Health screening, equipment sales, fitness training: What NSmen can expect at new Central Manpower Base

SINGAPORE: A new Central Manpower Base (CMPB) for pre-enlistees and operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen) will open in Bukit Gombak in phases from next year.

Located opposite Cashew MRT station, it will replace the current facility at Depot Road, Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How said in parliament on Thursday (Feb 29).

The "one-stop" hub will have a range of National Service facilities and services, including equipment sales and health screening. NSmen can also take the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) – at an all-weather fitness conditioning centre with a sheltered running track – and attend NS FIT training here.

Amenities open to the public include a food court, cafe, childcare centre and outdoor fitness zone with a running trail, football field and exercise stations.

The facility will also house the second of six planned regional health hubs for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), bringing several health services currently in different locations under one roof. These include the Medical Classification Centre, Specialist Medical and Dental Centre, Health Screening Programme Centre and MINDEF Medical Centre.

"The medical screening time will be shortened, thanks to an easier registration process and improved sequencing of stations," Mr Heng said.

The third regional health hub will be located at Dieppe Barracks near Khatib Camp and is slated to open in 2027, he added. It will house the SAF's first Sports and Exercise Medicine Centre for musculoskeletal injuries.

NEW WEBSITE, APP

Also under development is the OneNS online platform consolidating NS-related services.

The OneNS website will replace the NS Portal this year. An accompanying mobile app, currently in the trial phase, will be rolled out to all units this year as well.

Mr Heng said NSmen would experience fewer disruptions trying to access the OneNS web portal, which is being hosted on a commercial cloud platform.

The app will make daily routines more efficient for NSmen during in-camp training, he added. For example, instead of queueing to scan their NRICs when they register, NSmen can take their attendance easily with the app's geo-location and QR code features.

NSmen can also get announcements and packing lists for in-camp training on the app, as well as check their IPPT attendance and records.

Mr Heng also provided updates on the government's efforts to maximise NSmen's contributions.

"Given low fertility rates, declining cohort sizes and an increasingly demanding mission, the SAF must continue to optimise the contributions of every national serviceman," he said.

On Wednesday, the government said Singapore's total fertility rate fell to a historic low of 0.97 in 2023, dropping below 1.0 for the first time.

To optimise the deployment of full-time national servicemen (NSFs), SAF has been reviewing medical fitness criteria and matching them to the physical requirements of jobs, said Mr Heng.

Functional assessments were introduced in 2022 for pre-enlistees with selected orthopaedic conditions, to assess their ability to perform physical tasks needed for jobs.

"This allows for more deployment options than if one were to rely purely on medical classifications," he said. About 200 of the 280 pre-enlistees tested since 2022 were assessed as functionally able to be deployed to a wider range of roles.

At the same time, the SAF has continued to redesign job roles by using technology to assist with physical requirements.

Since 2021, 1,800 roles – including combat medics, infantry carrier vehicle operators and transport operators – have been redesigned. This has allowed about 700 NSFs to take on important operational roles, said Mr Heng.

SAF has also introduced work-learn schemes to invest in and tap NSmen's skills and knowledge.

These allow NSFs deployed in selected roles to earn a diploma or partial university credits while performing a period of full-time NS, followed by regular service.
 
About 520 NSFs have enrolled since the first work-learn scheme was launched in 2018, said Mr Heng.

Pre-enlistees have also been able to participate in work and study schemes, which have been expanded to provide more opportunities.

Two new schemes allow final-year polytechnic students to fulfil their internship requirements in SAF while concurrently enlisting.

One scheme is for students in cybersecurity courses at Singapore Polytechnic. Successful applicants will serve as cyber specialists.

The other is for students in aerospace electronics courses at Singapore Polytechnic, who will serve as air force engineers. Students in electrical and electronic engineering or information technology courses at Republic Polytechnic will serve as naval warfare system experts.

Redeployment of NSmen who have relevant civilian expertise to units where they can contribute their skills also continues, with 260 NSmen redeployed in 2023.

On recognising NSmen's contributions, Mr Heng said the S$200 digital credits for all past and present NSmen, announced at Budget 2024, will be disbursed on the LifeSG mobile app from November.

He also said the redevelopment of the floating platform at Marina Bay into NS Square was on track, with construction starting in March.