Yeah..isn't that a pity sometimes? I wish that S'poreans would
hold their military with higher respect....the only time I hear
them praising the SAF and all is, is when our neighbour starts
making "war comments". Even in Thailland, the little kids would
wave to us when we pass them by in our jeeps. 
About the part on Aussies being fitter than us, I doubt it. There
was a report in the papers that Aussies troops in the recent years
are becoming overweight and that there was a "Battle of The Bulge"
campaign going on, to get the armed forces back in shape. 
Of cos, the SASR and other elite units are already in
shape.
One thing I know for sure...their BMT isn't like ours with all that
psychological harassment, "tekan" training and all...in fact, they
hold soldier's welfare as being of utmost importance. Not bad
huh?
Carrying heavy loads tends to bog a soldier down. It was proven
again and again in every major conflict. The less you carry, the
better off you are... 
The U.S. Army Natick Report on the war in Afghanistan is a good
evaluation of equipment and tactics, including individual soldier's
load.
Professionalism is a sure-thing for the Aussies. They are highly
professional, and they have the experience of nearly 60 years of
jungle warfare. I guess that we have to understand the limitations
of a majoritarian conscript army. However, the U.S. Army in WWII
was a conscript army itself...and they managed to defeat the Nazis.
I think training is the key to closing the professional-conscript
gap. 
