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First batch of SAF volunteers enlisted

SINGAPORE — Some members of the pioneer cohort of the Singapore Armed Forces Volunteer Corps (SAFVC), which started training for its first intake of 68 volunteers this week, are expected to be deployed alongside active servicemen from September.

SINGAPORE — Some members of the pioneer cohort of the Singapore Armed Forces Volunteer Corps (SAFVC), which started training for its first intake of 68 volunteers this week, are expected to be deployed alongside active servicemen from September.

The 2015 cohort, which will eventually be made up of about 150 volunteers, saw its first batch of volunteers being enlisted on Tuesday.

The SAFVC was set up last October to give more citizens and permanent residents the opportunity to contribute to national defence.

Colonel Mike Tan, commander of the SAFVC, said the response to the volunteer corps has been heartening.

There were even some overaged applicants who turned up for interviews, but the SAFVC had to turn them away, he told a press conference at Maju Camp last week.

To join the corps, one has to be between 18 and 45 years old, among other things.

“Among the more than 900 applications received, 85 per cent were eligible and we have since identified some 150 volunteers for the 2015 cohort,” said Col Tan.

The two other intakes for this year’s cohort will start training on April 11 and June 15, respectively. As for the remaining eligible applicants, the SAFVC will continue with various other checks to assess their suitability, Col Tan added.

For this year’s cohort, slightly more than half, or 51 per cent, are Singapore citizens, with permanent residents making up the rest. Four in 10 are women and those in the 30 to 40 age group make up a slight majority. One in three are aged below 30 and one in 10 are above 40.

The SAFVC said the volunteers wanted to serve for various reasons, such as a desire to repay society, an interest in military life and to set an example for their children who will need to serve National Service.

Some applicants who are PRs also believe that joining the SAFVC will help them feel more rooted to their new home, and better identify and integrate with Singaporean males, said the SAFVC officers who interviewed them.

On Tuesday, the newly-enlisted SAF volunteers (SV) pledged their commitment and loyalty to the SAF by taking an oath of allegiance at Maju Camp, where the volunteer corps is based.

Among them was Dr Janil Puthucheary, Member of Parliament for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, who became a Singapore citizen at the age of 35.

The SVs will undergo two weeks of basic training – a continuous one where trainees stay and live inside the camp for two weeks. The third intake will also undergo continuous training.

The second intake, however, will undergo training from April 11 to June 14 in a “modular” fashion, where lessons are provided on weekends instead of weekdays. Trainees who opt for this usually do so because of work and family commitments.

During the first two weeks of basic training, SVs will be taught various military skills, such as how to fire the SAR 21 rifle, overcome the standard obstacle course, and undergo a two-day field camp.

They will also undergo one week of qualification training and if required, one more week of advanced training to prepare them for specific roles.

Addressing the newly-enlisted volunteers on Tuesday, Col Tan commended them for stepping forward to play their part in national defence.

“By stepping forward to volunteer, you are making a commitment to serve alongside our servicemen and servicewomen to ensure the continued peace and security of Singapore,” he said.

“You have made the all-important decision to give your time and commitment, out of your own volition, to serve the nation and the people who live here.”

Some 67 per cent of the volunteers in the first intake will be trained as security troopers, guarding key installations across Singapore alongside active servicemen and reservists.

The rest will serve in specialised roles, with volunteers serving as information and media staff making up the second largest group, at 13 per cent.

A handful of volunteers will become medical trainers, maritime trainers, defence psychologists, bridge watchkeepers and deck operators.

A small group, 2 per cent, will serve as experts of command, control, communications and computers.

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