Mindef to review NS medical classification system

An average of 21,300 NSFs enlisted annually across the SAF and Home Team between 2021 and 2025. This was a drop from the annual average of 23,400 enlistees in the preceding five years, Mr Chan said in a parliamentary reply on Feb 12.

Mr Chan said the review is being done in consultation with public medical specialists and members of Mindef’s specialist advisory boards.

“With more precision, this ensures that our servicemen are deployed only to vocations that they are medically assessed to be suited for,” he added. “The robust safety and training system in Mindef and SAF will continue to ensure that our servicemen in redesigned roles can train and operate safely.”

Mindef first raised the idea of reviewing the MCS in 2021, to shift away from the binary classification of combat-fit versus non-combat-fit deployment for purposes of deployment, noting that medical exclusions that used to limit deployments might no longer be relevant in today’s operational context, especially with the latest technology.

At the debate on Mindef’s budget that year, then-defence minister Ng Eng Hen said the system was “outdated and retrogressive” for roles in the next-generation SAF, and makes little sense when applied to roles such as unmanned vessel operators. The refreshed system will also take into account national servicemen’s (NSmen) civilian jobs and skillsets, he added.

Mindef said on Feb 27 that the MCS review complements its efforts to redesign roles to optimise servicemen’s contributions.

Since 2021, the SAF has redesigned 2,000 roles across 25 vocations – including combat medics, infantry platform operators and army technicians – enabling over 1,800 NSFs to be deployed in a wider range of operational roles than they were previously eligible for.

In his Feb 27 speech to the House, Mr Chan said the SAF does not take the commitment of NSmen and NSFs lightly, and that his ministry is invested in making the most of their time both in NS and during reservist.

“We strive to bring out the best in every serviceman, so that they can contribute more meaningfully and effectively in line with their abilities,” he said.

“This is especially since today’s SAF has a greater variety of roles to deal with an expanded spectrum of operations. Many of these new roles no longer depend solely on traditional notions of physical or operational fitness.”

Mr Chan said this will require mindset shifts regarding servicemen’s abilities, as combat categorisation in the past tended to stream people based on what they could not do.

“We can unlock our people’s potential if we shift towards focusing on what they can do,” he added.