No more IPPT in Singapore. Temporarily, for some, at least.

SMSes informing operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen) about the cancellation of IPPT, IPT and RT have apparently been sent out on Jan. 25, 2019.

A screen shot by one NSman showed two SMSes put out and received in quick succession on Friday night, at 9.49pm.

The NSman confirmed that he was due to take his annual IPPT, also known as Individual Physical Proficiency Test, on Saturday, Jan. 26, at Khatib Camp.

IPT stands for IPPT Preparatory Training and RT stands for Remedial Training.

The NSman, who was due to take his IPPT, also said he can no longer book a new IPPT slot online as a result.

Sudden cancellation

The sudden cancellation of IPPT follows the death of a NSman, Aloysius Pang, on Jan. 23 in New Zealand, and an Army-wide safety timeout has been mandated.

It is uncertain if the cancellation of IPPT applies to both full-time (NSFs) and operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen), or whether it transcends the army to include the navy and air force as well.

There is the possibility that the cancellation only applies these few days or over this weekend.

Another NSman, however, reported that booking of a future IPPT test date in February appears to be working as per normal for him, except that there are no options left for the remainder of January.

In response to media queries, a MINDEF spokesperson confirmed that a safety timeout is ongoing and the cancellation of IPPT over this weekend is a result of it.

Safety timeout protocol

The Army-wide safety timeout was confirmed by Singapore's top military brass on Thursday, Jan. 24 at a press conference revealing details of Pang's death.

Co-chairing the press conference was Chief of Defence Force Melvyn Ong, who said that lowering the training tempo will give full-time (NSFs) and operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen), as well as their units, more capacity to review safety and training to “ascertain the right biting point”.

The review process has started.

This means that all field training and live-firing activities here and overseas will be halted for an unspecified period, Chief of Army Goh Si Hou who was co-chairing the press con said.

Units will submit their plans in the next few days.

Training tempo reduced

Although IPPT, IPT and RT being cancelled was not mentioned at the press conference, Friday evening's SMSes alert could be part of the SAF's effort to tamp down training tempo.

Goh mentioned that they want to “put a singular focus on training safety on the ground” moving forward, even if this means “reducing the amount of training”.

There will also be a reduction of the training tempo to review safety procedures.

A reduced training tempo means the duration, intensity and frequency of training will be lowered, bringing it to a more sustainable pace with a “focus on safety”, said Lieutenant-General Ong.

The review will stay for as long as it takes for the SAF to “get this right”, Ong said.

Background

Corporal First Class (National Service) Pang, an NSman armament technician, died in New Zealand on Wednesday, Jan. 23, four days after he was crushed by a lowered gun barrel in the howitzer he was repairing.

He suffered major trauma injury affecting multiple organs.