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When it comes to defence, short-term thinking could be fatal

It is ironic that Singapore’s defence policy can sometimes be a challenge to defend. Aside from Singapore’s high defence expenditure, its National Service (NS) policy tends to draw attention.

Recruits reciting the SAF pledge at a passing out parade in March 2018. Defending the need for NS will invariably be challenging in peace because its need may not be obviously apparent, says the author. Photo: Facebook / The Singapore Army

Recruits reciting the SAF pledge at a passing out parade in March 2018. Defending the need for NS will invariably be challenging in peace because its need may not be obviously apparent, says the author. Photo: Facebook / The Singapore Army

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It is ironic that Singapore’s defence policy can sometimes be a challenge to defend. Aside from Singapore’s high defence expenditure, its National Service (NS) policy tends to draw attention.

Some wonder why NS is presently needed. Others argue that it remains relevant. Both arguments are often based on different understandings of how NS and “security” are seen in different time frames.

SECURITY IS ABOUT THE LONG RUN

NS is a key aspect of deterrence, a central tenet of Singapore’s defence policy. It has contributed to keeping Singapore safe over the past half century, thereby allowing it to thrive and prosper.

President Halimah Yacob recently described NS as the backbone of Singapore’s national defence.

While it has never been tested in battle to demonstrate its mettle – undoubtedly a happy problem to have – the NS-based Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has been internationally recognised as an extremely competent fighting force.

A well-trained sizeable security force can be quickly mobilised from Singapore’s population for operations if necessary. The deterrent effect such a force has cannot be quickly dismissed even if it cannot be easily measured.

As a Russian military adage puts it, “quantity does have a quality of its own.”

Furthermore, NS provides the manpower for Singapore to respond to a wide range of crises. Many on the front-lines in the Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force and SAF are national servicemen. NS provides the means for this.

In fact, the term “reservist” was replaced with “operationally-ready national serviceman” in 1994 to reflect their primary importance in operations.

Some countries now wish they had a similar pool of trained security manpower. With the end of the Cold War, many developed countries abolished conscription because it was thought security could be guaranteed through other means, and a smaller all-volunteer force would be sufficient.

Several have now backtracked. Sweden and Lithuania are reintroducing conscription to meet defence needs amidst regional tensions, but it may never be the same as before.

An effective conscription policy requires consistent investment in training, equipping and administrative infrastructure, as well as integration with regular security forces, over many years. NS therefore cannot be a policy switch flicked on only when it is thought to be required. It has to be implemented for the long run for it to be useful.

CAN “SECURITY” MEAN SOMETHING ELSE IN THE SHORT RUN?

This traditional notion of “security” has hitherto been understood as being safe from foreign threats. The historical context of conscription was when the expectation of war was higher than not.

The need for conscription as a means to provide security was therefore self-evident.

A perceived lack of an existential threat to Singapore today, ostensibly evidenced by decades of regional peace and improved neighbourly relations, has allowed an expansion in how “security” can be conceptualised.

Peace facilitated Singapore’s economic growth and raised the quality of life of Singaporeans. Rising standards of living have come with concerns over being able to preserve it.

“Security” therefore no longer means merely having one’s life but also being able to live it to the best of one’s expectations. Physical threats by an external aggressor are just one part of how individuals may see their “security” threatened now.

The time and resources NS demands may inadvertently make individuals feel insecure as it challenges the way of life they seek. NS has been criticised for impeding the fulfilment of individual aspirations, hindering careers and impacting business bottom-lines because of the time and energy it takes away from these pursuits.

Some believe they therefore lose out because of it, and that causes insecurity.

While these short-run concerns should not be simply dismissed in the name of the long run need for security, NS should not be scaled down because of them. Privileging these present-day concerns is risky for Singapore.

Policy decisions on “security” have to focus on protecting Singapore’s sovereignty in the long run.

Varied individual conceptualisations cannot supplant the singular national one. In fact, without the ability to defend Singapore’s borders, Singaporeans would not have their way of life in the first place.

The government has always recognised that NS imposes a burden on those who honourably serve to keep Singapore safe. It is for this reason NS is only implemented to meet a “critical security need” and its mandate will not be extended.

While this burden has traditionally been addressed by a broad appeal to one’s sense of national duty, there have been in recent years more attempts to address specific concerns.

Initial efforts included financial incentives and awards to recognise the contributions of national servicemen and increased efforts to secure greater employer support.

In 2013, The Committee to Strengthen NS was convened and its recommendations were subsequently accepted to ease administrative restrictions for a more positive NS experience, expand opportunities for national servicemen to contribute to national defence and encourage greater community support for national servicemen.

Investment in technology and systems design to make training more efficient so that more can be done with less time has also steadily increased.

Recent initiatives have emphasised two new areas that focus specifically on the individual. The first is granting pre-enlistees a greater sense of ownership in their NS journey by allowing them to indicate their interest in vocations before enlisting for NS.

The Defence Ministry’s Cyber NSF Scheme is the most recent and radical manifestation of how national servicemen are given the opportunity to align one’s interests and abilities with their NS duties, subject to the SAF’s needs.

The second area is to encourage the development of “dual-use” qualities and competencies that will be helpful to national servicemen both in and outside of camp. Initiatives to encourage a sustainable fitness culture and accrediting skills acquired in full-time NS are recent examples.

Defending the need for NS will invariably be challenging in peace because its need may not be obviously apparent.

It, however, has been said that Singapore’s defence policy, and by extension, NS, is a comprehensive insurance policy that commands a high premium because of the level of protection it affords.

It would be imprudent to reduce one’s premiums and have less coverage because of short term concerns that resources should be allocated elsewhere.

To avoid this temptation, much has been done to strengthen the NS system and improve the NS experience over the years to minimise any sense of individual insecurity from it.

As Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung concluded in his speech at this year’s Budget debate, “we must cherish our current level of support for NS, and do whatever we can to maintain or raise it even further.”

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ho Shu Huang is an Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.

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