Quora Answer: Why Do Young Singaporeans Need to Do Military Service?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Why do young Singaporeans need to do military service?”

Young, male citizens or permanent residents of Singapore need to serve National Service.  This conscription covers not only the Singapore Armed Forces, but also the Singapore Police Force and the Singapore Civil Defence Force.  Permanent residents who have served may then apply, and be granted, citizenship.

Whilst National Service creates strategic manpower depth for the military, and national defence, its importance is far more than that.  National Service is also a foundation of our National Education.  It is an opportunity for those serving to work with other citizens and future citizens of different religions, ethnicities, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds.  This is the secret of our success as a multicultural society.

In National Service, to paraphrase Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, we discover that we are all equally worthless.  There is no room for racial and religious bigotry, and the institutions of the Singapore Armed Forces, the Singapore Police Force and the Singapore Civil Defence Force are very sensitive about these things.

The institution of National Service creates a shared memory of hardship and achievement that binds all Singaporean males.  If you can trust someone enough to crawl through the mud with him while machine guns are firing overhead, you likely have a friend for life.  This is regardless of race, language or religion.