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Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced three key changes for NSmen during the Committee of Supply (COS) debate on Mindef's spending plans.

Functional assessment

Functional assessment will now be used as part of the pre-enlistment medical screening

Ng said that functional assessments are "a more precise gauge of whether the servicemen can perform specific vocations".

Ng said 1,000 jobs had been redesigned so more servicemen could "contribute in areas" that they were not previously eligible for.

Secondly, Ng said better data management across government service agencies would allow for make-up pay to be streamlined and automated.

There will be a default base NS pay which NSmen can claim for in-camp training.

The base NS pay will be S$1,600 a month and prorated for the duration of the NS call-ups.

Ng said over 100,000 NSmen and 25,000 employers would benefit from the automated make-up pay and base NS pay.

Third, the Housing, Medical and Education (HOME) awards will be enhanced.

Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How will provide more details on these changes, likely on March 3 in Parliament.

Image from Singapore Army