DEFENCE MINISTER TEO is all suit up for his flight in the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. Mr Teo says advance equipment like the Apache is a key factor in the SAF's transformation. -- STEPHANIE YEOW

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In an interview to mark SAF Day today, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said it is only with national service that the country has been able to safeguard its sovereignty.

'Our independence, our security, our safety as a country have been built upon the contributions and sacrifices of the 700,000 Singaporeans who have done national service. There is no doubt about that.

'National service will continue to be a feature of Singapore in the years to come.'

Singapore had its first call-up in 1967, two years after independence. Since then, thousands of youths have enlisted each year in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the police force and the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

When asked how he would grade national service, he gave it '10 out of 10' for having met its chief purpose as the guardian of Singapore's independence in the past four decades.

'As a small country in a difficult region, that is quite an achievement,' he explained.

More than that, national service has conferred 'subsidiary benefits', bonding Singaporeans and instilling in them the resilience to overcome adversity.

To highlight this, Mr Teo cited a crisis in northern Cambodia several years ago. Foreigners - including Singaporeans - had to be evacuated.

They did not lurch into panic, but kept their wits about them, contacting everyone and organising themselves. When the plane arrived, they boarded in a 'disciplined and orderly manner'.

'They knew how to call everyone together because they know how to do silent mobilisations...it shows Singaporeans know how to respond in moments of crisis,' he said.

Over the years, the SAF has also changed the way it trains its servicemen, who have become better-educated.

'The older fathers of the national servicemen sometimes say we are being too soft on them. They look at the mattress...and say, 'Wah, so thick,' they look at the boots...so comfortable,' he said with a laugh.

But better food, better medical support and better equipment impart 'greater motivation' to the soldiers, who know that facilities are in place for them to train well.

'If the SAF were to maintain the method of operation and the kind of equipment that we had 30, 40 years ago, I think the servicemen would have no confidence,' Mr Teo said.

The continuous upgrade of equipment and systems is a key plank of the SAF's efforts to remake itself into a military that is more compact, efficient and able to pack a potent punch.

Sometime this year, the air force will send its first pilots for training on the F-15 Eagles. The purchase of these advanced strike jets was announced in 2005.

But cutting-edge equipment alone will not help the SAF triumph in the field, as success 'boils down' to the people, who, being more educated, are smoothing out the edges of the SAF's transformation push.

Mr Teo said: 'They have been living with computers for the previous 18 years of their lives.

'Now, you ask them to operate the fire control system of a tank or an air defence system or a ship, no problem.

'Our soldiers will have the best possible equipment, so if they are ever called into action, we will be able to fight, win and have the best possible chance of returning home to our loved ones,' he said.

SAF Day is also an occasion to remember soldiers who lost their lives in service of the country through a one-minute silence observed during this afternoon's parade.

'It is a very significant moment, a very important and solemn moment for all of us who attend,' Mr Teo said.

joolin@sph.com.sg

LIFESTYLE SPECIAL TODAY: A celebration of how NS has bonded Singapore men - and women - over four amazing decade. Click here for more.