After BMT POP, What's Next? Return to Unit or New Unit? How?

Fallon94 SG

Hi guys. Currently serving in bp bmt and next week is my field camp. A month later i will be at the floating platform having my POP. The thing is I am a recoursee. I enlisted last year May and I was in enhanced. Although my ippt was silver before I came in, because I didn't control my weight after A levels before enlisting, I was OOT and thus was sent to be a driver at Paya Lebar Air Base.

I got my licence and I was sent back to Bmt last november. My grades in BMT are average I guess. I got Ippt silver and barely marksman in range.

My question is what is going to happen to me after I pop. My ORD date is next year march. I am currently not sure if I should try for command school. On one hand, I really do feel its an honour to be given a chance to go for such courses. On the other, I do fee l rather tired from all the regimentations and stuff. I enjoy the physical training but find the military aspects like range and grenade throwing a bit of a chore. The regimentation really is a culture shock expecially when you consider I was at an admin unit in the air force.

My question is is there a chance I will be posted back to my unit?? Or will I be given a new unit since there is a driver at my position until August? Do I also stand a chance to go for command school?

Many thanks to those who do reply. I am kind of feeling lost expecially when Pop suddenly seems to be drawing so close.

eac SG

1) By default, you will be posted back to your unit when you do not do anything. For Driver vocation, you can get to earn a FREE conversion to a civilian driving licence after clocking X,000km mileage and may get to earn a Safe and Courteous Driver badge.

2) So, if you want to try out or ask to be posted to a new unit, you must voice out to the PC and OC for them to try their best to help you. For them, it is office emails here and there to ask and request.

eac SG

Written Reply by Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs:

eac SG

Driving Towards Higher Proficiencies

Posted: 31 Dec 2009, Army News

While driving on Singapore roads does not require a "who dares wins" mindset, there are still the occasional Michael Schumacher wannabes, jay-walkers and weaving motorcyclists that make defensive driving skills an important part of safe driving. If some adult drivers find this a challenging experience, how much more so would this be for an 18-year-old National Serviceman trying to attain his military driving license?

"Our drivers are all very young. As a civilian driver, you would need to be 21 years old to drive a Class 4 vehicle. But our guys come in at 18 and are considered less mature than a 21-year-old. So we need to be stringent in our testing because we don't want our drivers to be a road hazard," shared 2WO Chia Peng Hwee, a Driving Tester from Supply Transport Centre. As an SAF driving tester, his testing philosophy is simple. Our military drivers must drive safely and not endanger the lives of other road users. He said, "Our drivers must understand the fundamentals of handling a vehicle and make safe decisions that do not pose a danger on the road. Our vehicles are heavy vehicles and if we were to get involved in an accident, it may damage property or even endanger the lives of many people."

Driving dangerously endangers not just the lives of other road users, it also puts other people in the vehicle at risk. 2WO Chia added, "Our drivers never drive alone. They would either have a vehicle commander or other passengers. For a 5-tonner driver, he may even carry up to 30 passengers in his vehicle. Every life is priceless and in a split-second moment of carelessness, he may get himself involved in a major accident. Thus, we always emphasise how important safety is and this is reflected in our testing standards." These testing standards were validated by Headquarters Traffic Police in a workshop with our military testers on 2 September. The SAF testing system's criteria certainly passed with flying colours as the Traffic Police rated our standards and marking guides as the "highest and most stringent" in Singapore.

Besides being stringent, the testing system is also progressive and dynamic. Mr Kanapathy from Supply Transport Centre shared, "We want to make sure that even at the learning stage, our trainees are confident of handling their vehicle at each stage before moving on. For example, we grade our students' driving in the circuit first before allowing them to move on the road." For heavy vehicles such as low loaders, this takes on another dimension as drivers would have to first learn how to couple the load to the front vehicle before going onto the road. Mr Kanapathy added, "If we add the load attached to the vehicle, it has the potential to be even more dangerous as the load may suddenly uncouple if not secured tightly. This is definitely a road hazard and thus it is important that our trainees master the skill of coupling it securely first before moving onto the road."

Besides being progressive in nature, the tests are also more dynamic to ensure that no trainee gets too familiar with the road. This has added resonance when we consider that our trainees often trawl familiar routes over many weeks and this may result in him being complacent. PTE Nur Hakim Azmi, a driver from Transport Hub (West), Infantry Training Institute Node articulated, "On our test day, we take a totally new test route and during our training, instructors are not allowed to bring us on that test route. I think it's because they don't want any fluke passes because of one's familiarity with the test route." His sentiments were echoed by Mr Kanapathy. He said, "We want our students to act on command of the tester because we don’t want him to plan his route in advance and hence pass because he pre-empted all the potential dangers."

Another way to test one’s skill instead of one's familiarity is requiring the trainee to park without the use of poles. All learner drivers remember the first time they knocked down the indicator pole in their testing centre but our drivers have it more difficult. During their test, they have to park with and without the use of poles. Mr Kanapathy explained, "We want to train up their judgement and estimation instead of using markings, which our students may have when a pole is behind them."

To add greater dynamism, a tabletop test with scale vehicle models is conducted prior to the test to ensure that our trainees know their highway code. This test is called the Highway Situational Problem (HSP) test, where trainees describe on a scale model what they would do when such a situation arises. For example, in order for his model vehicle to turn right on a crowded road, the trainee would have to explain to the tester how he would go about doing so. REC Lee Yi Cong, a Class 3-4 driving course trainee, shared, "The HSP test was good as even before we go onto the road, we know what to look out for, where to stop, where to give way to vehicles and so on. So when I go on the road, I would pay particular attention to these things."

Ultimately, all the stringent, progressive and dynamic tests are aimed at achieving one outcome - safe and considerate drivers on the road. REC Lee added, "I'm now much more confident on the road because I know that with each I test I pass, the testers pass me because I am a safe driver and will not endanger the lives of other road users."

Military drivers wishing to convert their Class 3 military license to a civilian Class 3 driving license would have to clock in 7000 kilometres on the road and commit no traffic offences during their National Service. Class 4 military license holders need to qualify for a Class 3 license and cover at least 3500 kilometres. They will receive their license upon reaching 21.