SAF acts when absolutely needed

There has been some discussion on the Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF) support during train service disruptions. The SAF’s primary responsibility is to safeguard Singapore’s peace and security.

Periodically, the SAF may be called upon to assist during extreme circumstances affecting the national population.

We responded to contain the SARS crisis in 2003, and when haze blanketed Singapore in 2013, we distributed N95 masks to Singaporeans.

The SAF’s assistance in these circumstances ensured Singaporeans’ well-being and protected livelihoods, as the scale of these national disruptions overwhelmed other agencies’ existing resources.

While the SAF responds to assist Singaporeans in times of national need, we will only commit limited assets so as not to compromise our ability to perform our primary role.

Similarly, the SAF will only respond to large-scale train service disruptions when all the available resources of local agencies cannot cope. This is to ensure Singaporeans are not left stranded for hours at MRT stations or on the tracks.

The Land Transport Authority and the public transport operators will still be primarily responsible for having comprehensive contingency plans.