MINDEF looking to enhance NS milestone awards

NSF allowance has been reviewed four times over the past 10 years and the allowance for a recruit in basic military training (BMT) has increased by 65 per cent since 2015, it added.

A recruit or private earns $790 a month as their starting rank allowance, comprising a base of $715 and at least $75 as vocational allowance.

Today, an infantry NSF corporal who has completed his vocation training receives $1,090 a month in his second year, MINDEF said.

“Beyond providing for their training and military needs, MINDEF has a professional team that regularly reviews the NS allowance to ensure that it remains relevant to the personal upkeep needs, taking into account changes in the cost of living and other relevant factors,” it said.

There will also be a series of NS60 commemorative events and initiatives to recognise its NSFs, NSmen, NS alumni and their families, said MINDEF. These events include an NS Exhibition and Army Open House.

In his YouTube clip, Chan said his ministry is also looking at ways to keep NS units together after their training cycle has been completed and they have passed into MINDEF reserve.

“A lot of the NSmen want to stay in communication with one another, and actually, they are some of our best NS advocates,” he said.

“There’s an opportunity for them to continue contributing, continue to keep in touch with one another, and actually, they are part of the SAF family as well.”

Chan said the National Day Parade (NDP) in 2027 will have “all our usual crowd favourites” when it returns to the Padang, such as the dynamic display. It will also give Singaporeans a glimpse of the way warfare has changed.

The minister had, on Aug 25, announced that the NDP will return to the Padang in 2027 to mark 60 years of national service.

The NS Square is also scheduled to be completed by end-2027. It will replace the Marina Bay floating platform and will feature a permanent stage deck and grandstand to host NDPs and other large-scale events.

Besides being a permanent site for NDPs in the future, it will also host BMT graduation parades, said former Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen in 2024.