OCS(Navy) is very very shiong mentally. They grill your mind
like mad. BUT if you can withstand the training and commission, you
will definitely become stronger mentally.
The current batch of instructors are very inspiring officers,
who are extremely dedicated to your training in OCS. They differ
from one another in many ways, but there's a lot from them that you
can learn from.
In navy, officer cadet is called midshipman, as with all other
navies around the world. Basically it's 5 and half day week, you
book in on sunday night, and book out sat noon.
In OCS(Navy), you have a lot of independence as compared to the
army and airforce wings. You have a committee made up of your own
people, who will handle areas of sports, safety, security,
logistics, discipline and education (I believe there are still more
but I cant remember). Basically you have to do the preparation
yourself. For e.g sports IC will tie up with logistics IC to ensure
that the equipment are ready, medic informed.
The whole midshipman course is split into 3 terms, basic naval
term (BNT), sea training term (STT) and advanced naval term
(ANT).
BNT is where all the foundation comes in. Day to night you will
be confined to classroom for lessons. I mean it, from 8am - 7.30pm,
sometimes later. Seamanship, navigation, communication, weapons,
Rules of the road and many other stuff I can't remember. May sound
interesting, but they aren't when you are forced to learn. You will
have many tests on them. Passing these tests is a factor in OOC,
but few OOC due to poor grades.
Also, there is COMEX - an exercise where there will be 2 teams
pitted against each other, with a mission to accomplish, and you
will go out one night at Pulau Ubin area where each team has a
number of boats, and you will aim for mission success. The tough
part comes in the planning phase, where you have to make use of the
science of war (taking into account your weaponry, number of units,
area of operations, deciding how best the enemy can thwart your
mission) to come out with a plan. At various stages, you are
required to present your plan for approval, and if the officers are
not happy with your logic, you are required to redo it. During this
planning phase, you are NOT given time for it - meaning you still
have to go through normal lessons, and only plan during your
leisure time. This usually means no sleep for a few days.
STT is the most memorable term, where you sail for 6 weeks,
going to different countries. However, it is even more mentally
stressful than BNT as you are given a number of projects, and you
STILL have to go through lessons, and put into use practically what
you have learned in BNT. Your team will get to take control of the
ship for training of navigation. It is actually quite safe, as
you're out in open sea with few ships in immediate vicinity, and
the actual team is still around to take over if any issues crop up.
Most people show their true colours in this term, be it
selfishness, laziness etc.
ANT is the time when you are really drilled in navigation
(still, not as much as when you become an actual officer). Not much
to say during this term XD
Most people OOC because they realise this is not what they
expected for life to be (people generally think that navy is good
life). The next greatest number of OOC comes from lack of
leadership competency. The officers are always observing your
actions, especially in STT. Lastly are those who lack the academic
competency, but very very few people OOC because of this.
Oh yeah, SAF takes a very very strict stand on integrity issues.
The slightest mess with integrity (the lack of), and you'll be out
immediately.
While you do not go outfield like army cadets do, training in
OCS (Navy) is as tough, if not tougher than that of army's.
However, dont use life in ocs as a gauge of how life will be like
when you really join the navy as an officer, as it is very very
different.
Lastly, scrutinize what the recruitment officer tells you. Life
is not as rosy as you may think ^^