Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean assured parliament that the reduction, which will take effect in December, would not compromise national security despite repeated warnings by officials of terrorist threats to the city-state.

Teo said his ministry had carried out a thorough review and concluded that it can reduce the period of mandatory military training "while maintaining the operational readiness" of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

The SAF relies on regular troops and a larger pool of reservists who are trained to be mobilised for war at short notice.

All able-bodied Singaporean men must undergo full-time national service at age 18 and have to take periodic refresher courses after they return to civilian life.

Teo said a baby boom from 1988 to 1997 had produced a large pool of incoming national servicemen over the coming decade, side by side with a "rapid advance of technology and new war-fighting concepts."

All current national servicemen who enlisted before the changes take effect in December will enjoy reductions in their training periods.

National service has often been described as an important instrument of social cohesion in Singapore, whose local population of 3.4 million is dwarfed by neighbouring Malaysia's 23 million and Indonesia's 212 million people.

But the SAF is regarded as the most technologically advanced military force in Southeast Asia, thanks to the wealthy city-state's high defense budgets.

                                                      Home