Defence Minister weighs in on the debate surrounding women’s enlistment, emphasizing national needs over social equity.
SINGAPORE: The “societal cost” of enlisting women into National Service (NS) at this time will “far outweigh” the benefits, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen told Parliament on Monday (May 9).
“Women will be delayed in their entry into the workforce. The immediate effect will be an accentuated decline in the size of our local workforce and a reduction of household incomes,” he stated.
“Even if women are enlisted for non-military National Service roles to augment our healthcare and social services, it may worsen manpower shortages in other industries. Over the long term, this will impose significant costs not only on women themselves but also on their families, children, spouses, and society as a whole.”
“Is that cost justified to send a signal or to reverse stereotypes? From the Government’s perspective, no. I believe most Singaporeans would agree from a security standpoint,” he added.
Dr. Ng was responding to a question from MP Carrie Tan (PAP-Nee Soon), who inquired about the considerations surrounding the enlistment of women beyond simply meeting NS population needs.
The minister pointed out that some suggested women be enlisted for reasons of gender equality, potentially in roles like nursing or teaching.
“Having reached this position of strength, should we, for the sake of gender equality, now introduce NS for women?” he questioned, noting that despite reduced manpower, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) remains operationally ready by utilizing technology and optimizing resources.
“The primary reason for enlistment must remain training soldiers to defend Singapore and repel any invaders,” Dr. Ng asserted.
He emphasized that enlistment in the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) must also be based on national needs for security and emergency services.
“These are inadequate justifications to mandate that someone suspend their individual liberties as a civilian, giving up two years of their life, and face imprisonment for non-compliance, as our courts have sentenced NS defaulters,” he explained.
Dr. Ng firmly stated that women should not be enlisted to perform roles outside the SAF, police, and SCDF, even if such measures achieve “some social good.”
“There is currently no need for us to enlist women for National Service,” he concluded.
However, he noted that if Singapore were to ever face an “existential threat” from an aggressor, with an urgent need to boost military strength, he is confident that the Ministry of Defence and SAF would call upon the government to enlist not only women but also teenagers and older men to defend the nation.
Drawing parallels to the situation in Ukraine, Dr. Ng mentioned how the country required women aged 18 to 60 to register for possible military conscription amidst the invasion.
“But we are not in that position today, and I hope we never will be,” he remarked.
WOMEN’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO DEFENCE
Nevertheless, Dr. Ng emphasized that the significant contributions of women in national defence and security—through roles as regulars and volunteers—should not be overlooked.
He noted that regular servicewomen currently serve in various vocations, including infantry, artillery, armor, combat engineering, piloting, and naval operations. The SAF currently employs over 1,600 uniformed servicewomen, accounting for approximately 8% of its regulars. Since 2015, more than 500 women have been trained and deployed in various volunteer roles within the SAF Volunteer Corps.
Dr. Ng expressed the SAF’s desire to attract more women to its ranks, implementing measures to make service more appealing. This includes facilitating flexible work arrangements such as part-time work, job-sharing, and telecommuting, without compromising operational readiness.
The SAF also operates a Women Outreach Office to review policies and create a conducive and progressive workplace experience for servicewomen.
In response to MP Poh Li San (PAP-Sembawang), a former flight commander and helicopter search-and-rescue pilot, who inquired about the current representation of women in senior leadership positions, Dr. Ng revealed that women constitute 5% of regulars holding senior ranks such as Lieutenant Colonel, Military Expert 6, or Master Warrant Officer and above.
“Progression to senior ranks for all personnel is based on merit, capability, and aptitude, just as it is for all soldiers,” he added. “We hope to see this figure increase as the proportion of servicewomen in the SAF continues to grow.”
Dr. Ng emphasized that the SAF’s recruitment efforts target not only women but all Singaporeans.
“Fortunately, and perhaps predictably, we are counter-cyclical in relation to the economy. Our recruitment efforts have been quite successful, and our attrition rates are low,” he said.
“Despite being a military organization, how do you attract and recruit Singaporeans to join? We are taking this challenge seriously, recognizing that COVID-19 has precipitated changes that will not revert to the previous status quo.”
While Dr. Ng acknowledged that working from home might not be feasible due to the SAF’s IT systems being separate from the Internet, he indicated that the military has established locations across the island with secure systems where servicemen and women can perform their duties.
“Like the entire government and civil service, we are exploring how remote work can be effectively integrated. If we resist this change, we will not be able to attract the talent we need,” he stated. “We will embrace it and see how it works.”
