The 55th anniversary of national service (NS) this year coincides with a telling reminder - by way of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - that no country can be defended except through the will, training and readiness of its own citizens. Indeed, NS is a crucial factor for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to remain a credible deterrent force: a military that is prepared and determined enough to make enemies think twice before attacking Singapore. What training and preparation against potential aggression does is to instil confidence among people that the nation's sovereignty can be defended and will not be trampled on. No country can outsource its defence to others. And as Ukraine's military has demonstrated thus far, it isn't the pushover that Moscow thought it would be.
Military preparedness and a nation's resolve to defend its own territory - not reliance on others to come to its aid - is what sustains national security.
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