SINGAPORE - Senior Minister of State for Defence Ong Ye Kung visited the Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC) on Pulau Tekong on Tuesday (Oct 13) morning.

It was his first visit to a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) camp since he was sworn into office on Oct 1.

Mr Ong, who is also the Acting Education Minister (Higher Education and Skills), will be briefed on BMTC training and will witness recruits undergoing physical training and weapons handling.

BMT marks the beginning of military life for all Singaporean males at the age of 18. According to the BMTC Facebook, the centre aims to "ease the recruits' transition from civilian to military lifestyle with a progressive training programme".

This includes physical training, weapon handling, individual field craft, training in a field environment, as well as team-building skills.

The centre also incorporates research-based principles of fitness training into the sessions conducted.

In 1995, the BMT was revised so that the best are selected to become officers and specialists, through a better-structured and more focused training programme.

With the revised BMT system, the BMTC was set up as a central institution responsible for most basic military training, according to Mindef's website. The centre was inaugurated on Nov 26, 1996 and officially opened as the SAF BMTC by then Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tony Tan on Aug 17, 1999.