Lee Ching Wern
[email protected]In 1972, when Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean first joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) as an 18-year-old, the army was a different creature.
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"National service, at that time in the 60s, was not well-received. The Government took a long time to persuade Singaporeans that their decision to impose universal conscription, though painful, was necessary," recalled Rear-Admiral Teo.
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Morale was low. Some people even deliberately underperformed so that they didn't have to take up leadership positions.
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But today, what RAdm Teo has under his command is a greatly transformed defence force — one that he speaks of with pride.
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Interviewed by Today in his office at the Ministry of Defence before he left for the United States last week to visit the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF's) four training detachments, he spoke about how things have changed.
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And he was not just referring to the SAF's high-tech capabilities or training facilities today.
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RAdm Teo sees in national servicemen today the spirit and commitment to risk their lives for Singapore should there be a war.
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Asked if a younger generation of Singaporeans, who have not been tested in a real national crisis, had the mental mettle to stick one out, he sat forward.
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"The answer is yes," he said resolutely.
."Why do I have confidence in Singaporeans? You look at the way we came together in Sars — the fighting spirit. And, the evacuation of Singaporeans from Cambodia in 1997."
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When violence broke out between rival political factions there in 1997, 450 Singaporeans evacuated the country.
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"What I found most interesting then was the way the Singaporeans organised themselves. They split themselves into groups and appointed In-Charges to contact each other during emergencies. When the time came for them to be evacuated, they organised themselves most quickly and expeditiously," said RAdm Teo.
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A conscripted army is not necessarily less motivated than an army of volunteers. In fact, according to a Mindef survey last year, 83 per cent of the 1,000 Singaporeans interviewed said they would risk their lives to fight for Singapore – a very high commitment level by any country's standards, said RAdm Teo.
."I have seen Singaporeans in training exercises with other countries. They don't want to lose to their counterparts in the other armed forces. So, they really try very hard and we don't lose. This gives us a very strong unit spirit. We'll get together to say mai zo lau kui (Hokkien for "Let's not embarrass ourselves"), and keep the Singapore flag flying high," said RAdm Teo, laughing.
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It helps greatly that many national servicemen go through their entire period of service attached to the same unit.
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"In the heat of battle, what makes you climb out of your foxhole or come out from behind cover and attack? People fight for their buddies. Will you risk your life for someone you don't know?
."Our units stay together for a long, long time. These are real friends. And this, is one of the strongest factors in the SAF."
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But on the issue of women and NS, the ministry is not quite prepared to budge.
While the SAF has opened up many jobs to women in the army, the navy and the air force, "where their contributions enhance the operational readiness of the SAF", RAdm Teo explained, "it is not clear to me that the universal conscription of women will achieve that."
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A compulsory system of enlistment must be "for a clear overriding national purpose" — that of national defence.
.Other secondary benefits of NS, such as character building, can be fulfilled through other community channels. "If you call people up to achieve only the secondary benefits, in the long term, it cannot be sustained," said RAdm Teo.
--Today
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