Coronavirus: SAF to hold smaller group exercises and defer some in-camp training

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will conduct training in smaller groups and defer all in-camp training that is not essential for operations for at least a month, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday.

Fitness-conditioning centres, where operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen) take their physical fitness tests, will be closed. Individual Physical Proficiency Tests (IPPT), IPPT Preparatory Training (IPT), and remedial training at fitness-conditioning centres, Safra gyms and IPT-in-the-Park locations have been suspended.

IPPT requirements for affected NSmen will be waived, Mindef said in a statement on the latest SAF measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The ministry noted that critical operations to safeguard Singapore - such as island defence, protection of key installations, maritime security and air defence operations - continue to be performed around the clock.

Units performing these roles have been separated into different groups to ensure operations are not interrupted, while in-camp training supporting these critical functions will continue, it said.

The tightened measures will take immediate effect and last until April 30.

In-camp training that is not operations-essential comprises largely vocational proficiency training and refresher sessions to keep soldiers' skills current.

The measures may be extended if the Covid-19 situation does not improve, added Mindef.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen wrote that as for protecting key installations and defending Singapore's skies or waters against intruders, SAF servicemen know that the mission takes top priority.

He said that in some of these activities, it is not always possible to keep a safe distance, and instead the troops involved are split up into different teams so that if one team member does get infected, only that team is affected.

He added: "The SAF will do what it takes and not let down its guard, especially during this period that calls for increased vigilance against all threats and those who might take advantage of the situation."

Activities that are critical for the build-up of operational units, such as enlistment exercises, will continue with the enhanced measures in place.

On Monday, the commander of the Basic Military Training Centre on Pulau Tekong had announced that direct enlistment exercises this week will be done in smaller batches, with no guests invited.

The latest measures come on top of others already introduced, such as temperature monitoring, deferment or cancellation of large-scale events and social gatherings, staggered mealtimes, and wider physical spacing in workplace and common areas, said Mindef.

In a video interview sent to the media yesterday, Chief of Defence Force Melvyn Ong said that it is increasingly clear that, nearly three months into the Covid-19 outbreak, things are unlikely to return to normal any time soon.

Lieutenant-General Ong said: "Our overriding purpose from the beginning has been to maintain our operational readiness and to protect our servicemen. The SAF stands ready to defend Singapore's peace and security amid the global Covid-19 outbreak."