Prime Minister (PM) Lawrence Wong visited the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC) at Pulau Tekong on Aug. 27 where he joined 420 recruits for a run, and participated in a strength conditioning exercise and a SAR 21 rifle Technical Handling Training session.

This is his first visit to the SAF in his capacity as PM, with his last visit to BMTC being on Sep. 7, 2011, when he was then-Minister State of Defence and Education.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Chief of Army Major-General David Neo, and other senior officers from the Singapore Army.

"Strong foundation" for future challenges

PM Wong told the recruits that coming back to BMTC "certainly brings back memories of my time at Tekong, including as a recruit, more than 30 years ago."

He made a lighthearted anecdote, saying he was a "super unfit person" before coming to National Service as he didn't focus on exercising in school.

"After [Officer Cadet School], I could do 2.4km in under 10 minutes," he told recruits when previously the same distance would take him 13 to 14 minutes.

Yet more than just a change in physique, PM Wong advised recruits to also take away the frame of mind one can learn through their time at NS. He said:

"It's more than the fitness, but that frame of mind to say, I know that I can keep on doing better. I know that I can push my own limits. Nothing will ever faze me in the future, because I've gone through this kind of training, and even when difficulties arise later on in life, I will rise to the occasion and I'll keep on doing better."

"Your training in the SAF will give you very strong foundations," PM Wong told the recruits, saying it would put them in "a very good position" to overcome future challenges.

"The backbone of our security and defence is National Service": PM Wong

"The backbone of our security and defence is National Service," PM Wong told the media.

“We are living in a world that's becoming more dangerous and unpredictable,” said PM Wong. “We can see armed conflicts erupting in many different places.”

“We've not had conflict in this part of the world, but we have to be mentally prepared for any eventuality, and that's why having a strong and effective SAF and Home Team is so critical for Singapore.

And that's why we also continue to invest heavily in both the SAF and the Home Team, and to build up their capabilities so as to ensure our peace and security in Singapore.”

PM Wong described a “strong sense of conviction” in the recruits, saying he could see that they are “prepared to step forward, to train hard and do their part now to defend Singapore and to keep Singapore safe”.

PM Wong said he hoped all Singaporeans would continue to support National Service, as well as National Servicemen and their families.

Top image by Daras Singh