The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has shelved boot camp plans for
reservist servicemen who skip their mandatory military fitness test
three times. Instead, it will review the way it deals with these
offenders.
The latest move comes amid recent efforts to get citizen
soldiers to stay in shape, while making them more responsible for
their own fitness. The Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT),
for example, has been made less of a chore for operationally ready
national servicemen (NSmen) who have to juggle family and work
commitments. A stripped- down fitness test started more than two
months ago.
For now, those who skip the IPPT three times will have to pay a
$100 fine or be thrown into detention barracks, the army's
equivalent of prison. The latter punishment, though, is rarely
meted out.
Under a new three-strike rule, IPPT defaulters would have had to
pay a monetary fine and gone through a five-day boot camp to get
fit. Dubbed the In-Camp- Training (Physical Training), the fitness
camp, a form of confinement, was to have started in the second half
of this year.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the Defence
Ministry did not explicitly say it was putting on hold the
confinement of recalcitrant offenders.
The army's assistant chief of general staff (training), Colonel
Ng Ying Thong, would say only that as the SAF gives servicemen
greater ownership of their fitness, it will also "review the
disciplinary framework for IPPT defaulters".
"Physical fitness is a personal responsibility... The SAF
maintains a tough stand against IPPT defaulters, and disciplinary
actions will be taken against NSmen who do not take their IPPT
annually," said Col Ng, though he did not say what these actions
were.
But ST understands that on the ground, unit commanders have told
citizen soldiers that confinement is not likely to be imposed.
Information on the disciplinary actions that IPPT defaulters face
has also been removed from the ns.sg portal.
It is understood that the military top brass are still collating
and studying the results of the revised IPPT to decide on more
effective disciplinary actions.
The most recent figures given in 2010 by the Ministry of Defence
showed that the test is failed by half of the 116,000 NSmen who
take it every year.
Col Ng had told ST earlier that only a small number of NSmen
repeatedly skip their IPPT.
Servicemen seem to be getting better scores in the new IPPT,
which is made up of sit-ups, push-ups and a 2.4km run, and replaced
a five-station physical fitness test.
In a trial involving some 5,000 servicemen late last year, most
participants bettered their previous performances. For instance, 88
per cent of the trial participants did as many, if not more,
sit-ups, while 73 per cent ran faster or maintained their timings
during the 2.4km runs.
All combat-fit NSmen are required to take the IPPT at least once
a year, starting from their birthday.
- ST