆典将尽可能讲述这个故事，提醒我们来自何方，认可开国元勋和国家建设领导者的贡献。

有很多呼声——你们可以想象国庆筹委会收到许多请求、建议和呼吁。其中一个我觉得特别重要，我们努力满足的，是让尽可能多的新加坡人参与这次历史性的第50届国庆庆典，因为下一次金禧年要到2065年。所以这次，我们真的希望让尽可能多的人分享这份经历。

但你知道帕丹的容量有限，能观看表演的人数有限。但我很高兴宣布，国庆筹委会对形式做了一些调整，以便尽可能多的人能在2015年8月9日共享这一时刻。我们希望让这次金禧庆典对尽可能多的新加坡人来说都特别。我的意思是？如果您允许，主席女士，我可以展示给您看。

主席：好的，请。 [ 向尊敬的议员们展示了幻灯片。]

黄永宏博士：首先，每个新加坡家庭，是的，我指的是每个新加坡家庭，约120万个家庭，无论是组屋还是私人住宅，都将收到一份国庆乐包。即使他们不能来到帕丹或滨海湾周边区域（我稍后会解释），他们也可以在家观看，挥舞同样的旗帜，拍打同样的拍手器，遍布全岛。

其次，我们将在滨海湾周边开放若干独立区域，让更多人能够亲临现场，享受2015年国庆庆典。看幻灯片，从帕丹开始——容量约为26,000人。但我们将开放去年国庆使用的浮动平台，可容纳25,000人；富丽敦酒店可容纳约10,000人；滨海艺术中心前的高地可容纳20,000人；滨海湾金沙活动广场可容纳30,000人；滨海湾花园可容纳40,000人。

总体而言，我们认为整个区域可以容纳超过150,000人。在其中一些地点，我们将设置巨型LED屏幕，观众可以观看表演，所有人都能现场观看空中表演和烟花。2015年国庆烟花将是有史以来最大规模，空中表演也将是最大规模。我不想剧透，但这将是壮观的。

将有许多值得观赏的景象，供新加坡人铭记。在可能的情况下，阅兵队伍、方阵以及机动方队将前往滨海湾周边的一些地点。

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下午5时45分

过去几年，国庆庆典在一个场地的费用，大约为2,000万新元。这包括为期六至八个月的排练所需的后勤设备费用：四场国民教育（NE）演出、预演以及正式演出，过去几年约有5,500名参与者和25,000名现场观众。当然，2015年国庆的规模更大，远超以往。将有7,000名参与者，观众人数是以往的两倍；滨海湾周边将有大量人群，预计数千名新加坡人不仅会在滨海湾参与，电视观众估计有两百万人在家观看。仅帕丹广场的2015年国庆费用与以往相当。但由于新增场地和设施，金禧年国庆的总费用将是以往的两倍左右。大约是两倍。此外，120万个趣味包将额外花费1,000万新元，其中部分由企业赞助支持。

我们计划举办一个让所有新加坡人共同庆祝的国庆活动。但在设施带来压力之前，我想强调两个重要点。

首先是安全。预计人群众多，我希望所有国庆参与者关注自身及周围人的安全。我们正与内政部合作，但公众也需承担个人责任。如果人人遵守指示，事故风险将降低。

其次是文明和清洁。即使我们今年以团结一心的方式庆祝国庆，反思我们共同取得的成就，我们当然不希望第二天发现整个滨海湾区域满地垃圾。如果连自己制造的垃圾都无法清理干净，那将是我们作为一个民族的悲哀。主办方将提供更多垃圾投放点，但我现在就提醒大家关注安全和清洁，让这成为我们国庆的共同意识和期望。

主席女士，凭借国民服役者及其家庭、雇主和社区的坚定承诺，武装部队将在武装部队50周年和国家金禧年继续维护新加坡的独立和主权。我们将努力确保未来世代也能享有我们今天的和平与安全。

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国民服役者的作战准备与安全

莫哈达博士（宏茂桥）：女士，我们的国民服役者认真且自豪地履行服务国家和保持作战准备的职责。他们表现出色，倾注全部心力和智慧。这其中包括我们的马来族士兵，他们凭借自身的才能和能力在武装部队中获得荣誉和认可。他们被派往武装部队的各个职业和单位，并表现优异。

马来族士兵在武装部队的广泛部署，部分得益于马来族人民行动党议员持续与社区和政府的沟通。我很高兴政府和武装部队采纳了马来族人民行动党议员的许多反馈，并多年来做出了积极改变。我相信随着国民服役者和士兵为保卫新加坡做好作战准备，我们将在这方面继续前进和进步。

[副议长（张志贤）主持]

新实施的三站个人体能测试（IPPT）引发了对国民服役者体能的关注，而体能对武装部队的作战准备和效能至关重要。

国防部能否更新如何帮助确保国民服役者保持体能和作战准备？此外，国民服役者的安全仍是关注点，尤其是家长，尽管国防部已采取措施改进武装部队的安全系统并增强其稳健性。国防部能否提供加强训练和作战安全的最新进展？

武装部队志愿者团

任国强先生（蔡厝港）：吴庆瑞博士1976年曾说：“每个社会的安全必须或多或少依赖于广大民众的战斗精神。”

我们的武装部队正是我们人民战斗精神的体现。过去50年，它一直是抵御外来侵略的坚强堡垒。虽然挑战不断演变，但由于非对称威胁的出现，我们对防御的需求可能比以往任何时候都更强烈。

我们的人口结构挑战沉重，影响我们维持一支纪律严明、有效的武装力量。基于此，我坚决欢迎武装部队志愿者团的成立。我在2014年曾多次询问进展，并欢迎

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2014年10月武装部队志愿者团应用程序的推出所取得的进展。

武装部队志愿者团为更广泛的新加坡社区提供了参与国防的机会。志愿者团指挥官谭迈克上校在邀请志愿者时表示，许多人不懈努力确保新加坡的和平与安全，称之为“崇高而艰巨的职责”。

因此，我请求国防部更新志愿者招募的进展、志愿者的背景和资格，以及培训如何进行。招募过程中是否遇到挑战？有哪些保障措施确保安全和保密不受影响？

刘谦强先生（裕廊东）：先生，武装部队志愿者团申请于2014年10月13日开放。我想请部长更新迄今收到和接受的申请数量，以及志愿者团第一年的预计开支。

我还想了解志愿者与国民服役兵、国民服役者和现役军人并肩部署是否存在安全风险。安全审查是否足够严格，尤其是申请人在新加坡境外居住期间的背景调查？

志愿者只需完成两周基础军事训练、七天资格课程培训，并每年可能被召集七天。如此缩短的训练时间是否足够？是否会引起国民服役者的不满？例如，担任安全士兵的训练时间应相同，无论是志愿者还是国民服役者。否则，国民服役者会质疑为何他们需花更多时间训练同一角色，或是否所有训练环节都必要。

志愿者与国民服役者待遇公平性尤为重要。志愿者采用不同的军衔体系，其在营区的待遇应与其培训和经验相符。国民服役者不会轻易接受一名“法律专员”志愿者在营区被视为完全训练的武装部队军官，或一名未经过常规医官课程的“医疗教官”志愿者被视为普通医官。

如果政府视武装部队志愿者团为让第一代永久居民和公民参与新加坡军事防御的途径，政府必须重视这些问题。

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ACCORD的新发展

王鼎群先生（三巴旺）：先生，1967年通过国会法案，新加坡的国防部队由义务兵组成，成立并组织起来，过程并不轻松。国民服役法规定，所有18岁健康适龄男子须服两年兵役。社区最初有抵触情绪，这是可以理解的，因为这意味着将男性子女从父母身边带走两年，面临军事生活的未知风险。

这说明社区支持对组建常备军的重要性。当我们的男子从全职国民服役训练转为预备役训练时，社区的支持和理解更为关键。召集他们离开平民生活，意味着打断他们的职业生涯，影响雇主的运作能力。

国防社区关系咨询委员会（ACCORD）由国防部于1984年成立，作为社区反馈新加坡国防相关问题的渠道。多年来，ACCORD成员在建立公众对新加坡安全和国防需求的接受和支持方面发挥了重要作用。

尽管ACCORD一直是国防部和武装部队政策及计划的有效反馈渠道，国防部长陈先生在2014年武装部队总司令部会议上宣布重组ACCORD以加强社区对国民服役的支持，既及时又积极，尽管国民服役支持度依然很高。

对国防的承诺和社区对国民服役的支持必须持续强化，尤其在和平时期。危机时才行动为时已晚。

重组后的ACCORD设有三个理事会，旨在加强与企业、教育机构、家庭和社区等利益相关者的互动，强调国防重要性和国民服役的必要性。

国防部能否更新重组后ACCORD的进展？特别是各理事会的工作进展如何？这些理事会如何接触雇主、学校和家庭等利益相关者？

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国防承诺

任国强先生：主席先生，“我们独立最可靠的保障是强大的武装部队。强大的武装部队依赖于政治意志去付出努力和代价。”这是武装部队之父已故吴庆瑞博士1984年的话。

自武装部队成立50年来，新加坡的防御依赖于新加坡人支持强大武装力量政策的意愿，以及个人承担参与国防的责任。

全球和本地环境正在变化，我们的挑战也在演变。外部挑战已从传统战争转向非对称威胁。内部挑战也出现，关键是新加坡的人口变化，人口减少，导致武装力量的征召基础缩小。

新加坡人的世界观也发生了变化。对许多人来说，主权面临的危险比过去少。国民服役作为新加坡男性的成年礼支持度仍高，但我们必须防止自满。

我们需要重新承诺保卫国家，回归早期独立精神。我们缺乏真正的军旅和航海传统，因此需要更多努力重新强调武装部队对新加坡长远未来的重要性。

李光耀先生曾说：“没有强大的武装部队，就没有经济未来，也没有安全。”

国防部将如何确保新加坡人持续承诺国防？对长期前景有何看法？因此，我敦促国防部在这个重要的SG50和武装部队50周年里，全面与新加坡人互动。挑战会有，但正如历史所示，我们能克服并变得更强。

公平和平等部署

穆哈末费萨尔·阿卜杜勒·马纳普先生（裕廊东）：去年武装部队总司令部辩论中，我曾请求尽快解决新加坡马来族忠诚度问题。此请求基于《苏拉·穆斯雅瓦拉报告》。我想强调一项做法，可能无意中导致了对新加坡马来族忠诚度的不良看法。

在国防部长出席的一个论坛上，据《海峡时报》报道，部长被问及武装部队中对马来族的偏见及马来族被排除在海军之外的问题。部长回应称，海军舰艇上有清真认证厨房的实际问题。

得知新加坡马来族长期被排除在海军舰艇之外，令人非常失望。更令人失望的是，这种排除源于实际问题。但最令人担忧的是，这种做法可能被新加坡人误解为武装部队对马来族的偏见，以及对新加坡马来族忠诚度的质疑。

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报道还称，部长表示已做出安排，允许愿意的马来族新加坡人在海军舰艇服役。这无疑是令人欢迎的改变，我赞赏国防部迈向更包容武装部队的步伐。我敦促部长认真考虑确保所有海军舰艇配备清真认证厨房，使马来族能自由服役，不受限制。我还敦促部长不仅止步于此，还要努力使整个武装部队成为一个包容开放、公平公正对待所有新加坡人的组织，无论种族、语言和宗教。

我最后想谈谈部长在论坛上关于军事敏感职位的发言。部长被报道说，人员被部署到武装部队敏感单位是基于能力和信念，而非种族。我赞赏部长和国防部努力使武装部队成为包容开放、公平公正的组织。然而，我注意到部长提醒要谨慎，因为“有人可能被勒索”。我同意部长必须确保被派往敏感职位的人不会危害国家安全，但我希望部长澄清他指的是哪类人？他们如何可能被勒索？

武装部队先驱

任国强先生：李光耀先生在2012年淡马锡学会对话中说：“武装部队表现超出我预期。那是因为成长的一代知道所涉及的利害关系。”

正如部长所提，2015年意义重大：既是国家金禧年，也是武装部队成立50周年。1965年，我们还有英国驻军，但他们于1971年加速撤离，意味着早期武装部队先驱必须迅速建立一支可信赖的防御力量。

我曾与武装部队退伍军人联盟成员一同出席武装部队50周年@Vivo启动仪式。身处像沙马苏丁上尉（退役）这样的前辈中，令人感慨。他虽年事已高，却仍展现1966年作为严厉军士长的坚韧和铁意志。

我欢迎并全力支持武装部队退伍军人和先驱在教育和引导下一代武装部队先驱中的角色。我也期待更多武装部队50周年活动纪念这一重要里程碑。但更重要的是，我希望我们能更多地认可和尊重我们的先驱。一些最早批次的武装部队和国民服役者不符合先驱世代计划资格，但他们确实服役过。国防部是否考虑以类似方式认可这些老兵，以免他们的牺牲被遗忘？

国庆阅兵

李慧玲女士：主席，年度国庆阅兵已成为新加坡人生活中的标志性八月活动之一，伴随其他庆祝国家生日的活动。参与者心怀爱国情怀，热情欢呼，唱响国歌，享受这场独具新加坡特色的视听盛宴。

今年因是我们50岁生日，期望值很高，人民对国防部举办一场令人难忘的阅兵充满信心。部长刚刚向我们透露了今年帕丹广场的部分内容。部长能否介绍更多国庆阅兵的其他亮点？

黄碧芳女士（淡滨尼）：听部长对国庆阅兵的预告，感觉很激动，但我希望它不会变成一场盛大表演、多媒体音乐会或仅仅是电视上的花哨秀。我觉得今年的国庆阅兵应有另一种独特和特别之处。它应当是每位现场和观看者的真实体验，激发我们的情感，启发我们的想象力。

先生，新加坡于1966年在帕丹举行了首次国庆阅兵。尽管仍沉浸在分离的创伤中，并对国家的生存感到焦虑，我们的先驱者们还是鼓起勇气和想象力，举办了一场主题为：

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民族自豪感与对未来的信心的阅兵。亮点之一是由23,000名男女老少组成的六个志愿部队分队——人民防卫军（PDF）——进行了19分钟的行进。PDF刚于1965年12月30日成立，包括其女性分队，这是他们首次公开阅兵。PDF分队中还有几位部长和国会议员，他们首次穿上军官候补生制服。

我们的开国总理李光耀在回忆录中写道：“他们表现勇敢，受到敬礼士兵背后的人群和街道两旁观众的热烈欢呼，因为他们认出了穿制服的晒黑的部长和国会议员，步伐坚定，虽然缺乏军姿风范。”

在他的口述历史中，曾参加那次阅兵的部长之一欧思曼·沃克透露，是李先生亲自劝说部长和国会议员参加PDF分队。

那次国庆阅兵是在人民士气极度低落的时期举行的，极大地增强了他们对国家和领导人的信心。当时，新加坡只有两个步兵团，均由马来西亚指挥，几乎没有自己的正规军。我们的先驱领导人从零开始艰苦努力建立了新加坡武装部队（SAF）。如今我们取得了多大进步。我们的武装部队已证明是一支强大且可信赖的军事力量，是国家的骄傲。

今年我们庆祝新加坡独立50周年，不能忘记我们的先驱一代，尤其是开国领导人，他们克服重重困难带领我们走到今天。为了尊重先驱精神，我们应邀请当年参加首届国庆阅兵的PDF志愿者，如果他们仍在且能够出席，应给予他们应有的关注，让他们在今年的金禧阅兵中重返帕丹，回到一切开始的地方。

还有一位额外的先驱领导人，我们必须尊敬：我们的开国总理李光耀。作为一个国家，在今年的国庆阅兵中向他致以特别敬意是恰当的。没有他坚强且有远见的领导，没有他的决心和勇气，新加坡绝不会成为今天这个自由且强大的国家，正如我们社区歌中常唱的那样。

我担心如果我们错过这个时刻，我们会对牺牲和服务的观念变得麻木，视那些先辈的泪水和汗水为理所当然。致敬是展现国家感恩之心的方式。如果有时间让国家为纪念和情感留出空间，那就是今年的国庆阅兵。即使李先生可能不愿意或不期待，我认为作为一个国家，在这个特殊场合尊敬他是重要的。

我想请教部长是否考虑将此作为今年国庆阅兵的一部分。我也呼吁新成立的新加坡武装部队志愿军团（SAF Volunteer Corps），其实是PDF的再现，参与其中。这是为了展示先驱一代与新一代之间的连续性，弥合代沟。

国防部第二部长（陈振声先生）：主席先生，我们国防的基石是我们保卫自己所有的承诺。我们不能保卫的，也不承诺保卫的，就不属于我们。这种承诺不仅依赖于历代服役于武装部队的新加坡国民服役兵，也依赖于所有未直接服役的公民，更依赖于社会中的所有机构和组织。为了激发国民服役兵的承诺，我们必须对他们进行良好且安全的训练，善用他们的时间和才能，最后也是最重要的，是给予他们应有的认可。

英丹博士问及我们的体能训练计划。体能是国民服役兵能力的基础。我们希望他们为执行任务、为自己、为家庭和国家保持良好体能。我们已宣布自2015年4月1日起，体能评估系统将演变为三站制，便于训练并鼓励国民服役兵表现优异。自去年起，我们也给予国民服役兵更多时间——12个月——来训练、准备并达到体能要求。我们推出了“公园体能评估”，方便他们训练。我们还试验使用iDAT和Fitbit，帮助他们更好地管理自己的体能训练。所有这些措施都是为了配合他们在履行家庭和经济责任的同时，支持他们的体能之旅。这些措施也将补充武装部队的职业体能训练，准备国民服役兵和新兵应对作战需求。

英丹博士还询问了我们的安全系统更新。在训练安全方面，我们对训练和医疗系统进行了多项改进，更好地照顾国民服役兵。武装部队医疗服务与国家医疗体系紧密合作，互相借力，共同照顾所有服役人员和新加坡公民。例如，我们最近开设了武装部队心脏健康中心，与国家心脏中心整合。此类合作使我们能够共享资源，并将武装部队的健康和医疗标准与国家体系对标。自2015年1月起，武装部队还建立了紧急救护车服务，与私人救护车运营商合作，使重伤员在途中接受治疗的同时直接送往医院。

在战术层面，我们利用士兵追踪系统监控士兵在复杂地形和小单位行动中的位置。该系统不仅在作战上有用，也增强了撤离系统的信心。武装部队还在幕后调整工作休息周期，更好地管理士兵的体力负荷，调节生理压力，同时实现最佳作战表现。为减少中暑伤害，还引入了热应激监测器，密切监测局部天气状况。

为了善用国民服役兵的时间和才能，作为加强国民服役委员会（CSNC）建议的一部分，国防部和内政部将调整入伍前的体检和行政安排。目前，45%的预备役入伍者在完成中学后四个月内入伍。未来，这一比例将提高到90%，其余将在六个月内入伍。此举将影响每年超过20,000名入伍者。

现在谈谈时间管理。年轻人的学习方式已改变，我们的训练教学法也必须随之演进。国防部将继续扩大LEARNet的使用，预计节省15%至20%的训练时间，将节省的时间用于士兵的实操训练。我们还在重新设计训练装备系统，使国民服役兵能更多时间专注训练，减少行政工作。

例如，我们正在建设一个新的战术交战系统装备站，今年投入使用。该站可在半天内为一个步兵或装甲营配备战术交战系统，远少于之前的24小时。关于动员和装备，我去年已提及，装备一个旅级部队所需的24小时将大幅缩短，节省的时间可供士兵进行复训，指挥官则准备作战计划。

国防部还通过善用服役人员的才能和精力来激发他们的承诺。武装部队奉行择优原则，根据才能、能力和承诺将士兵分配到最合适的岗位。否则毫无意义，因为人才是我们最宝贵的资源。

国防部和内政部将继续认可国民服役兵。国服认可奖（NSRA）将升级为国服“住房、医疗和教育”奖（NS HOME Awards）。

此前，国民服役兵在服役过程中三个里程碑可获得9,000至10,500新元的奖励。今后，他们将额外获得6,000新元的医疗储蓄金补助。从2015年9月起，我们将提前发放部分补助，帮助国民服役兵支付服役期间的医疗保险（MediShield Life）保费。

自2014年9月实施以来，已有超过56,000名国民服役兵受益，发放金额约2.7亿新元。

谢义斌先生、刘谦强先生和任国强先生询问了志愿军团。主席先生，现在谈谈激发未直接服役于武装部队的新加坡人承诺的问题。

坦率地说，所有新加坡家庭都直接或间接为武装部队作出贡献。几代父母、配偶、女友鼓励和支持他们的儿子、丈夫和男友服役，直接或间接地贡献于国防。

三月，另一群人将以不同方式展示他们对国防的承诺。他们将组成新加坡武装部队志愿军团（SAF Volunteer Corps，简称SAFVC），延续新加坡志愿军团的光荣传统，早于武装部队成立之前。

首批志愿军团成员将于2015年3月开始训练，也就是本月。自去年10月开始招募，已有近900名申请者。预计今年招收100至150名志愿者。他们是新加坡公民和第一代永久居民的良好混合。他们将在多种岗位与国民服役兵并肩服役。他们带来的不仅是国防的作战能力，更重要的是，他们展现了对国防的全新承诺维度。通过行动，他们证明了愿意为保卫我们的国家付出额外努力。

回应刘谦强先生的问题，不同的志愿军团成员具备不同能力，我们将根据其能力匹配部署，确保有效且安全。所有志愿军团成员都将进行安全审查，与国民服役兵一样，没有区别。

翁鼎群先生问及ACCORD。社会支持是我们国防承诺的最后支柱。自去年8月起，我们重组了ACCORD，设立三个理事会——雇主与企业理事会、家庭与社区理事会以及教育机构理事会。此举旨在扩大社会各界代表，借助他们的想法和网络，加强国防承诺。

此时，我也要感谢三位联合主席——周志强先生、江佩蓉女士和英达妮女士，以及他们的众多小组委员会，过去几个月辛勤工作，提出了许多建议。国防部已接受今年所有建议，并将逐步落实这些良好想法。

我先介绍雇主与企业理事会的最新情况，国防部国务部长马立基随后将介绍另外两个理事会的工作。

雇主与企业理事会建议我们改革全民防卫奖，表彰更多来自不同领域的个人和组织，他们为新加坡国防作出贡献。例如，除了表彰雇主和公司外，还应表彰支持国民服役兵履行职责的同事和直接上司。

另一个例子是，不同行业和领域支持国民服役兵面临不同挑战。贸易行业的支持需求与工厂不同。我们也知道中小企业（SMEs）和大型跨国公司（MNCs）面临的挑战不同。因此，我们将与相关行业协会和商会合作，改革奖项，表彰更多来自不同领域和不同规模公司的贡献者。

雇主与企业理事会还认识到，国民服役兵在服役期间获得的许多技能，尤其是领导、组织和管理技能，对企业运营极为宝贵。国民服役兵在武装部队的表现也向公司传递了员工潜力、活力、能力和承诺的重要信号。因此，国防部与雇主达成共识，将合作让雇主更好地了解他们的国民服役兵员工的才能和特质，从而更好地利用这些人才。

雇主与企业理事会还建议国防部加强与雇主的沟通，及时告知员工即将参加的营区训练安排，帮助雇主更好地安排工作，给予国民服役兵安心准备服役的环境。

雇主与企业理事会的外展工作也为许多雇主提供了新的视角，了解国民服役兵的工作。他们对员工在营区的表现、召回训练中的承诺等给予积极反馈。这些都激发了他们对国家防务的新承诺，因为他们更理解员工不仅在和平时期为公司工作，也为国家的集体防御贡献力量，没有国家安全，他们的企业无法繁荣。

知识和理解是社会支持的第一步。我们将继续加强与雇主和企业的合作，为国民服役兵履行职责提供最强有力的支持。

主席先生，武装部队最强大的武器是人民的承诺。我曾遇到一位来自他国的年轻士兵。他的军队没有我们先进的技术，他知道自己的军队不如我们强大。但他直视我的眼睛告诉我，如果有人胆敢未经邀请进入他的祖国并意图伤害他们，他将亲自驱逐他们——即使手中只有一根竹矛。我尊重这位年轻士兵的精神和决心。我认为我们可以从他身上学到很多。

是的，今天武装部队是一支有能力的军队，我们能保卫属于我们的东西。但如果没有勇气、意志、决心和团结，这支有能力的军队也将一无所成。

另一方面，如果我们能将先进的军事能力与坚定的决心结合起来，激发人民、整个社会——国民服役兵、所有新加坡人、企业和社会公民组织的承诺，那么我必须说，我们将拥有一支强大甚至不可战胜的防御机器。

主席先生，现在请国防部国务部长马立基介绍ACCORD的进一步工作。

国防部国务部长（莫哈末·马立基·奥斯曼博士）：主席先生，ACCORD是一个重要平台，鼓励自下而上的举措，加强对国民服役的支持。陈部长谈到了ACCORD及其更新的方向和结构，旨在加深对服役人员的理解。我与榕树集团高级副总裁江佩蓉女士共同主持家庭与社区理事会，与教育部高级国务部长英达妮女士共同主持教育机构理事会。通过这两个理事会，我们希望接触学校和高等教育机构，加强家庭和社区对国民服役的支持。我们邀请社区成员参与理事会。成员们自任命以来，努力工作，提出了许多富有成效的倡议。让我分享其中几项。

例如，教育机构理事会汇聚了教育机构成员和其他利益相关者，探讨加强国民服役支持的方法。目前，国民服役兵可在大学学习开始前报名参加特别强化和复训课程。这些课程帮助他们顺利过渡回大学，尤其是开始新专业学习时，也可能计入大学学分。理事会将探讨如何提升现有课程，更好满足学生学习需求，并探索其他支持国民服役兵的措施。

F&C委员会的成员们也积极与我们的社区互动，提出良好建议以加强对国民服役和国防的支持。每年，在新加坡武装部队日（SAF Day）期间，我们都能获得商家和企业的大力支持，他们为我们的服役男士和女士提供折扣。去年，共有151家零售商参与，涵盖时尚、餐饮、电子等多个行业，通过提供折扣和优惠表达对武装部队的感谢。这是社区强有力的支持表现。我们希望鼓励更多显著且持续的自发支持，支持我们的服役人员。

在这方面，我们将与人民协会（PA）和SAFRA合作，争取社区和本地企业的支持。人民协会正在研究如何为服役人员，包括国民服役男士（NSmen）和国民服役兵（NSFs），提供社区中心设施使用特权。SAFRA也在考虑提升其会员特权。我们希望通过他们与各商家的合作与网络，能为服役人员提供更多福利和折扣，以表彰他们的服务。

F&C委员会还认为，鉴于女性对其服役的儿子、丈夫或兄弟提供的重要支持，向女性群体推广国防知识非常重要。因此，委员会建议我们与新加坡妇女组织理事会及人民协会的妇女融合网络合作，举办母亲分享支持子女服役经历的活动。我们也在考虑与国民服役男士的妻子及年轻女性开展交流活动。

主席先生，重组后的ACCORD及其三个委员会采取了比前身更积极主动的方式。成员们积极领导各项举措，这些自下而上的努力将对我们与各利益相关者的联络和互动产生重大影响，提升对国防的承诺和对国民服役的支持。

司徒一斌先生和任泽民先生询问我们如何纪念SAF50。我很高兴地报告，今年武装部队计划了一系列以“我们的武装部队：赋予国家力量”为主题的SAF50活动。这些活动旨在认可和表彰所有为国家防卫服务的男女贡献。确实，SAF50是我们向所有为维护主权和捍卫生活方式，尤其是我们的先驱者，奉献自己的人表达感谢的方式。

早期武装部队资源匮乏，但我们的先驱者以坚韧和决心弥补了这一不足。主席先生，若获允许，我想展示一些这些先驱者的照片。

主席：好的，请展示。[幻灯片向尊敬的议员们展示。]

莫哈末·马利基·奥斯曼博士：这些先驱者包括第一和第二新加坡步兵团的士兵；来自新加坡志愿军、新加坡海军志愿军和新加坡妇女辅助海军服务队及其他志愿部队的志愿者，他们中的许多人在1965年武装部队成立时成为成员。这些先驱者是早期的军官批次，以及1967年国民服役制度实施后响应召唤的国民服役男士。

上个月，我们举办了首个SAF50公众活动——SAF50@Vivo。该活动于2月12日至15日举行，四天内吸引了超过87,000名访客。活动除了常见的军事装备展示和趣味活动外，核心是一场以武装部队故事为主题的展览。这些故事讲述了我们的先驱者及其信念和牺牲，讲述了支持武装部队的男女，无论是武装部队内部还是更广泛的新加坡社区。展览中一位先驱者是退役中校蒂莫西·德索萨，他是1973年共和国空军首支飞行表演队的一员。另一位先驱者是退役中校赛义德·易卜拉欣，他参与了对抗行动，后来成为培训首批军官学员的教官。

另一则故事讲述了志愿辅导员、两子之母艾丽莎·恒。她谈到通过国民服役，她的儿子“在人生观上变得成熟，变得不那么以自我为中心，更能接受生活中的小不便”。我非常欣慰，许多新加坡人通过展览中的故事产生共鸣并学到了很多。

下午6点30分

访问SAF50@Vivo的40多岁韩妮女士表示，展览帮助她与在SAF50展位交谈的服役人员产生了个人联系。她说：“通过他们，我了解了我儿子在国民服役期间的经历和感受。”另一位访客，24岁的蔡特蕾莎女士说，此次活动提醒她“整个社区必须团结起来，捍卫和保护我们国家的福利和主权”。

我对这些评论感到欣慰。它们提醒我，正因为有武装部队，我们才有了一个让不同背景的新加坡人互动、共同训练并建立持久友谊的共同空间。结果，我们建立了深厚的社会资本，为国家提供力量。通过SAF50@Vivo和ACCORD委员会的外展努力，我们将继续与社区及妇女、学校等群体互动，深化武装部队多年来建立的社会资本和善意。我们将在全年继续纪念SAF50。

为了扩大影响力，SAF50展览将巡回至新加坡各地的公共场所，包括区域图书馆，展期至2015年10月。展览故事将发布于SAF50网站和纪念册，并改编成短视频。纪念册将于今年7月发布，收录70多个故事，从外交、国防技术、行动到家庭和社区支持、媒体及娱乐等多个视角展现武装部队。

司徒一斌先生和任泽民先生还询问SAF先驱者是否参与SAF50活动。我很高兴许多先驱者参加了SAF50@Vivo展览，其他重要活动如SAF50阅兵、SAF50纪念晚宴和总统府花园SAF50招待会也将有他们出席。受邀的先驱者包括首批国民服役军官和军士、首批军官学员、1965年前服役的先驱者，以及为重要本地和海外任务做出贡献的服役人员。

其中一些人物包括我们服役时间最长的国防部队司令退役准将温斯顿·朱、传奇的团军士长如退役上尉洪成马克（绰号“虎洪”）和退役上尉沙姆苏丁·沙丹等。

[女议长主持会议]

武装部队各编制和单位也将邀请自己的先驱者参与庆祝活动。在此，我也注意到谢健平先生建议国防部支持单位校友会聚会。确实，我们希望让先驱者和前几批退役军人与年轻一代更紧密联系。他们的经历、回忆和动力激励着我们。

主席女士，若获允许，我想再展示几张先驱者的照片。

主席：好的，请展示。[幻灯片向尊敬的议员们展示。]

莫哈末·马利基·奥斯曼博士：像退役上校吴来春、退役中校赛义德·易卜拉欣和退役中校达尔吉特·辛格这样的先驱者参与了对抗行动。他们在新加坡历史的艰难时期为战友、家人和国家安全而战。

我们还有海军先驱者，如退役中校贾斯旺特·辛格·吉尔和退役高级军士威成良，他们见证了海军从初创到如今的发展。共和国空军的退役少校阿格尼斯·方是首批女性军官之一，后来成为武装部队首位女性指挥官。她们将继续激励我们和下一代。

任泽民先生还问国防部如何与新加坡人互动以增强公众对国防的承诺。我们的出发点很简单。我们相信每个人都应在国防中发挥作用。所有利益相关者，无论是母亲、雇主、教师还是学生，都应承担个人国防责任。这就是为什么我们通过ACCORD工作，汇聚来自企业、学校和社区的不同利益相关者，共同贡献并展示对国民服役的支持。

除了ACCORD，我们还积极与基层领导、雇主、工会领袖、海外新加坡人、永久居民、新公民、妇女组织等通过访问武装部队单位和其他活动保持沟通，及时传达国民服役和国防相关信息。我们的目标是尽可能包容。

在教育部合作下，33所高等教育机构与47个武装部队单位结对，共同组织如单位参观等活动，供学生参与。

我们需要持续努力与公众互动，因为新加坡的国防力量取决于人民保卫国家的意志。这也是为何我们今年在2月13日SAF50@Vivo期间启动了“国防承诺大使”计划，一些先驱者和退役军人将与年轻新加坡人交流，分享早期的奋斗、经历和成就。我希望这些故事能激励年轻一代，赋予他们为新加坡尽责的精神和力量。

确实，女士们先生们，在我们庆祝SG50和SAF50之际，必须铭记先驱者所体现的精神和力量。我们必须利用这种精神，努力建设一个更安全、更繁荣的新加坡未来。

主席：我们有时间进行澄清。有人想提出问题吗？谢永勇女士。

谢永勇女士（提名议员）：女士，谢谢。我听到部长们谈到承诺、内心的重要性，也听到人们说他们为成为士兵感到自豪和投入。以我个人经验，我与许多人交谈，听到积极评价国民服役的声音令人耳目一新，因为我接触的大多数人对国民服役持非常负面的看法。许多人持怀疑态度，我听到有人说“我看不到为什么我要保卫国家”，还有人说“我们的训练不够好”。

我想请教部长，我们如何应对这些问题。我认为某些世代可能已经过去，但对于即将进入国民服役的年轻人，我们如何培养他们对国家的热爱和激情，使他们无论面对何种人和环境，都愿意训练，因为他们相信保卫国家的重要性？

黄永宏博士：女士，感谢提名议员的发言。她说得对。武装部队是社会的缩影。你不能指望每个人都持有相同的观点和承诺。我告诉你，整体趋势是我们在逆流而上。

我们有一张图表显示近年来实行征兵制的国家数量在减少。在亚洲，真正实行征兵制的只有韩国和我们，因为国民服役以保护国家是一项艰难的事业。我想给出的答案不是粉饰太平或不切实际，而是必须持续下去。我们尝试了多种方式——正如第二部长和国务部长所说——无论是“国防承诺大使”计划，还是通过SAF50展览或国庆庆典，这都是一个持续的过程。

但我相信，总体上，新加坡人在关键时刻会保卫新加坡。我相信我们已经建立了足够的善意和信念。我承认谢女士所说，有些人觉得自己没有那份心或强烈的承诺去保卫新加坡；他们确实存在。我们会继续努力。但无论他们如何，每个人都知道必须服国民服役，在此期间，我们会继续努力帮助他们理解为何必须保卫国家。

女士，若获允许，我还想回应一些问题，因为我们还有几分钟澄清时间。

其中一位是黄碧云议员问及首届国庆游行（NDP）中行进的人员是否也会参加今年的50周年庆典。他们现在年纪稍长，但正如她所说，“他们中的一些人会回来”。确实如此。不仅是首届NDP队伍，前几届的队伍如果不行进，也会作为观众参加。国庆游行筹委会认为，重现或召回旧时的NDP行进队伍是有意义的。因此，将有一场复古游行，护士穿着旧制服，警察穿着短裤。他们不会是首届NDP的行进者，而是穿着相同服装的年轻人。

但我完全同意议员的观点，这不仅仅是表演。如果只是这样，我们就失败了。正如议员所指出，我们必须有一个触点，向人们解释、强调、共同庆祝、回顾我们作为一个国家所取得的成就，并展望未来。

我还想回应费萨尔·马纳普议员的观点。感谢他对我们关于马来族在武装部队政策的支持。正如我和历任国防部长所说，武装部队对国民服役士兵的部署基于他们的能力、天赋和对新加坡的承诺。如果你对新加坡有承诺且具备能力，我们会把你安排在最合适的位置。

他提到我在耶鲁-新加坡国立大学和法学院的一次座谈中所说的话。必须澄清背景。有个问题是“你们如何部署他们到敏感岗位？”我提到了安全审查，这是这些岗位的常规程序。议员们会觉得如果对敏感岗位不做安全审查，武装部队是不负责任的。你知道其他国家发生了什么，斯诺登事件就是典型例子，机密泄露，人员安全受威胁。这是常规做法。

我们会继续确保每位国民服役的新加坡人都能得到最佳利用，就像我们在CSNS中所做的那样。得到议员们的支持，我相信我们能继续保持强大的国防力量。

主席：费萨尔·马纳普先生。

穆罕默德·费萨尔·阿卜杜勒·马纳普先生：女士，我想表达我的观点。我的印象是，部长提到敏感领域时，可能与我个人在国民服役期间的经历有关。所以我想问部长，是否有某些敏感领域实际上对马来族是禁区？因为我当时的经历让我有这种假设。

黄永宏博士：女士，国防部内确实有一些敏感单位对华人、印度人也是禁区。种族不是因素，关键是承诺。你可以想象，这些单位甚至对高级人员也有限制，取决于敏感程度。这就是军队的运作方式，必须保守秘密。

你知道“Loose lips sink ships”（多嘴害船沉）这句口号。安全人员都明白。这是军队和安全机构的常规做法，普遍适用。我们必须保护信息安全，基于安全审查限制访问。

主席：黄碧云女士。

下午6点45分

黄碧云女士：我想澄清，当我说邀请首届国庆游行的人民防卫队志愿者参与今年国庆游行时，我并不是指让他们行进，而是邀请他们并给予应有的关注，让他们感受到被尊重和感谢。

黄永宏博士：我们会邀请能找到的人参加。是的，一些人会参与。但更大的目标是策划一场让所有新加坡人团结、更加乐观、更加坚定地共创美好未来的庆典。我们需要所有新加坡人的帮助。

国庆游行筹委会知道任务艰巨，标准很高，因为有很多请求。他们会尽力而为。但我希望大家在8月9日享受国庆游行表演。正如我所说，游行结束后，请保持街道清洁，注意安全。我相信只要我们用心，把这次活动作为回顾国家发展、增进团结、展望未来的契机，国庆游行就会达到预期目的。

主席：如果没有其他澄清，司徒一斌先生，您是否愿意撤回您的修正案？

薛奕彬先生：是的，夫人。再次感谢各位议员的发言，以及我们的部长和国务部长的回应。夫人，谨此请求撤回我的修正案。

[(程序文本) 修正案，经许可，撤回。 (程序文本)]

[(程序文本) 头J项下的126.91亿新元列入主要预算案。 (程序文本)]

[(程序文本) 头J项下的4.31亿新元列入发展预算案。 (程序文本)]

第136页

英文原文

SPRS Hansard 原始记录 · 抓取日期：2026-05-02

SAF50

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin (Potong Pasir) : Madam, I beg to move,

"That the total sum to be allocated for Head J of the Estimates be reduced by $100".

Madam, 2015 marks both SG50 as well as SAF50. Last month, MINDEF kicked off the first in a series of commemorative events with SAF50@Vivo. I would like to begin by asking the Minister for Defence to share with the House his thoughts on the significance of SAF50 and what the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) intend to do to honour the contributions of our SAF pioneers?

Madam, last year, I encouraged people to sign up as an SAF Volunteer in this House. I am happy to hear from SAF that since then, some 800 persons have applied to be SAF volunteers under the SAF Volunteer Corps, or SAFVC Scheme. Around 50 successful applicants will begin their Basic Training as early as next month.

We should be happy and proud that so many have come forward to take part in the SAF-VC and to share in the National Service experience and make their own National Service commitment.

Madam, National Service is almost as old as the nation itself. It began when then Defence Minister Dr Goh Keng Swee moved the Second Reading of the National Service (Amendment) Bill in March 1967. He also announced that 9,000 males born between 1 January 1949 and 30 June 1949 would be called up for National Service. By mid-April 1967, more than 90% of the 9,000 males eligible for National Service had registered.

You may think this was Singapore National Service Version 1.0. I think many in this House, including myself when I found out, will be surprised to know that this is actually National Service Version 2.0.

National Service 1.0 began as early as 1952, when the National Service Bill was tabled on 4 March. At the Second Reading of the Bill, then Acting Colonial Secretary Andrew Gilmour explained to the Legislative Council that the main purpose of the Bill was to give the Government the power to introduce National Service whenever necessary in order to meet the defence needs of Singapore and to ensure that the responsibility of defending the Colony could be spread fairly among the population.

Page: 95

National Service Volunteer Corps

The National Defence Ordinance came into effect on 1 March 1954 and the colonial Government then tried calling up 1,000 youths through a ballot after some 24,000 eligible persons were registered. This attempt did not go smoothly as some 500 Chinese High school students demonstrated against the new law on 13 May 1954. They clashed with the Police. This incident later came to be known as the National Service Riots of 1954.

Madam, what is the main lesson we can learn from the failed Nation Service Version 1.0? The first and main lesson is that people who perform National Service must believe in defending something that belonged to them. The Colony then belonged to the British, not to the youths who were called up.

As Second Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing said weeks ago, "The most powerful weapon that Singapore and SAF have is not something that we buy overseas, not something that we can build, but something in our hearts. It is the desire and the willingness to fight for our independence, to remain independent so that we can determine our destiny for years and generations to come". National Service Version 1.0 failed because the most powerful weapon, the heart, was not there. Version 2.0 succeeded because we were independent and our heart was, therefore, in the right place.

Many will also believe that the SAF-VC scheme is also SAF Volunteer Corps Version 1.0. Actually, it is not even Version 2.0 but probably Version 3.0. Version 1.0 can be found when the People's Defence Force (PDF) Bill was passed on 30 December 1965, shortly after Independence. Three months later, some 3,200 males had volunteered to join the PDF. This was before National Service was introduced in the form as we know it today. But given our small population, a volunteer PDF cannot adequately meet the defence needs of Singapore and, hence, Dr Goh had to introduce "modern" National Service Version 2.0 in 1967.

And even when we introduced National Service in 1967, there was also a Volunteer Scheme of sorts that started in tandem. Many skilled individuals volunteered to help to kick-start the SAF's development of capabilities. One example is the SAF Medical Corps which began in the 1960s with many volunteer doctors and nurses who need not have done National Service. The Medical Corps is now a professional branch of SAF, highly trained and equipped to perform difficult missions in many parts of the world, as we have seen when they are deployed in many disaster relief and rescue missions.

Madam, but its leadership began as a largely volunteer one. Many of them are now in their 70s and 80s, and some have sadly passed on. The Minister of Defence will be familiar with some of these giants in the medical field, such as the late Dr Jimmy Choo, Dr Earl Lu and Dr Richard Yung, our previous Permanent Secretary and Director of Medical Services, Dr Kwa

Page: 96

Soon Bee and many others. I hope that even as MINDEF honours our Pioneer National Servicemen as part of SG50, we also remember these pioneer volunteers that helped to shape SAF in its formative years.

Goodwill from SAF Overseas Missions

Madam, let us now also revisit what is the stated mission of MINDEF and SAF.

"The mission of MINDEF and the Singapore Armed Forces is to enhance Singapore's peace and security through deterrence and diplomacy, and, should these fail, to secure a swift and decisive victory over the aggressor."

4.45 pm

Logically, the first mission of SAF must be to act as a deterrent. Would-be aggressors are deterred from attacking us because of a strong SAF. The second mission of SAF is the terrible task of destroying our enemies as quickly and comprehensively as possible when war starts.

As opposed to soft power, which I had talked about earlier, SAF is the rawest and most obvious form of hard power we have. But it can also be a tool for soft power.

Diplomacy is soft power in action. As stated in the mission of MINDEF and SAF, diplomacy helps to enhance peace and security. The SAF has done this many times in the past through our overseas missions. Examples include helping our Thailand and Indonesia neighbours during the 2004 Tsunami, earthquake relief efforts in New Zealand in 2011, the flood relief efforts in Kelantan, Malaysia, late last year, as well as our Navy helping Indonesia in the recent tragic Air Asia QZ8501 crash in search and rescue.

These are important missions where our SAF has contributed significantly in many ways that are beyond the obvious. These missions contribute to better mutual understanding, respect and trust. Countries and armed forces that go through hardship together and, hence, understand, respect and trust each other more are less likely to go to war with each other. It is in our self-interest to be a good neighbour. It is part and parcel of the SAF mission of engaging in diplomacy so as to secure our peace and stability.

At this juncture, I would like to ask if the Minister for Defence can share with the House the experiences that the SAF has learnt from its overseas missions.

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Of course, there are limits to how much or how frequent we can deploy our SAF assets in such missions. The first restriction or precondition is that other countries must welcome and invite us, as we make the first effort to offer our assistance. The second consideration is that as a largely conscript army, we must be conscious that we do not expose our National Service boys to unnecessary and great risk.

Even so, I would encourage the Minister for Defence to consider putting MINDEF and SAF on a more pro-active footing. We may not even need to wait for a crisis or disaster to take part in humanitarian efforts. As we celebrate SG50 and the hallowed institution of National Service, and as SAF develops and matures, it is also time to actively develop the third stated mission of MINDEF and SAF – which is diplomacy.

[(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)]

The Chairman : Dr Lim Wee Kiak, you have two cuts. Please take them together.

Regional Defence Diplomacy

Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Nee Soon) : Madam, Singapore's security is inexplicably tied to our relations with our neighbours. It is, therefore, important for us to understand our neighbours' military and defence abilities and plans. In recent years, there have also been talks of an arms race going on in ASEAN. Perhaps largely fuelled by territorial disputes, some countries in the region have begun to import more arms, submarines, in particular.

What is the annual growth of our neighbours' defence budgets in absolute and in percentage terms over the past few years? Does the Minister think that there is an ongoing arms race going on in the ASEAN region? Should we be concerned? What is the state of our bilateral defence relationships with our immediate neighbours?

Additionally, what confidence-building measures has MINDEF taken to forge good, enduring defence relationships with our neighbours? I am heartened to note that just recently, Minister Ng Eng Hen has signed a Letter of Intent with Malaysia's Minister for Defence to enhance cooperation on military and defence matters. We need to develop trust and understanding between neighbours. I believe we can look forward to similar levels of affirmations and friendship with other ASEAN neighbours in the days ahead.

International Defence Diplomacy

Madam, major powers like the United States (US) and China play an important role in the security and stability of our region. In recent years, both countries have increased their military presence in this region and particularly in the South China Sea. The US will reportedly

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deploy four warships to Singapore by 2018 and this has been envisioned to be on a rotational basis.

The days of the Cold War would seem to be gradually warming up from Europe to Asia. I envisage it is a matter of time before the Russians start eyeing this region. They have been courting China and India so as not to be left out in the cold, except that, for now, they are pre-occupied with events in Europe.

There is a criss-cross of defence arrangements between individual ASEAN countries and the US, and certainly among ASEAN countries as well. What are the implications of this growing military presence of the US and China on the strategic defence arrangements and architecture in our region? Should we expect to host a greater foreign military presence in the near future in our region? How will this affect our defence diplomacy within the region and with the major powers that we host?

Maintaining and advancing defence relationships with the major powers are important for security and diplomacy. Joint training, in particular, will be mutually beneficial and highly enriching for our own defence forces, and I hope we can seek to achieve more of such arrangements. How has MINDEF continued to advance our defence relationships with the major powers?

International and Regional Security

Ms Ellen Lee (Sembawang) : Chairman, the measure of a responsible member country in the international community is its willingness to share the burden of international and regional security. Singapore is physically small, and a "little red dot" as we are called. But since Independence, we have been consistent in our efforts to do what is in our interests as well as within our means to collaborate on security and humanitarian initiatives sanctioned by the United Nations (UN). Last year was singular in the number of terrorist, epidemic and climate issues that confronted the world.

What impact do these have on the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF)'s role? Can MINDEF provide an update on its contributions to international and regional security, for instance, fighting the ISIS threat, countering piracy in regional waters and providing disaster relief?

Military Diplomacy

Mr Low Thia Khiang (Aljunied) : Madam, despite long-running talks about implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and even an agreement over a Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea, there remains no binding arrangement to manage and reduce friction in East Asia's maritime domain. In fact, there seems to be

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persistent friction over the South China Sea.

The issues have the potential to affect regional stability and Singapore's continued prosperity. Singapore needs to navigate carefully among the different positions of the US, China and our neighbours. MINDEF's defence diplomacy and outward engagement in conjunction with other agencies can have important consequences for Singapore's national security and interests.

I would like to better understand how MINDEF's current and planned defence diplomacy efforts could bring concrete benefits to Singapore's national security.

The Defence Minister spoke about the need to tackle the hard security challenges and to deliver concrete outcomes at last year's Shangri-La Dialogue. There, he also discussed the ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting-Plus framework, and further highlighted a Bruneian plan for a government-to-government hotline and a Vietnamese proposal for a "no first use of force" agreement. Would the Minister provide an update on these proposals, how they concretely aid our national security, and how the Government has responded?

Beyond these proposals, what other initiatives is MINDEF currently undertaking? How does MINDEF intend to reduce uncertainties, enhance understanding and improve coordination in the region and beyond through defence diplomacy, apart from conferences and meetings?

Fight against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)

Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied) : In November last year, the Minister announced that MINDEF would be joining a US-led coalition against ISIS by contributing a KC-135 Aerial Refuelling tanker, and an imagery analysis team to the war effort. The Minister clarified earlier this year that SAF has sent a needs assessment and survey team and a liaison officer to facilitate planning and coordination between SAF and coalition forces.

In view of the evolving nature of the threat, I would like to ask the Minister whether Singapore will seek to contribute to this international effort in areas where it has specific value-add capabilities. For example, we have religious rehabilitation as a more unique contribution, apart from hardware and analytical capabilities that can also be contributed by other allies.

Secondly, I would like to enquire how MINDEF plans to manage the prospect of Mission Creep, leading SAF to commit more in-theatre forces in the fight against ISIS, than is the case

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currently.

Finally, I would like to find out what the Ministry is doing to work with our immediate ASEAN neighbours to develop an ASEAN response to the ISIS threat, thereby promoting confidence building and military-to-military cooperation between our neighbours with the attendant benefit of a more united and safer ASEAN, in addition to the promotion of greater security integration between ASEAN member states, particularly, our closest neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Defence Spending

Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade) : Madam, our defence budget for FY2014/2015 hit a record high of $12.56 billion. This marked an increase of 3.2% from 2013. Arms spending alone was $12.2 billion last year, compared to $8.6 billion in 2004.

Our defence expenditure has increased steadily by about 4% a year since 2008. The steady spending on our defence is necessary for our national security, which is becoming ever more important. Terrorism has become a very real issue, and tensions between countries all over remain a concern. Besides continuing to maintain good ties with countries, Singapore needs to continue building up its own defence capability and security in order to deter would-be aggressors.

Looking across the Causeway, our neighbour, Malaysia, had recently announced that their National Service programme for 2015 would be suspended as part of measures to cut costs. While our budget for MINDEF has sometimes come under criticism, not spending enough on our national defence and, hence, compromising our national security is unthinkable.

While Singapore may have the highest defence spending in Southeast Asia, other countries in the region of Asia have also increased their defence spending and any cut-down on Singapore's spending seems likely to have implications.

Madam, I understand that our defence expenditure includes investments in human capital, operating and development expenditure, and investments in new capabilities. Could MINDEF provide an overview of how spending is allocated across these three areas?

I have spoken in my main speech about MINDEF being a crucial public space in Singapore. Can the Minister tell me if MINDEF has a way of tracking the social capital it has built up over the years? And if not, can it explore a way of doing so? I am always amazed at the reunions – involving the boys – that old school alumni have. Can MINDEF consider also

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providing support for such efforts and perhaps have them in camps? I think this would bring communities together and that is another way we can build a closer and more inclusive society.

Optimising Resources and Productivity

Dr Lim Wee Kiak : Madam, MINDEF has been allocated the largest amount of expenditure for this year's Budget. And MINDEF is also the custodian of the largest amount of public land and public sector manpower. I believe the Ministry would have mapped out plans and strategies for the utilisation of these resources given to the Ministry.

I would like to ask what MINDEF is doing to ensure that these resources, both fiscal and manpower, are adequately and properly deployed. Can the Minister share with the House what is in the pipeline for the next five years?

MINDEF has always taken innovation and productivity seriously. In the past years, the Ministry has received regular recognition for cost-saving solutions and innovative ideas, and I congratulate the staff for these achievements. I would like to ask if the Minister can share some of the recent productivity measures that MINDEF is exploring and how successful these measures are.

Defence Expenditure and Savings

Mr Pritam Singh : The Minister for Defence has previously stated in Parliament that in the coming years, the rise in MINDEF's expenditure will largely correspond with the rise in inflation. This year, however, MINDEF's budget for FY2015/2016 is 5.7% higher than the year before.

I recall the presentation at the COS last year by the Defence Minister on the likely shape of the SAF in 2030 with larger capacity Landing Ship Tanks (LSTs), next generation fighter aircraft and the intention to transfer more of the Army's traditional fighting units into mobile platforms as possible changes to the order of battle of the SAF.

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Is the increase in this year's defence budget attributable to platforms that MINDEF intends to purchase in the years to come and, if not, how does the Ministry account for the rise in expenditure from the past year?

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Secondly, in view of maintaining fiscal prudence at the national level, would MINDEF consider including more cost-saving measures as a key criterion for defence purchases, as exemplified by the announcement of the induction of the Aerostar, which was widely reported in the local media to have reduced MINDEF's operating expenditure footprint for the task at hand by 29%.

Finally, I would like to enquire about MINDEF's plans to operationalise the suggestion, most recently made by Malaysia as the current Chair of ASEAN, for the establishment of an ASEAN Peacekeeping Force. What is the current thinking of MINDEF about this idea?

The Chairman : Mr Alvin Yeo not in the Chamber, Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef.

The Transformation of SAF

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade) : Madam, the SAF commenced its 3rd Generation Transformation in the early 2000s to ensure that it will remain a highly capable, relevant and respected defence force. The changes have been progressive and positive, preparing the force to handle challenges and eventualities in today's ever-changing climate, which remains volatile and fluid, day by day and month by month.

The developments have been in both the areas of hardware and also software, which definitely have to go hand in hand in any transformation process.

Besides investments in technology, machinery, weaponry, IT and also transportation, the training, growth and development of the personnel and also recognition are important.

Challenges of the future, such as our rapidly decreasing birth rate and ageing population as well as handling of emerging security threats will have to be dealt with as well. As we mark SAF's 50th year and move into the future, can the Minister provide an update on SAF's transformation plans to ensure that we continue to be an effective fighting force capable of handling any threats to our little red dot?

Mdm Speaker : Minister for Defence.

The Minister for Defence (Dr Ng Eng Hen) : Mdm Chair, first, let me thank Members for their useful questions and enlightened comments, many of which I share. This is a special year because as many Members have said, 2015 is the Golden Jubilee of our Independence as well as 50 years of SAF since its inception. As many Members of this House have pointed out, it is an appropriate occasion for us to look back, examine our roots and collectively see

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what we have achieved and, more importantly, also look forward.

And if you look at our founding generation and what they went through, they went through three, I would say, bitter periods. First, was the British surrender of Singapore to the Japanese and the subsequent occupation; then, Konfontasi; and then, the fight against the communists. Just one challenge would have been severe but we have Pioneers who went through all three. For this reason, the bitter lessons that they learnt, forged in them an epiphany and the fierce determination that only with a strong defence could Singapore safeguard its sovereignty because, without this strong defence, Singaporeans would never be able to chart our own destiny.

As a small country with limited manpower, I believe that most Singaporeans today understand that this strong defence can only be built up and maintained with a strong and heavy commitment of financial resources and, above all, the efforts and sacrifices of our National Servicemen.

We have said it time and again, but it bears repeating: if Singaporeans cannot or do not defend Singapore, no one else would. And in this, our Golden Jubilee year, I am sure that I speak on behalf of all the Members in this House to affirm our strong and continued commitment to defend our country.

Today, Singaporeans can have the quiet confidence that after many decades of steady investment into our defence capabilities, SAF is a strong and capable military, able to protect our interests and borders. Beyond SAF and our NSmen, the message of Total Defence, that we are as strong as we are united, has also taken root in the community.

Many Members – Mr Sitoh, Dr Lim Wee Kiak, Assoc Prof Fatimah and Mr Pritam Singh – have asked how the SAF stands today and what it will be like in the future.

First, how does the SAF stand today. I think we can be confident objectively because we have consistently benchmarked the SAF with militaries from other advanced countries. We test our systems through realistic training and real operations. We have conducted four Exercise Forging Sabres in the United States in the last decade. And every year, we go to Australia to conduct Exercise Wallaby since the year 2000. There, we put our soldiers and platforms through rigorous and realistic test scenarios, including our unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and F-15 and F-16 fighters, Apache helicopters, high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) and naval ships. The exercise scenarios are complex. They require high levels of integration in every exercise. I am happy to report that after each exercise, our overall systems are validated and we learn important lessons to bridge the gap.

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When I say that our overall systems are validated, it tells us that our command and control systems are responsive and coherent. We can close the loop on what we see and how we want to effect a response.

Beyond exercises, the SAF has also actively contributed to missions that have strengthened international peace and security as well as Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR). Mr Sitoh Yih Pin spoke about this.

We had some 15,000 Servicemen who were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan for 10 years, between 2003 and 2013. They were there a long time as part of the multi-national stabilisation reconstruction efforts. We have also deployed Servicemen to the Gulf of Eden to support counter-piracy efforts since 2009 and commanded three times the combined task force. Recently, SAF ships and aircraft were deployed for the AirAsia crash and there the SAF men on board the MV Swift Rescue located the fuselage. The Army was also deployed in Kelantan and, with water purification teams, they supplied potable water for Malaysian flood victims.

Whether it was for exercises or real operations, they validate our readiness and professionalism and they provide invaluable experience to our Servicemen and also enhance our ability to operate with our key partners. Through both of these exercises and real operations, the SAF has shown that it can move decisively as one integrated professional force and succeed in the mission and tasks assigned.

Members here have asked for an update on what else we are doing for the SAF. Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked about this for the next five years. We will continue upgrading the SAF's capabilities at a steady pace. From next year, the Navy will start replacing its patrol vessels with new littoral mission vessels. Similarly, the Army will use new Protected Response Vehicles. This is in place of the V200. Some older NSmen here would have used it. Others would not know what I am talking about, but the V200s are quite ancient, and so we will use the new Protected Response Vehicles.

Our Super Puma helicopters – Members of this house will be more familiar with those – have been in service for almost 30 years. They need replacements and we will carry this out over the next decade.

Beyond upgrading specific platforms, as Mr Pritam Singh mentioned, SAF needs to remake itself in response to a changing landscape from new security threats. This was eloquently put by Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef. Looking ahead, in our Golden Jubilee year for SAF50, what do we expect the SAF to be able to respond to, what is its core mission, how does it shape itself to respond to threats that threaten Singapore and Singaporeans? We

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may compartmentalise, but threats that threaten Singapore and Singaporeans do not come with necessary clear labels. That is the core question we have to ask.

Externally, the SAF has to contend with cyber threats and the growing use of disinformation in warfare. And the landscape is emerging. In the recent UNIX Security Conference, which I attended last month, there were many sessions on "hybrid warfare", which integrates the use of conventional and unconventional tools of warfare by state and non-state actors.

What is hybrid warfare? It is a "sexy" term, but what is it? Singaporeans can understand it easily, because it is the exact antagonist of Total Defence which we started some decades ago. Hybrid warfare is an orchestrated campaign to fracture the solidarity of the target nation through undermining its defences in civil, economic, social, psychological and military measures.

I want Members to listen to the chilling words of the Chief of General Staff of the Russian Federation General Valery Gerasimov: "The very rules of war have changed. The role of non-military means of achieving political and strategic goals has grown and, in many cases, they have exceeded the power of force of weapons in their effectiveness."

Non-military means have exceeded the power of force of weapons. He continues, "The focus of applied methods of conflict has altered in the direction of the broad use of political, economic, informational, humanitarian and other non-military measures, applied in coordination with the protest potential of the population."

He continues, "All this is supplemented by military means of a concealed character, including carrying out actions of informational conflict and the actions of special operations forces. The open use of forces, often under the guise of peace-keeping and crisis regulation, is resorted to only at a certain stage, primarily for the achievement of final success in the conflict."

Clinical but chilling. Why? Because this textbook description of hybrid warfare was played out with orchestral precision in the annexation of Crimea and the recent unrest in Ukraine, where subversion and subterfuge were conducted through flesh and blood provocateurs as well as through disinformation on social media to cause disunity and dissent among the target populations, before military force was applied.

There is another example of hybrid warfare. This is the radicalising effect of Al Qaeda and then ISIS. Some Members have asked about ISIS and how we respond to it. But it is

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another facet of hybrid warfare, if you look at it closely. And this time, by non-state actors.

Tens of thousands of foreign fighters have been radicalised by ISIS' false ideology and have headed for Iraq and Syria. They may carry out violent attacks when they return to their home countries.

The examples of Ukraine and ISIS have added urgency to many countries in studying their defences against such campaigns of hybrid warfare orchestrated by external adversaries. So, challenges, as we see them, are not neatly compartmentalised as we say. I understand Mr Pritam Singh's point when he asked, "What is our core mission? When do you know it is mission creep?"

It is a difficult question. But at the centre of it, if it threatens Singapore and Singaporeans, even if it comes in uncommon or unconfined labels, we will have to respond to it.

5.15 pm

The concept of hybrid warfare is as old as war itself and that is why we launched Total Defence in 1984. What is new is the amplification of disinformation due to social media. No country, including Singapore, is immune to disinformation war and SAF will have to raise capabilities to detect and counteract such threats in the cyber and infomation domains.

Beyond hybrid warfare, the unrest in Ukraine and its impact on the rest of Europe hold other salutary lessons for Singapore. Let me describe to you what was last year's mood at the Munich Security Conference. This was in 2014. Last year's conference was centred on peace after War World II, 70 years of peace. There was an air of celebration, and rightly so. The Cold War had ended. Russia was integrated into Europe and the global economy. The European Union (EU) had expanded and more states were joining in, not only to the EU but even asking to join NATO. There were even questions asked about the relevance of NATO. So, there was an air of festivity, actually, last year.

Indeed, for the last decade, many countries in Europe had reduced defence spending to "reap the peace dividends". Some had even scrapped or suspended military conscription, their version of national service. Then in March last year, just two months after the Munich Security Conference, the unimaginable occurred – Crimea was annexed. Alleged rebels attacked and seized key buildings and military bases in key cities in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine, and these rebels include "little green men", masked unidentified soldiers armed with Russian equipment. At the same time, Russia assembled a sizeable force at the Ukrainian border, which senior Ukrainian officials estimated to comprise over 80,000 troops

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and 270 tanks, amassed at the border.

Decades-old formale treaties and pledges were broken, basically torn up, not worth the paper they were printed on. Fundamental assumptions about peace in Europe were overturned. And this year's Munich Security Conference, when I read it, there was a phrase that was declared deafeningly "Peace in Europe is broken"; all within the span of one year. The impact on small states in Europe is even more ominous and threatening.

A recent Financial Times article last month, on 25 February, was headlined "Russia fears lead Lithuania to reinstate military draft". The small Baltic states, of which Lithuania is one of them, are the closest geographically to Russia. The article continued, "Lithuania is reinstating military conscription in a dramatic move that underscores the anxiety among the Baltic states about Russia's intentions".

These states are concerned that what happened to Crimea will occur to them and they are no longer confident about their future. Lithuania had, in fact, just suspended their form of national service only in 2009; that is, six years ago, because it assumed that the neighbourhood was safe. Now, Lithuania is frantically trying to raise a bigger army. Earlier this year, the Lithuanian government issued an instruction manual to schools and the general public on what to do in case of an invasion. The Baltic states are scared stiff that what happened in Crimea and Ukraine could also happen to them. Lithuania is not very big – three million people but much larger than us.

Singapore, like the Baltic states, is a small country. I think we do well to heed the cautionary tales from their experience. Never take our peace for granted. It can only be purchased through the collective commitment of our NSmen and all Singaporeans. Never weaken the strong defence that we have built up over the years through neglect or complacency. The time to build up a strong defence is during peace. A strong deterrence is Singapore's best defence. All these you have heard and time and time again.

When danger is upon you, as it is precipitously for the Baltic states, it will be too little and too late to build up a defence. And contrary to expectations that peace and stability that one enjoys today will last, things can go wrong very quickly. As I said, in one year, the mood is completely reversed.

As long as we have the support of the Government and our people, the SAF will discharge its responsibilities fully to protect our home and its people. The SAF will be very clear-eyed about our potential threats and challenges. We do not assume any neat packages and we are remaking ourselves to be more effective in the future. Some Members mentioned Singapore's demographic trends, Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef, in particular, over

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the long term. Yes, the SAF will have to operate with a leaner manpower pool without any loss of effectiveness. Whether it is measured by the ability to manoeuvre, fire-power, new capabilities, the restructured SAF, even though it is leaner, will be more potent and versatile. And we have been able to do this because we have used advanced technologies.

We talked about productivity and defence spending. When it comes to productivity, I will tell you that the SAF feels it the most acutely, not only because we want to, but this is the reality that we face with a shrinking NS pool. It is forced upon us. Our manpower supply is not as elastic as the civilian side of the house. So, each time a new platform is planned, in fact, one of the key questions is: how can I do it with fewer people and, if not as effective, more effective?

For example, our unmanned aerial vehicle systems can already stay airborne for more than 24 hours. On land, the army uses robots to defuse explosives in some situations. It is also studying the use of more unmanned ground vehicles to conduct security patrols, for example. Out at sea, unmanned surface vessels may, in the future, patrol our congested waterways. If we can do it without manned ships, why not? These advanced technologies have greater precision, endurance and use less manpower and allow us to remain potent with a leaner force.

The SAF will further leverage new technologies to respond to security challenges, whether it is external, internal, whether they come in neat packages or are amorphous. New units for cyber defence are being raised. Better capabilities using infocomm technology, robotics and artificial intelligence are in the pipeline for testing and integration into the existing systems.

But even with the most advanced technologies and equipment, we constantly remind ourselves that our people remain our greatest and indispensable asset. It is. And many Members of this House have said so and I agree with you that our people are, ultimately, what makes the difference – the strong fighting spirit of our soldiers, airmen and the sailors as well as the quality of leadership that will allow the SAF, as Mr Sitoh rightly pointed out, to deter aggression and, when that fails, prevail over potential aggressors.

We must continue to sustain this strength into the future. We cannot build an effective force without capable and committed Servicemen, particularly NSmen, who form the bulk of the SAF's fighting force. We are implementing the recommendations by the Committee to Strengthen National Service. Second Minister Chan Chun Sing will elaborate on this but just let me highlight two significant proposals that are progressing well.

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First, we said that we will reduce the waiting times for NS enlistment to not more than six months after the completion of their post-secondary education, and we are on track.

Second, the SAF Volunteer Corps has attracted many responses and we are on track to take in this inaugural batch this year.

While NSmen form the backbone of the SAF, we need to ensure that we have adequate SAF regulars to train units and build capabilities. I announced during the Committee to Strengthen National Service (CSNS) that we are stepping up recruitment for more trainers and, again, we are on track to double the number of regular trainers at the Basic Military Training Centre from the middle of this year. The SAF is also recruiting more women as regulars, as more opportunities open up in different vocations because we use advanced platforms.

A number of Members here have asked questions on defence spending – Mr Seah Kian Peng, Dr Lim Wee Kiak, Mr Pritam Singh. They are very observant and they have asked whether we have noticed that defence spending in Southeast Asia has gone up. Indeed, it has. Southeast Asia's defence spending has increased, as a block, by about 150% in nominal terms over the last decade. It translates to an annual growth rate of about 11%. China's defence spending has more than quadrupled over the same period.

Defence spending in Asia, as a whole, has continued to rise. We are monitoring this trend closely. We are not responding to it in sharp rises because, as we have often said, we want to avoid sharp increases or dips in our defence spending. Despite this general trend, our approach is still to plan long term, maintain our defence expenditure steadily. As Members have said, over the last decade, our defence expenditure has grown by 4% nominally, on average, and more or less kept pace with inflation.

Mr Pritam Singh asked why this year it has jumped by 5.7%. I will respond to that by sharing that when we plan, we plan over a longer-term horizon, not year on year, but over a five- to-10-year period. It allows us to make sure that you do not adjust suddenly, whether it is manpower training or platform acquisition. It is actually also productive. By that, I mean that because you plan over a longer-time horizon, it allows you very smart opportunity buys. We do not buy a platform when it is just new. Even if we buy a new platform, we watch for it, when the price comes down, and before it is too few and production goes down and the price goes up again. It allows us to plan when to acquire.

I thank Members for reminding MINDEF that we need to be prudent in the use of our resources. We are aware that we spend the largest proportion as a single Ministry, and we will be prudent. The default for MINDEF and SAF is to upgrade existing platforms rather than

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buy new ones – that is a default – unless only new equipment provides clearly superior and needed capabilities.

Let me give an example. We recently upgraded our Mine Counter-Measure Vessels. We did not buy new ones, we upgraded them, because they are more productive and can integrate with unmanned water systems. As a result, the mines can be cleared up to five times faster.

Not only with financial resources, but I take the point from Members, including the point made by Dr Lim Wee Kiak, whether we have been prudent in our land use. We recognise that land in Singapore is precious and, therefore, we use technologies to intensify land use. Some Members may have visited but, if you have not, we would like to arrange a visit to the Multi-Mission Range Complex.

For some of the men in this House, you would remember the old SAF Training Institute had a number of ranges. It was flat, but what we did was we put them all together in high-rise and there are seven ranges in one. In the same space that is occupied by one, there are seven ranges. You would remember during your SAF days that you had to wait till night to do night shooting. Now we just switch off the lights and you can do the night shooting. Another example, and this is a big one, is the relocation of Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) into an expanded Changi Air Base East and Tengah Air Base.

MINDEF and SAF proactively and carefully studied this option because we knew that land was precious. As a result, we will free up 800 hectares of land for alternative use and, beyond that, remove the height restrictions on developments around PLAB. We are very conscious and, where we can, we will intensify, relocate, and this includes training for SAF soldiers overseas. But – and it is an important "but" – I will tell Members of this House openly, there is a minimum required to house our defence assets, to train our soldiers in Singapore and to ensure the defence integrity of our defence capabilities.

Let me say that again – there is a minimum. It is not just, "You have so much, this is so much land, can you squeeze within a single plot?" Beneath a certain size, we lose the coherence of the defence system.

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I welcome the questions by Members on the external environment because, even as we focus on the SAF internally, we have to pay attention to our geopolitical environment and defence ties with other countries. Dr Lim Wee Kiak, Ms Ellen Lee, Mr Pritam Singh and Mr Low Thia Khiang talked about this. Mr Low asked, beyond the Shangri-La Dialogue and

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ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM), what is Singapore doing and how much more can Singapore do.

Sometimes, I wish that we could do more than we want. But we are a small country and we need to build strong partnerships to bring about a more secure regional environment. We never over-stretch our perception of our own size, potency or force. At the end of the day, we say it and say it time and again so that it becomes trite, but it is true – we never forget we are a small country, we are a red dot, a small one; we hope a shining red dot, but it is still a small one.

And so, we have to build strong partnerships and, in the 70 years after the end of World War II, the US' presence in Asia has promoted regional stability and prosperity. For this reason, that is why Singapore facilitates the US' presence here. We allow them to use PLAB and Changi Naval Base for transit. The second US Navy Littoral Combat Ship arrived in Singapore recently, rotating through its deployment.

In addition, our close relationship with the US affords us access to high-end defence systems, as well as the training space in the US. I talked about the high mobility artillery systems. Some Members who were previous artillery chaps would know how many men it needed to set up the artillery. It was a slog and you have to respond. About 12 men, they tell me. But now, the new systems, from the US, operate with three men in front of the truck – 70 kilometres, high precision, shoot and scoot.

Our defence relations with China are excellent and we acknowledge China's desire to play a peaceful and constructive role in this region. Reflecting this close relationship, Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan and I jointly issued a press release during my visit there in November last year to enhance our defence interactions and to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Singapore-China diplomatic ties this year. We had joint exercises. It was quite a sight to see People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops on one side and SAF troops on the other charging up the hill, taking an objective together. The Chinese do some things quite in style. They have large operating training grounds where you can sit and see the mass. We do not have that; we do not have the space. It was a very good interaction.

We actively engage our closest neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia. We share many common interests to build understanding and mutual respect. The SAF was among the first to assist our neighbours in the search for MH370 and QZ8501, as well as provide assistance during the floods in Malaysia a few months ago. Our defence relations with both countries are strong and we frequently interact military to military.

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Indonesian Defence Minister Ryamizard chose Singapore as his first stop among ASEAN for his introductory visit in January. Recently, as Dr Lim Wee Kiak pointed out, I hosted Defence Minister for Malaysia Hishammuddin and we signed a Letter of Intent together. And we will do more with Indonesia and Malaysia – they are our closest neighbours. We will step up our coordinated naval patrols with Indonesia, Malaysia and other littoral states because there is piracy and sea robbery in our regional waters.

As Mr Low Thia Khiang said, the ADMM and the Shangri-La Dialogue are important platforms. They allow us space beyond which small countries find hard to give voice, to put things on the table, to ask questions that concern our collective security; and also, importantly, to encourage militaries from all these countries to build understanding. Without understanding, there can be miscalculations and misunderstandings.

I will tell Members that the militaries of Northeast Asian countries rarely speak to one another. They do not meet. That is not healthy; and can be actually very dangerous. And it is very dangerous. When Brunei hosted ADMM, we encouraged Brunei to hold 18-nation exercises, and we helped, supported and facilitated. Just imagine 4,000 troops from 18 countries, the Chinese sent their Peace Ark, the Indian sent their ships, Japan sent their ships; and they were deployed across -decks. Soldiers from different countries, including the US, went to one another's decks of ships, and exchanges built. At the very least, it built some understanding, even more than that, for some, it built trust. It reduces the risk of miscalculation.

It may not be headline-grabbing. We may not be able to issue headline news every time we meet, but that would be unrealistic. Defence diplomacy is slow; sometimes, it is laborious, just like most diplomacy. We should not mistake it to think that because we are just meeting and there are no "announceable" outcomes, that you are not being productive. Patience, slow cultivation provide us more space; it actually wins friends and builds that understanding.

It is important to reduce tensions in the South China Sea because it is in our backyard. In May next year, we expect ships, aircraft and personnel from ASEAN and our "plus" partners to participate in another major exercise on maritime security and counter-terrorism. We have something which is extra; we can get the militaries to exercise together. That is what we are trying to push. This practical cooperation is timely and relevant, especially in the face of increased terror threats from ISIS. Mr Pritam Singh asked if ASEAN can issue something in common – and he is right. It is very useful. This is what the Chairman, Malaysia, wants to do. Members would have read the newspapers and would know that Malaysians are in Iraq and Syria. Indonesia's Chief of Defence came to Singapore and he said that he was worried what the fighters would do when they come back to their homeland. It is a real and present threat. It is a core mission for our security forces.

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This is what we do at the Shangri-La Dialogue as well. Last year, we had 26 ministerial-level delegates and participants from 35 countries. We do not expect to have "announceables" and deliverables every year. But when they happen, it can be quite impactful. The combined patrols in the Straits of Malacca – a few years ago, the Straits of Malacca was put in the Lloyd's List's risk category equivalent to war-risk zones. Insurance premiums had gone up. You had to pay as if you had ships going through the same risk as in the war-risk zones. At that time, Prime Minister Najib was the Defence Minister and he mooted this idea in the Shangri-La Dialogue of combined maritime-air patrols, eyes in the skies, and, subsequently, joint Malacca Straits patrols in your own sovereign waters. It brought piracy down and Lloyd's delisted the area.

We will do more and play a constructive role in regional security as Members have asked us to. That is why we have set up the Information Fusion Centre and the Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre – this is something that Mr Sitoh Yih Pin asked. He asked if we could accelerate our defence diplomacy. I am happy to update that China, France, Thailand and Brunei have accredited liaison officers to this regional HADR Coordination Centre, while Australia and Laos have established operational linkages.

Madam, let me, finally, provide details on this year's National Day Parade (NDP). It is special but the NDP will also be very special. I know there will be questions asked later. Let me give Members some heads-up. It is a very significant year; in fact, our Golden Jubilee year. Looking back 50 years, Singapore has been blessed and we have much to celebrate together.

NDP 2015 will remember our historical roots; we will remember from whence we came. That is why we are doing it at the Padang. We will recount our collective achievements as a nation and look forward to a shared progressive future for all Singaporeans.

So, appropriately, the NDP will take place at the Padang. Why? Because that is where our first NDP in 1966 took place. Read Mr Lee's account of that particular parade in his memoirs, stirring account, of challenges, what happened. We were thinking, as you know, every year, we have an NDP theme. What would be an appropriate theme for our Golden Jubilee? We have thought hard, the Organising Committee, and when I read to you the theme, you would say it is a good choice. The theme is "Majulah Singapura" – Onward Singapore. It reprises the clarion call to all Singaporeans, a call made to all Singaporeans when we were a poor nation at Independence, beset on all sides – whether they were problems of inadequate jobs, housing, education, basic necessities of life.

Listen to our debates in Parliament now. As they say, they are good problems. Just imagine Parliament then at our Independence – problems aplenty, resources very little, if any. And that was the context in which Majulah Singapura was a rallying cry to all of us to move forward as one people to overcome our challenges and more, and we have succeeded.

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So, NDP will tell this story, as far as possible, to remind us from whence we came, to recognise the contributions of our Pioneer Generation and our leaders in nation-building.

There have been many calls – you can imagine the NDP Organising Committee gets many requests, suggestions and calls. One of them I feel particularly – it is important for us to try to accede to, to agree to – that is, to allow as many Singaporeans as possible to share in this historic 50th NDP, because the next Golden Jubilee will be 2065. So, this one, we really want to allow as many people as possible to share in that experience.

But you know the Padang, there is a limited number of people who can watch the show. But I am happy to announce that the NDP Organising Committee has changed the format somewhat so that as many people as possible can share in this moment on 9 August 2015. We want to make this Golden Jubilee Celebration special for as many Singaporeans as possible. What do I mean? With your permission, Mdm Chair, may I show you what I mean?

The Chairman : Yes, please. [ Slides were shown to Hon Members .]

Dr Ng Eng Hen : First of all, every Singaporean household, yes, I mean every Singaporean household, 1.2 million Singaporean households, whether in the HDB or private estate, will receive an NDP Funpack. So, even if they cannot come to the Padang or the areas around the Bay, which I will explain, they can watch at home, wave the same banner, slap the same clappers all over the island.

Second, we will open up discrete areas around the entire Marina Bay, so that more people can congregate and enjoy NDP15 in person. You look at the slide, you start at the Padang – its capacity is about 26,000. But we are opening up the floating platform where we had last year's NDP. That can hold 25,000. One Fullerton can hold about 10,000; the Promontory, 20,000; the MBS Event Plaza, 30,000; Gardens by the Bay, 40,000.

All in, we think the entire area can accommodate more than 150,000. And in some of these sites, we will place giant LED screens so that viewers can watch the show and all of them will be able to watch the aerial displays live and the fireworks. The fireworks for NDP 2015 will be largest ever, as well as the aerial display will the largest ever. I would not be a spoiler, but it will be spectacular.

There will be many sights to behold and for Singaporeans to remember. And where possible, the march-past, the contingents as well as the mobile column, will make their way to some of these locations around the Bay area.

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5.45 pm

The cost of the NDP at one site in previous years, which Members have asked about in this House, has been about $20 million. This includes the cost of logistics equipment for the rehearsals over a span of six to eight months: the four National Education (NE) shows, the preview shows and the actual show itself, which, in previous years, had about 5,500 participants and 25,000 onsite. The scale, of course, in NDP 2015 is much larger; many more folds than in previous years. There will be 7,000 participants, twice as many ticketed spectators; there will be the large crowds around the Bay and thousands of Singaporeans are expected to join in not only at Marina Bay but TV viewers – an estimated two million TV viewers at home. The cost of the NDP 2015 at the Padang alone is about the same as in previous years. But because of these additional sites, new facilities, it will increase the total cost of the NDP in our Golden Jubilee Year to about twice that of previous NDPs. So, it is about twice. In addition, the 1.2 million fun packs will cost an additional $10 million, part of which will be supported by corporate sponsors.

We are planning an NDP that allows all Singaporeans to celebrate together. But let me touch on two important points before the facilities overwhelm us.

First and foremost is safety. With large crowds expected, I would like everyone at the NDP to pay attention to their personal safety and that of others around them. We are working with the Ministry of Home Affairs, but we need members of the public to take personal responsibility, too. If everyone follows instructions, the risk of mishaps will be reduced.

Second, civility and cleanliness. Even as we celebrate NDP this year, even as we do it as one people to reflect on how much we have achieved together, we certainly do not want to diminish this by finding on the next day the whole of Marina Bay area littered. It will be a sad testimony to us as a people if you cannot even clean up after yourself. Organisers will provide more rubbish points, but I am flagging this out now, safety and cleanliness, so that it can enter our collective consciousness and aspirations for National Day.

Mdm Chair, with the strong commitment of NSmen and their families, employers and the community, the SAF will continue to safeguard Singapore's Independence and sovereignty on this SAF50 and our Golden Jubilee. We will do it so that our future generations may also enjoy the peace and security that we enjoy today.

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NSmen Operational Readiness and Safety

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio) : Madam, our NSmen take their role in serving the nation and in remaining operationally-ready seriously and with pride. They have done well and contributed with all their hearts and minds. These include our Malay soldiers who have achieved honours and recognition in the SAF based on their own merits and abilities. They have been deployed to various vocations and units within the SAF and have done well.

The extensive deployment of our Malay soldiers in the SAF is, in part, due to the continuous effort of the Malay PAP Members of Parliament in engaging the community and the Government. I am glad the Government and the SAF have taken much of the feedback from the Malay PAP Members of Parliament and made positive changes over the years. I am confident that we will continue to forge ahead and progress in this regard as our NSmen and soldiers ready themselves operationally to defend Singapore.

[The Deputy Speaker ( Charles Chong) in the Chair]

The implementation of the new three-station Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) has generated interest in the physical fitness of our NSmen which remain critical for the SAF's operational readiness and effectiveness.

Would MINDEF be able to update how it is helping in ensuring our NSmen remain physically fit and operationally ready? In addition, the safety of our NSmen remains a concern, especially among parents, even though MINDEF has taken steps to improve SAF's safety systems and make them more robust. Can MINDEF provide an update on its efforts to strengthen training and operational safety?

SAF Volunteer Corps

Mr Alex Yam (Chua Chu Kang) : Dr Goh Keng Swee said in 1976 that, "The security of every society must always depend, more or less, upon the martial spirit of the great body of the people."

Our SAF is the representation of that martial spirit of our people. For the last 50 years, it has been a bulwark against aggression from external parties. While challenges have evolved, our need for defence is perhaps even stronger today than ever before due to the now asymmetrical threats.

Our demographic challenge weighs heavy on us as we seek to maintain a well-disciplined effective armed forces. It is with this that I firmly welcome the introduction of the SAF Volunteer Corps. I have asked for a number of updates in 2014 and welcome the

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progress made with the launch of the SAFVC applications in October 2014.

SAFVC provides opportunities for the broader Singapore community to make their contributions to defence. Colonel Mike Tan, Commander SAF VC, in his invitation to volunteers, said that many work tirelessly to ensure the peace and security of Singapore, calling it "a noble and onerous duty".

Therefore, I seek the Ministry's update on the progress made in the recruitment of volunteers, the profiles and eligibility of those who have volunteered, as well as how training will be conducted. Have there been any challenges in the process and what safeguards are there to ensure that safety and security are not compromised?

Mr Low Thia Khiang (Aljunied) : Sir, the application for SAF Volunteer Corps (SAFVC) opened on 13 October 2014. I would like to ask the Minister for an update on the number of applications received and accepted so far, and the estimated expenditure for SAFVC in its first year of operation.

I would also like to know whether deploying volunteers alongside our NSF, NSmen and regulars pose security risks for SAF. Will the security vetting be sufficiently thorough, especially with regard to the period of time when the applicants were residing outside Singapore?

Volunteers need only to do two weeks of BMT, seven days' qualification course training and are liable to be called up for seven days a year. Will the reduced training time be sufficient? Will it cause grievance for our NSmen? For example, the length of training that is required for a security trooper should be the same, regardless of whether it is performed by a volunteer or an NSmen. Otherwise, our NSmen will wonder why they need to spend more time training for the same role or whether every part of the training is really necessary.

The issue of equity in treatment between volunteers and NSmen is especially important. Volunteers are subject to a different rank structure, and how they are treated in camp must commensurate with their training and experience. Our NSmen are not going to take lightly to a volunteer "legal specialist staff" being treated in camp as if he is a fully-trained SAF officer or a "medical trainer" who has not gone through the usual Medical Officers' Course being treated like any other MO (Medical Officer) in camp.

If the Government sees SAFVC as a way of getting first-generation Permanent Residents (PRs) and citizens to play a part in the military defence of Singapore, it is important that the Government pays attention to these issues.

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New Developments for ACCORD

Mr Ong Teng Koon (Sembawang) : Sir, through an Act of Parliament in 1967, Singapore's Defence Force, consisting of conscripts, was born and organised not without difficulty. The National Service Act requires that all able-bodied and healthy men at the age of 18 are to undergo two years of military life. There was initial resistance from the community. Understandably so, because it essentially meant taking male children away from parents for two years and subjecting them to the unknown perils of military life.

This illustrates the importance of support from the community for the country to organise a standing army. The need for community support and understanding becomes even more critical when our men graduate from full-time National Service training to reservist training. Calling on them and drawing them away from civilian life means disrupting their professional careers and affecting their employers' wherewithal.

The Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence (ACCORD) was established by MINDEF in 1984 as a channel for the community to provide feedback on issues concerning Singapore's defence. Members of ACCORD have played a significant part in building public acceptance and support for Singapore's security and defence needs over the years.

Although ACCORD has been a useful channel of feedback for MINDEF and on the SAF's policies and programmes, Second Minister for Defence Mr Chan's announcement at COS 2014 on plans to restructure ACCORD to strengthen community support for NS was both timely and a positive step forward, even as support for NS remains high.

Commitment to defence and support for NS from the larger Singaporean community have to be continually reinforced and strengthened, especially in times of peace. It would be too late to only do so in times of crisis.

The restructured ACCORD, with its three Councils, is aimed at strengthening engagement with stakeholders from businesses, educational institutions, families and communities on the importance of defence and the need for NS.

Can MINDEF provide an update on the restructured ACCORD and the progress made over the past year? In particular, can MINDEF provide an update on the work of the various Councils under the newly restructured ACCORD? How are these Councils intending to reach out to stakeholders, such as employers, schools and families?

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Commitment to Defence

Mr Alex Yam : Mr Chairman, "The most dependable guarantee of our Independence is a strong SAF. A strong SAF, in turn, depends on the political will to make the effort and pay the price." These are the words of the Father of SAF, the late Dr Goh Keng Swee, in 1984.

Since the formation of the SAF 50 years ago, the defence of Singapore continues to be dependent on the will of Singaporeans to support the policy of having a strong armed forces and taking personal responsibility to be involved in our defence.

The global and local landscape is changing. Our challenges are evolving, too. External challenges have moved on from conventional warfare to asymmetrical threats. Internal challenges have also emerged, key of which is demographic changes in Singapore, a shrinking population and, thus, a shrinking base from which our armed forces can call upon.

The world view of Singaporeans has changed as well. To many, dangers to our sovereignty are less apparent today than in the past. Support for National Service, that rite of passage for Singaporean men, remains high, but we must guard against complacency.

We need to recommit ourselves to the defence of our country, to return to the spirit of our early Independence. We are a country lacking in a real tradition of soldiering and seafaring. Therefore, much more effort is required to re-emphasise the importance of the SAF to Singapore's long-term future.

In the words of Mr Lee Kuan Yew: "Without a strong SAF, there is no economic future, there is no security."

How will the Ministry ensure continued commitment by Singaporeans to defence? What is the Ministry's reading of the long-term prospects? I, therefore, urge the Ministry to fully engage Singaporeans at this important milestone of SG50 and SAF50. There will be challenges but, as we have seen in our history, we can surmount them and come out stronger.

Fair and Equal Deployment

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied) : During last year's COS debate, I had requested the expeditious resolution of the issue of the loyalty of Singaporean Malays. The request was made based on the Suara Musyawarah Report. I would like to highlight one of the practices that may have inadvertently given rise to the unhealthy perceptions about the loyalty of Singaporean Malays.

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During a recent forum attended by the Minister for Defence, it was reported in The Straits Times that the Minister had been asked a question on perceived bias against Malays

in the SAF and the exclusion of Malays from the Navy. In his response to the question, the Minister had said that there was a practical issue of having halal-certified kitchens on board Navy ships.

It is truly disheartening to find out from the Minister's response that Singaporean Malays had, indeed, been excluded from Navy ships all this while. It is also very disappointing to find out that the exclusion of Singaporean Malays from Navy ships is a result of a practical issue. But what is most worrying is that the practice of excluding Singaporean Malays from Navy ships may be wrongly perceived by Singaporeans as evidence that there is bias against Malays in SAF and that there is an issue over the loyalty of Singaporean Malays to this nation.

6.00 pm

It was also reported that the Minister had said that provisions have been made to allow Singaporean Malays to serve onboard Navy ships if they are willing to do so. This is definitely a most welcome change and I applaud MINDEF for taking a step towards a more inclusive SAF. I urge the Minister to seriously consider the possibility of ensuring that all Navy ships are equipped with halal-certified kitchens so that Malays will be allowed to serve freely in the Navy without any constraints. I urge the Minister not to stop there, but also to work towards making the entire SAF an inclusive and open organisation that is fair and just to all Singaporeans regardless of race, language and religion.

My final point is with regard to what the Minister had said during the forum about sensitive positions in the military. The Minister was reported to have said that a person is deployed in a sensitive unit in SAF based on his or her ability and beliefs, and not on his race. Again, I applaud the Minister and MINDEF for their laudable efforts to make SAF an inclusive and open organisation that is fair and just to all Singaporean service persons. However, I note that the Minister advised caution over the fact that "people can be blackmailed". While I agree with the Minister that we have to ensure that the people who are placed in sensitive positions in the military do not compromise our national security, I would like the Minister to clarify what kind of people does he have in mind and how can they be blackmailed?

SAF Pioneers

Mr Alex Yam : Mr Lee Kuan Yew at the 2012 Temasek Society dialogue said, "The SAF has done better than I hoped. That was because the generation that grew up, knew the stakes that were involved."

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As the Minister has mentioned, 2015 is significant for two reasons: it is our nation's Golden Jubilee and also the 50th anniversary of the SAF. In 1965, we had the small luxury of still having the British forces stationed in Singapore. But with their accelerated pull-out in 1971, that meant that our early SAF pioneers had to build up a credible defence force in double quick time.

I attended the launch of the SAF50@Vivo with members of the SAF Veterans' League. It was a humbling moment to be in the midst of men like CPT (Ret) Shamsudin bin Shadan, an old friend who, despite his now mellowed years, still displays the tenacity and iron will of the strict Regimental Sergeant Major that he was in 1966.

I welcome and fully support the role of our SAF veterans and pioneers in educating and guiding the next generation of pioneers for SAF. I also look forward to more in SAF50 to commemorate this significant milestone. But more importantly, I hope that we can do more to recognise and honour our pioneers. Some of those who were in the earliest batches of SAF and National Service do not qualify for the Pioneer Generation Package. But serve they did. Would the Ministry consider any way to recognise these stalwarts similarly so that their sacrifices would not be forgotten?

National Day Parade

Ms Ellen Lee : Chairman, the annual National Day Parade (NDP) has been entrenched in the lives of Singaporeans as the signature event in the month of August, alongside other events to mark the nation's birthday. Participants feel the tug of patriotism in their hearts and revel in the uniquely Singaporean flavour of this visual and aural feast by cheering loudly and singing national songs.

Expectations run high this year because it is our 50th birthday and our people have confidence in MINDEF staging a parade that will be remembered for a long time. Minister has just given to us a glimpse of what to expect at the Padang this year. Can Minister give us more information on what else can we expect for the National Day Parade?

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong (Tampines) : Listening to the Minister's sneak preview of the NDP, it sounds exciting, but I hope it will not become a grand spectacle, a multimedia concert or just a TV extravaganza with bells and whistles. I feel that this NDP should be unique and special in another way. It should be a real experience for everyone there and everybody watching. It should stir our emotions, inspire our imagination.

Sir, Singapore held her first national day parade in 1966 at the Padang. Although still reeling from the trauma of Separation and anxious over the country's survival, our Pioneers managed to muster the courage and imagination to put up a parade with the theme:

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National Pride and Confidence in the Future. One of the highlights was the 19-minute march-pasts of 23,000 men, women and children. The march-pasts was held by six contingents of the volunteer force, People's Defence Force (PDF), which was just formed on 30 December 1965. The PDF, including its women's contingent, were on public parade for the first time. Also in the PDF's contingent were several Ministers and Members of Parliament, all wearing, for the first time, the uniforms of officer cadets.

Our founding Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, recorded in his memoirs: "They put up a brave show and were cheered enthusiastically by those behind the saluting guys and by the crowds lining the streets as they recognise their sun-tanned Ministers and MPs in uniform, eager in their stride if lacking in martial bearing."

In his aural history, Othman Wok, one of the Ministers who marched in that parade, revealed that it was Mr Lee who had gone around persuading the Ministers and Members of Parliaments to take part in the PDF contingent.

The NDP, held at a low point when the people's morale was sliding dangerously low, boosted their faith in the country and its leaders. At that time, Singapore had just two infantry regiments, both under Malaysian command, and no regular army of its own to speak of. Our Pioneer leaders sweated blood to build up SAF from scratch. How far we have come today. Our SAF has proven to be a strong and credible military force and the pride of our nation.

As we celebrate Singapore's 50th year of Independence this year, let us not forget our Pioneer Generation, especially our founding leaders, who have struggled against mighty odds to get us to this point. In the spirit of honouring our Pioneers, we should involve the PDF volunteers who marched in the first NDP if they are still with us and are able to come. We should invite them and give them their due spotlight in our Jubilee parade, now back at the Padang where it all began.

There is also an extra Pioneer leader, whom we must honour: our founding Premier, Lee Kuan Yew. It is also right that we, as a nation, pay him a special tribute in this year's NDP. Without his strong and visionary leadership, without his determination and gumption, Singapore would certainly not be where it is today, a country free and strong, as we often sing in our community song.

I fear that if we let this moment pass, we would become desensitised to the notion of sacrifice and service, and take the tears and sweat of those who have gone before us for granted. To pay tribute is to show the grateful heart of the nation. If there is time for a nation to make room for remembrance and sentimentality, it is this NDP. Even if Mr Lee may not

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want it or expect it, I feel it is important that we, as a nation, honour him during this special occasion.

I would like to ask the Minister whether he could consider making this a part of this year's NDP. I would also like to call for the new SAF Volunteer Corps, which is really a reincarnation of the PDF, to take part. It is to show a line of continuity between the Pioneer Generation and the new one and bridge the generation gap.

The Second Minister for Defence (Mr Chan Chun Sing) : Mr Chairman, the cornerstone of our defence is our commitment to defend what is ours. What we cannot defend and what we are not committed to defend will not be ours. This commitment depends not just on the generations of National Servicemen who have served in SAF. It also depends on all Singaporeans who may not directly serve in SAF. It further depends on all institutions and organisations in our society. To engender the commitment of our National Servicemen, we must train our Servicemen well, train them safely, be good stewards of their time and talents and, last but not least, to give due recognition to our National Servicemen where it is due.

Dr Intan asked about our fitness regime. Fitness is the basic building block of our National Servicemen's capabilities. We want our National Servicemen to be fit for their operational duties, for themselves, for their families and for the country. We have announced that, from 1 April 2015, the IPPT system will evolve to a three-station regime to make it easier to train and to encourage our NSmen to excel. Since last year, we have also provided our NSmen more time – 12 months – to train, prepare and meet their fitness requirements. We have since introduced "IPPT in the Park", to make it more convenient for our NSmen to access training. We have also trialled the use of iDAT and Fitbit for NSmen to take greater ownership of their own fitness training. We did all these to partner our NSmen in their fitness journey even as they meet their other family and economic responsibilities. All these measures will also complement the SAF's vocational fitness regime to prepare our NSmen and NSFs for their operational demands.

Dr Intan also asked for an update on our safety system. In the area of training safety, we have made various improvements to our training and medical systems to better take care of our National Servicemen. The SAF medical service is working closely with the National Health Systems to leverage each other's capabilities to care for all Servicemen and for all Singaporeans as a continual. For example, we recently opened the SAF Cardiac Fitness Centre and this is integrated with the National Heart Centre. Such collaboration would allow us to leverage each other's resources and benchmark the SAF's health and medical standards to the wider national system. From January 2015, the SAF has also put in place the Emergency Ambulance Service which works with private ambulance operators to allow serious casualties to be directly evacuated to hospitals while receiving treatment en route.

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At the tactical level, we have leveraged the soldier tracker system to keep track of our soldiers on difficult terrain and small unit operations. This system is not just operationally useful; it also provides greater confidence to our evacuation system. The SAF is also working behind the scenes to evolve our work-rest cycle to better manage physical demands on our soldiers. This will regulate their physiological strains while achieving optimal performance in their operational duties. To reduce heat injuries, heat stress monitors have also been introduced to closely monitor localised weather conditions.

To be good stewards of our National Servicemen's time and talents, and, as part of the Committee to Strengthen National Service (CSNC)'s recommendations, MINDEF and the Ministry of Home Affairs will be adjusting our pre-enlistment medical screening and administration schedule. Today, 45% of our pre-enlistees enlist within four months of graduation from their post-secondary education. In future, 90%, double what we have today, will enlist within four months; the rest will enlist within six months. This will impact more than 20,000 enlistees each year.

Let me now touch on time management. The learning style of our youths has changed. We must similarly evolve our training pedagogy. MINDEF will continue to widen the use of LEARNet to save an estimated 15% to 20% of training time to be reinvested into hands-on practice for our soldiers. We are also redesigning our training equipping system to allow our National Servicemen to focus more time on their training, rather than on administrative duties.

For example, we are currently building a new tactical engagement system equipping station that will come online this year. This new station will allow us to fully equip an infantry or armour battalion with the tactical engagement system for training within half a day, much less than the 24 hours required previously. For mobilisation and equipping, I have shared last year that what used to take 24 hours to equip a brigade size force will now take much less time than that. And the time saved can be used by the soldiers to conduct their refresher training as their commanders get their battle plans ready.

MINDEF also engenders commitment in our people by being good stewards of our Servicemen's talents and energies. SAF works on the principle of meritocracy, we deploy soldiers to vocations based on merit and that which best makes use of their capabilities, aptitude and commitment. It does not make sense for us to do otherwise because people are the most precious resource that we have.

MINDEF and MHA will continue to recognise our National Servicemen. The NS Recognition Award, or NSRA, will now evolve into the NS HOME Awards. "HOME" stands for

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"Housing", "Medical" and "Education".

Previously, a National Serviceman would receive $9,000 to $10,500 across the three milestones in his NS journey. Going forward, he will receive an additional $6,000 for MediSave grants. From September 2015 this year, we will advance part of this additional grant to help cover our NSmen's MediShield Life premiums while they are serving full-time National Service.

Since implementation in September 2014, more than 56,000 National Servicemen have benefited and about $270 million has been disbursed under this scheme.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, Mr Low Thia Khiang and Mr Alex Yam asked about the Volunteer Corps. Mr Chairman, let me now touch on engendering the commitment of Singaporeans for those who do not directly serve in the SAF.

Actually, to be frank, all Singaporean families contribute to SAF directly and indirectly. Generations of parents, spouses, girlfriends who have encouraged and supported their sons, husbands and boyfriends in National Service have contributed directly and indirectly to our defence.

Come March, another group of people will demonstrate their commitment to our defence in a different way. They will form the SAF Volunteer Corps, or SAFVC, as we call them, continuing the proud tradition of the Singapore Volunteer Corps way before the SAF was even in existence.

The first intake of the SAF Volunteer Corps will begin training in March 2015, and it is this month. Since recruitment started last October, we have close to 900 applicants. We expect to take in 100 to 150 volunteers this year. They are a good mix of Singapore Citizens and first-generation Permanent Residents. They will also serve in a variety of roles alongside our National Servicemen. What they bring to the table is not just operational capabilities for the defence of this country. As importantly, if not more, they bring a new dimension of commitment to defence of our country. Through their actions, they have demonstrated their willingness to go the extra mile to defend what is ours.

In response to Mr Low Thia Khiang's question, different SAFVCs will have different capabilities and they will be matched according to their capabilities where their deployment is effective and safe. We will also security-clear all SAFVCs, as what we will do for all our National Servicemen. No difference.

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Mr Ong Teng Koon asked about ACCORD. Societal support forms the final pillar in our commitment to defence. Since last August, we have revamped ACCORD to form three Councils – the Employer and Business Council; the Family and Community Council and the Educational Institutions Council. This is to provide greater representation across different sectors in society and to tap their ideas and network to strengthen our commitment to defence.

Let me also at this juncture thank the three co-chairs – Mr Tony Chew, Ms Claire Chiang and Ms Indranee – and their many sub-committees who have worked very hard over the last few months to come up with the many recommendations that we have before us today. MINDEF has accepted all their recommendations for this year. We will progressively put in place the many good ideas that they have recommended.

Let me provide some updates on the Employer and Business Council while Minister of State Maliki will provide updates for the other two Councils subsequently.

The Employer and Business Council has recommended that we revamp the Total Defence Awards to recognise more people and organisations across different sectors who have contributed to the defence of Singapore. For example, instead of just recognising the employers and companies, we should also recognise the colleagues and immediate superiors who have been supportive and who have made a difference to the National Servicemen when they answer the call of duty.

Another example – we know that different industries and different sectors face different challenges in supporting the National Servicemen. Somebody in the trade sector will need quite different support from somebody in a factory. We also know that the challenges of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the big multinational corporations (MNCs) are quite different. Hence, we will work with the respective trade associations and business chambers to revamp their awards and to recognise more from the different sectors and different sizes of companies.

The Employer and Business Council also recognises that many skills – especially leadership, organisation and management skills – picked up by our NSmen are invaluable to their business operations. The performance of our NSmen in the SAF also provides valuable signals to the companies on the potential, the energies, the capabilities and the commitment of their employees. Hence, MINDEF and the employers have agreed to work together to let the employers better know the talent and attributes of our NSmen, who are their employees, so that they can better appreciate the talent of their employees – our NSmen – and better make use of those talents within their organisations.

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The Employer and Business Council has also recommended for MINDEF to work closer with the employers to keep them informed of their employees' upcoming in-camp training schedules. This will allow employers to better forecast their employees' work responsibilities to afford our NSmen peace of mind in preparing the discharge of their National Service duties.

The outreach done by the Employer and Business Council has also provided many employers fresh perspectives on the work of our National Servicemen. Many of them have given me positive feedback on what they have learnt about their employees – our NSmen – what they do in camp, the level of commitment that they demonstrate in their recall exercises and so forth. All these have generated a fresh sense of commitment towards our national defence because now our employers better understand how their employees – our Servicemen – work not just for their respective companies in peacetime, but also for the collective defence of our country, without which, their businesses would not be able to flourish.

Knowledge and understanding are the first steps in our societal support. We will continue to strengthen this partnership with the employers and businesses to provide the strongest support possible for our National Servicemen in the discharge of their duties to the nation.

Mr Chairman, the most powerful weapon of the SAF lies in the commitment of our people. I once met a young soldier from another country. His military did not have the advanced technology that we have. He knew that his military is not as capable as ours. But he looked me in the eye and told me that should anyone dare to come into his motherland uninvited and mean them harm, he will personally chase them out – even if he has only a bamboo spear in his hand. I respect this young soldier's spirit and determination. I think there is much that we can learn from this young soldier.

Yes, today, the SAF is a capable military and we can defend what is ours. But this capable military will come to naught if we do not have the gumption, will, determination or unity to defend what is ours.

On the other hand, if we can couple our advanced military capabilities with steely determination, if we can engender the commitment of our people, our entire society – our NSmen, all Singaporeans, businesses and social civic organisations – then I must say we have a formidable, if not invincible, defence machine.

Mr Chairman, let me now invite Minister of State Maliki to provide further updates on the work of ACCORD.

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The Minister of State for Defence (Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman) : Mr Chairman, ACCORD is an important platform that encourages ground-up initiatives to strengthen support for National Service. Minister Chan spoke about ACCORD and its renewed direction and structure to help deepen appreciation for our Servicemen. I co-chair the Family and Community (F&C) Council with the Senior Vice President of Banyan Tree, Ms Claire Chiang,

and the Educational Institutions (EI) Council with Senior Minister of State for Education Ms Indranee Rajah. Through these two Councils, we hope to reach out to schools and institutions of higher learning (IHLs) as well as strengthen family and community support for National Services. We have invited members of the community to serve on the Councils. Since being appointed, the members have worked very hard and have proposed many fruitful initiatives. Let me share a few of them.

The EI Council, for example, brings together members from educational institutions and other stakeholders to look at ways to strengthen support for National Service. For example, currently, NSmen can enrol for special enrichment and refresher modules before the start of their university studies. These programmes help ease NSmen's transition back to university, especially if they are embarking on a new course of study, and may also contribute to their university credits. The Council will explore how these existing modules can be enhanced to better meet the learning needs of the students and explore other efforts which could support our NSmen.

The members of the F&C Council have also engaged our communities to develop good ideas to strengthen support for NS and defence. Every year, during SAF Day, we receive strong support from merchants and businesses who provide discounts to our Servicemen and Servicewomen. Last year, a total of 151 retailers, in sectors ranging from fashion to food and beverages to electronics, came on board to show their appreciation to the SAF by offering discounts and deals. This was a strong show of support from our community. We want to encourage more visible and sustained ground-up support for our Servicemen and Servicewomen.

In this regard, we will collaborate with the People's Association (PA) and SAFRA to garner community and local businesses' support. PA is looking at how they can offer privileges for use of facilities at community centres to Servicemen and Servicewomen, including NSmen and NSFs. SAFRA is also looking at enhancing their membership privileges. We hope that, through their partnerships and networks with various merchants, they can offer more benefits and discounts to Servicemen in recognition of their service.

The F&C Council also felt that it was important to reach out to women and help them better understand national defence, given the important support they provide to their sons, husbands or brothers serving their National Service. The Council, therefore, recommended that we partner the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations and PA's Women

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Integration Network to conduct sessions for mothers to share their experiences in supporting their children through National Service. We are also looking into conducting engagement sessions with wives of NSmen and young women.

Mr Chairman, the restructured ACCORD and its three Councils have taken a more proactive approach, compared to its predecessor. The members are actively leading in various initiatives and such ground-up efforts will have a significant impact on our outreach and engagement with various stakeholders to increase commitment to defence and support for National Service.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin and Mr Alex Yam asked how we are intending to mark SAF50. I am pleased to report that the SAF has planned a series of SAF50 events this year under the theme "Our SAF: Giving Strength to our Nation". These events recognise and honour the contributions of all the men and women who have served in the defence of our country. Indeed, SAF50 is our way of saying "thank you" to all who dedicated themselves to preserving our sovereignty and defending our way of life, especially our Pioneers.

What SAF lacked in resources in the early years, our Pioneers made up for with their fortitude and determination. Mr Chairman, with your permission, I would like to show some pictures of these Pioneers.

The Chairman : Yes, please. [ Slides were shown to hon Members .]

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman : These Pioneers range from the soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Singapore Infantry Regiment; volunteers from the Singapore Volunteer Corps, Singapore Naval Volunteer Force and Singapore Women's Auxiliary Naval Service, and other volunteer forces, many of whom became members of the SAF when it was formed in 1965. These Pioneers were the early batches of officers, as well as National Servicemen who responded to the call after National Service was instituted in 1967.

Last month, we organised the first SAF50 public event – SAF50@Vivo. Held from 12 to 15 February, the four-day event attracted more than 87,000 visitors. While it had the usual displays of military hardware and fun activities, SAF50@Vivo was anchored on an exhibition that featured SAF stories. These were stories of our Pioneers, and their convictions and sacrifices. Stories of men and women who supported the SAF, whether from within the SAF or from the larger Singapore community. One Pioneer featured in our stories was LTC (Ret) Timothy De Souza. He was part of the RSAF's first aerobatic team in 1973. Another Pioneer was LTC (Ret) Syed Ibrahim. He was involved in Konfrontasi operations and later became an instructor who trained the first batch of our Officer Cadets.

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Another of these stories featured Eliza Heng, a volunteer counsellor and a mother of two sons. She spoke of how, through National Service, her sons "gained maturity in their outlook on life, and had become less self-centered and are more accepting of the little inconveniences in life". I am very heartened that many Singaporeans connected with and learnt a lot from the stories shared at the exhibition.

6.30pm

Mdm Hani, in her 40s who visited the SAF50@Vivo said that the exhibition helped her to relate personally to our Servicemen whom she spoke to at the SAF50 booth. She said, "Through them, I know what my son does and goes through during National Service". Another visitor is Ms Theresa Chua, 24 years old, who said that the event reminded her that "it takes the whole community to come together to defend and protect the welfare and sovereignty of our nation".

I am gratified by these comments. They remind me that because of the SAF, we have common space for Singaporeans of all backgrounds to interact, train together and forge enduring friendships. As a result, we have built a deep pool of social capital that gives strength to our nation. Through efforts, such as SAF50@Vivo and the outreach efforts of the ACCORD Councils, we will continue to engage the community and groups such as women and schools, so that we deepen the social capital and goodwill that the SAF has built over the years. We will continue to commemorate SAF50 over the course of the year.

To expand our outreach, the SAF50 exhibition will travel to various public venues, including regional libraries across Singapore, till October 2015. Stories on the exhibition will be put up on the SAF50 website and in a commemorative book, as well as adapted into short videos. The commemorative book, which will be launched in July this year, will be a collection of more than 70 stories that will allow us to see the SAF through the range of lenses – from diplomacy, defence technology, operations, to family and community support, media and entertainment.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin and Mr Alex Yam also asked if our SAF Pioneers will be involved in the SAF50 events. I am happy that many Pioneers came to the SAF50@Vivo exhibition and many others will be at other key events such as the SAF50 Parade, SAF50 Commemoration Dinner and SAF50 at Istana Presidential Garden reception. SAF Pioneers invited to these events include officers and warrant officers from the first batch of National Servicemen, first batch of officer cadets, Pioneers who served before 1965, and Servicemen who contributed to significant local and overseas SAF missions and operations.

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Some of these personalities will include our longest serving Chief of Defence Force Brigadier-General (Ret) Winston Choo, legendary Regimental Sergeant Majors, such as Captain (Ret) Hong Seng Mak – also known as "Tiger Hong" – and Captain (Ret) Shamsudin bin Shadan, and many more.

[Mdm Speaker in the Chair]

SAF formations and units will also engage their own Pioneers as part of their celebrations. Here, I also note Mr Seah Kian Peng's suggestion for MINDEF to support Unit Alumni Reunions. Indeed, we want to bring our Pioneers and previous batches of ex-Servicemen closer to our younger generation. They inspire us with their experiences, memories and motivations.

Mdm Chairman, with your permission, I would like to show a few more pictures of our Pioneers.

The Chairman : Yes, please. [ Slides were shown to hon Members .]

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman : SAF Pioneers like Colonel (Ret) Goh Lye Choon, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Syed Ibrahim and Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Daljeet Singh were involved in Konfrontasi operations. They fought for their comrades, families and for the security of our country at a difficult period of Singapore's history.

We have Navy Pioneers like Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Jaswant Singh Gill and Senior Warrant Officer (Ret) Wee Cheng Leong who saw the development of the navy from its formative years to become what it is today. Major (Ret) Agnes Fong from RSAF was amongst the first batch of female officers. She later blazed the trail to become the first female commanding officer in SAF. They will continue to inspire us and the next generation.

Mr Alex Yam also asked how MINDEF engaged Singaporeans to strengthen the public's commitment to defence. Our starting point is a simple one. We believe that everyone has a part to play in defence. All stakeholders can and should take a personal responsibility in defence, whether you are a mother, employer, teacher or student. This is why we work through ACCORD where different stakeholders from businesses, schools and the community have come forward to contribute and demonstrate their support for National Service.

Besides ACCORD, we have also been actively engaging grassroots leaders, employers, trade union leaders, overseas Singaporeans, Permanent Residents, new citizens, women's organisations and others through visits to SAF units and other activities to keep them informed and updated on National Service and defence-related issues. We aim to be as

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inclusive as possible.

In collaboration with MOE under the SAF-Schools Partnership Programme, 33 post-secondary education institutions have paired with 47 SAF units to co-organise activities, such as unit visits, for their students.

We need to keep up such efforts to engage our public, because Singapore's defence can only be as strong as our people's will to defend Singapore. This is why we launched the Commitment to Defence Ambassadors programme this year during the SAF50@Vivo on 13 February, through which, some of our Pioneers and ex-Servicemen will engage our younger Singaporeans and share with them our early struggles, experiences, and accomplishments in the face of adversity. I hope that these stories will inspire younger Singaporeans and give them the spirit and strength to do their part for Singapore.

Indeed, Madam, as we celebrate SG50 and SAF50 this year, we must remember the spirit and strength exemplified by our Pioneers. We must harness it and work towards building a more secure and prosperous future for Singapore.

The Chairman : We have some time for clarification. Anyone wants to raise any issue? Ms Chia Yong Yong.

Ms Chia Yong Yong (Nominated Member) : Madam, thank you. I have heard our Ministers speak about the commitment, the importance of the heart and also of how people have spoken about how they are very proud and committed to be soldiers. In my own experience, I have spoken with many people and it is refreshing to hear those who say positive things about National Service because the majority of the people I have spoken with have very negative views about National Service. Many of them are cynical and I have heard people who say, "I do not see any reason why I should defend the country". There are people who have said, "We have not been trained well enough".

I would like to ask the Minister how we would want to address those. I think we may have certain generations who have passed, but for the younger ones who are coming into National Service, how are we going to build up that heart of passion and love for the country, so that regardless of the people and circumstances, they will want to train because they believe in defending the country?

Dr Ng Eng Hen : Madam, I thank the Nominated Member for the remarks. She is right. The SAF is a microcosm of society. You cannot expect everyone to hold the same view, same commitment. And I will tell you, as the betting average goes, we are fighting against the

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trend.

We have a chart about the number of countries that have conscription over the last few years. It is coming down. In Asia, it is really Korea and us, because national service to protect your country is a difficult enterprise. And I would say to that, more an answer that is rose-tinted or even unrealistic, that you have to continue. We have tried in various ways – which the Second Minister and Minister of State have said – whether it is Commitment to Defence Ambassadors, or whether it is through our SAF50 exhibitions or our NDP which we talked about, it is a continuing process.

But I believe that on the whole, Singaporeans will defend Singapore when it comes to the crunch. I believe we have built enough goodwill and belief. I acknowledge what Ms Chia said, that there are those who feel that they do not feel that they have the heart or great commitment to defend Singapore; they exist. We will continue to work. But whether or not they do, each one recognises that you have to do National Service, and during the time that we have, we will continue to plod on and to continue to help them to understand why we have to defend our country.

Madam, with your permission, I also want to respond to some queries, since we have a few minutes in clarification.

One was what Member Irene Ng asked about in terms of whether those who marched in the first NDP will also be marching in our 50th Golden Jubilee. They will be slightly older now, but those that are around will, as she says in her words "some of them will come back". Indeed. And not only the first NDP contingent, but the first few, if not marching, then as spectators. The NDP Organising Committee thought that it would be useful to reprise or to bring back the old NDP marching contingents. So, there will be a vintage parade, which means nurses in their old costumes, policemen in their shorts. They would not be the people who marched in the first NDP; they will be younger ones but wearing the same costumes as the vintage parade.

But I agree absolutely with the Member that it is not just a show, and I agree with her. If that is all it is, then we have failed. We have to have a touch point, as the member has rightly pointed out, to explain or to impress on people, to celebrate together, to review what we have accomplished together as a nation and to look forward.

Another point that I want to respond to is the one by the Member Mr Faisal Manap. Let me thank him for his support for our policy on Malays in the SAF. As I have said and other Defence Ministers before me have said, the SAF's deployment of our National Service soldiers is based on their aptitude, abilities and commitment to Singapore. If you are

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committed to Singapore and have the abilities, we will put you in the best possible position.

He asked some of the comments I have made in a session with Yale-NUS and Law. The context has to be correct. One question was asked, "Can you deploy them? How do you deploy them when it came to sensitive positions?" I made the point about security clearance, and that is routine for these positions. I think Members would find the SAF remiss if, for sensitive positions, we did not do our security clearance. You know what happened in other countries. Snowden is a classic example where your secrets are all out, and you put your people in danger. So, that is routine.

We will continue to commit to make sure that every Singaporean in National Service is put into the best use, as we have done in CSNS as we engage them. And with the support of Members of the House, I believe that we can continue to have a strong defence.

The Chairman : Mr Faisal Manap.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap : Madam, just to give my point of view. My impression was that when the Minister mentioned about sensitive areas, it relates back to my own personal experience that I had when I was serving in National Service. So, I would like to ask the Minister; is there any sensitive area that is actually out of bounds for the Malays, because I kind of assumed that the experience that I had may be due to that.

Dr Ng Eng Hen : Madam, there are sensitive units within MINDEF that are out of bounds to Chinese, to Indians. Race is not a factor. It is an issue about commitment and, as you can well imagine, that they are even out of bounds to people who are senior, depending what is the sensitivity is. That is how you run militaries. You have to keep your secrets.

You know the slogan "Loose lips sink ships". Those who are in security understand it. And that is routine for militaries, for security agencies. It is common; it is applied; and we have to protect and make sure that the information we have is secure, and it is restricted based on security clearance.

The Chairman : Ms Irene Ng.

6.45 pm

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong : I just thought that I should make clear that when I said to involve the PDF volunteers who marched in the first NDP in this year's NDP, I did not mean to ask them to march. I meant to invite them and to give them the due spotlight so that they

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will feel that they are being appreciated.

Dr Ng Eng Hen : We are inviting those that we can find. So, yes, some of them will be involved. But the larger picture is that we plan a good celebration that all Singaporeans can come together. The Member's point is that really, at the end of it, will Singaporeans feel as one, more united, more optimistic about the future, more determined to forge a better future for all of us? That we will need the help of all Singaporeans.

The NDP Organising Committee knows that it has a very onerous task and very high standards for it because there are many requests. They will do their best possible. But I would like us all to enjoy the NDP show come 9 August. And, as I said, make sure that after the NDP show, keep our streets clean, be safe, and I believe that if we put our minds to it and if we use that occasion to see how far we have come as a nation, to use that occasion to come together closer, and to use that occasion to look forward to our future, I believe that the NDP would have served its purpose. And I hope that it will serve its purpose.

The Chairman : If there are no other clarifications, Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, would you like to withdraw your amendment?

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin : Yes, Madam. Once again, Madam, I thank our Members for their contributions and our Ministers and Minister of State for their responses. With that, Madam, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

[(proc text) Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. (proc text)]

[(proc text) The sum of $12,691,000,000 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. (proc text)]

[(proc text) The sum of $431,000,000 for Head J ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. (proc text)]

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