MINDEF cares for soldiers beyond allowance; NS is not a transaction: Chan Chun Sing

SINGAPORE – Besides a monthly allowance, Singapore takes care of its full-time national servicemen (NSFs) in other ways, such as through cash top-ups and tax incentives, Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said on Feb 27. Where there is budgetary space, MINDEF will do more, added Mr Chan, who cautioned against reducing national service to a transaction.

Mr Chan was responding to a suggestion by Workers’ Party MP Kenneth Tiong (Aljunied GRC) to raise the allowance of second-year NSFs to at least $1,800, which is the

local qualifying salary

that firms have to pay their Singaporean workers to be allowed to hire foreign workers.

The Defence Minister said Singapore recognises the contributions of NSFs and NSmen not just for their two years of full-time service, but also the 10 years of operationally ready NS after that.

“Those of us who have served in national service will be very careful to not use the word ‘compensate’, because, in truth, no amount of monetary compensation can be equated with the contributions of our NSmen,” said Mr Chan.

To support servicemen, MINDEF works with the Ministry of Finance on initiatives such as the National Service Housing, Medical and Education (NS HOME) Awards – a series of milestone payments to support their housing, healthcare and education needs, he noted.

“When we have the budget space, we will do more... But I don’t want us to get into the wrong concept that this is a transactional relationship,” he said.

During the debate on MINDEF’s budget, Mr Tiong said NSFs’ purchasing power had fallen despite nominal increases in their allowance over the years.

On the other hand, SAF regulars serve the same duty, but with a market salary and full CPF.

“By their second year, NSFs are fully trained and operationally deployed, manning posts, running day-to-day operations, performing similar tasks as regulars,” said Mr Tiong. “They should be paid accordingly.”

He called for the NS allowance to be raised to $1,800 as that “is the floor for every worker in Singapore; surely it is the floor for every soldier”.

In response, Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad said there is a fundamental difference between salary and NS allowance, and an equivalence should not be drawn between the two.

A salary is compensation for work done, while NS is a unique civic duty and contribution by all able-bodied Singaporean males and not a transaction, he added.

“While we acknowledge that serving NS involves opportunity cost, we should not erode our social compact and the ethos of service by casting it as an employer-employee relationship,” he added.

Mr Zaqy said MINDEF regularly reviews the allowance and incentives for servicemen, with reviews in 2015, 2020, 2023, and in July 2025. The 2023 review saw the NS allowance increased by between $125 and $200, depending on rank and vocation. The 2025 review saw the allowance raised from between $35 and $75.

Over the past decade, the allowance for a recruit in basic military training has risen by 65 per cent, said Mr Zaqy. Recruits currently get $790 a month in allowance, while a lieutenant receives $1,530.

During national service, the state also takes care of the vast majority of NSFs’ basic needs, such as accommodation and food, and the allowance is designed to support their personal upkeep and incidentals, he added.

Mr Tiong said he disagreed with Mr Zaqy’s framing that accommodation, food and equipping are part of the compensation package for NSFs. “The fact is that people who have no choice get paid less than people who do... Why can’t we find it (in us) to pay our soldiers fairly?” he asked.

In response, Mr Chan said he had never seen Singaporeans think of NS as a transaction, and that he hoped that generations of Singaporeans would continue not to view NS this way.

“It is not in our interest to cause invidious comparisons, or to bring down the sacred duty of serving our country into a transaction,” he said.

“Of course, we will take care of our NSmen. Of course, we will regularly review our NSF allowances (and) do more for NS HOME awards,” added Mr Chan.

“You can have my assurance we will take care of our NSmen, but I appeal to members of this House not to conflate duty with transaction.”