The part about great minds thinking alike seems to be a one-sided opinion to me, as well as many others. So, can I assume that you are trying to say that there is no point in defending the country? Technology has advanced greatly in the 21st century, but it has not yet advanced enough to take the place of humans. We will still require human warfare on the front lines.

Besides, who says that having a smaller army means having a certain loss? There is something known as "military tactics" that helps us to counter a bigger army. There have been many instances in history where a smaller army has conquered a larger force. For your information, Singapore keeps well relations with our neighbouring countries and if war were to break out,

You mention your position as a "fellow Singaporean", but it seems to be intriguing that your next statement is that "I am seriously considering to migrate later on in life". So, basically, you feel that your life is more important than the country. Well, your position is understandable, but don't you think that you owe something to the country? If Singapore was not the way it was, you wouldn't be fed with a silver spoon, living life as a bed of roses, and much less even receive education on these issues. Shouldn't you do something to repay the country which you have lived in and was born in?

In conclusion, I feel that there is a lack of patriotism within our youths and NS helps to solve these problems. It's not just about training for war, it's about gaining mental resilience and forging brotherly bonds with others. NS can be viewed from many ways, and I feel that you are taking a very pessimistic point of view. Thank you.

Wow I believe that we really need to explain human nature to this fellow. Who in the right mind would go for NS, when in Singapore everything is about brains and getting a good salary? Growing up under pampered conditions, the vast majority of people are going to choose an air-conditioned environment over being under the hot sun. This mainly applies to being a soldier as a proper occupation. As a voluntary act, why would people want to go through such physical training? If they want to toughen themselves, they can simply go for workouts on a daily/weekly basis and do it at our own time and pace. Who would want to go under a forced scehdule? Those that wish to cultivate discipline can do so on their own and they will not go for NS. Lastly, if NS was not compulsory, would parents still want their children to go for NS?

Yes indeed, we can train them from young. But what about those who have already passed their childhood years? For those at the age of 18, it will be extremely challenging for them to change at this point of time as they would have already come up with their own set of principles, whether they be right or wrong. If they are not guided properly, they might go down the wrong path. Thus, in order to bring these people back unto the right path, there needs to be an external discipline harsh enough to change and correct their principals of life and make them turn over a new leaf. Such a result can only be accomplished by the tough ruling of NS.

With parents nowadays being extremely busy due to work, many children are being thrown to maids and they do not cultivate proper morals. I believe that manners is something that is learnt by example. It is likely that a child will be polite in the future if he sees that his parents are well-mannered when speaking to others. Parents play an important role in the development of a child, and if they were to step back from this role, many of the younger ones will not have good social values.

Thus, if children cannot learn anything from their parents, don't you think that NS should be mandatory to ensure that they are equipped with the right values of life before they enter the adult world?

Hi Ms Sam I think Aaron's point is that Singapore should exercise equality despite having different financial statuses or being a so-called "higher class citizen". Most of the time, Singaporeans are judged by their housing and where they stay. Those that stay in condominiums or private housing are labelled as "rich kids" and some of them carry a self-centred and boastful attitude when they enter NS. They may think that due to the fact that their families are more well-off they should not be doing the same amount of work as the other recruits just because they think the rest are simply "commoners". This will definitely affect the nation if they carry this mentality into the war, where they might not be willing to fight alongside their allies and stay away from the front lines, thinking that their lives are more important than others' lives. This will greatly reduce the efficiency of the platoon and this will eventually affect the whole team, possibly leading to a drop in team morale. "One for all, all for one". This is a phrase commonly said to emphasise the importance of teamwork and it especially important in the army, where you have to be willing to put your life on the line. For the individual, he will not be very popular with others and it will lead to a lack of social etiquette if he cannot work with others and stick to his mentality that he belongs to a higher "class".

Ms. Sam can you comment on my 1st comment please?

Dude, don't use names in debate, or Ms Sam is going to get pissed.

Studies may be important, but having all brains and no brawn is not going to help you achieve greater heights. Work attitude and discipline is something that we need to cultivate, and for those who cannot even pass up homework on time I see an urgent need for NS.

EVERYONE, PLEASE REFRAIN FROM PERSONAL ATTACKS EVEN IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH A SPECIFIC PERSON.

This is online debate, so there is no need for personal attack.

Many of the comments have sidetracked and people are beginning to attack others.

Indeed, those that sit in front of the computer playing games and looking for girls (when carrying a immature mind) is precisely why we need to have NS for our dear Singaporean men.

In my opinion, I feel that NS should be mandatory.

Conscription in Singapore, called National Service (NS), requires all male Singaporean citizens and second-generation permanent residents who have reached the age of 18 to enroll in the military. They serve a two-year period as Full Time National Servicemen, either in the Army, Police Force or Civil Defence. NS allows youths to gather together and forge a strong bond as residents of the same country serving together. With global resources being a rising demand, there is a higher chance that war will break out due to disputes between countries. Thus, we will need an army to ensure our own safety in times of war. Moreover, there have been a rising number of terrorist attacks throughout the globe and Singapore might be targeted sooner or later as Singapore is a very densely populated country and an easy target due to its size.

Firstly, National Service ensures that we build up a defence against invaders instead of leaving our country defenseless. Additionally, it helps to ensure that our youth are kept fit and thus lower the obesity rate, keeping us in the pink of health and this will eventually lead to males having less health problems in the future. This means that less of the country’s finance can be spent on building medical facilities. If NS is not compulsory, very few people would decide to enrol into the army and the army would probably be very small in number. This would result in having an undersized army and we would not be able to defend ourselves properly. We once relied on the British to defend Singapore, but they eventually retreated and let the Japanese take over during World War II. This eventually led to Singapore being dominated by the Japanese and many lives were lost in that period of time and it was a period of great turmoil. Thus, we must ourselves defend Singapore and we will need our own military force. Thus, having mandatory NS would help to stabilise the military defence of Singapore and thus help protect our country against attackers. Singapore would also be a safer place to live in. These are some of the nation-related reasons of why National Service should be compulsory for men.

Secondly, many commentators have stated this generation of graduates that have just come out has been labelled as the “Strawberry Generation.” This is because we have shown little resistance in whatever we do, and we have proven ourselves to be unable to cope with stress. There is also a lacking of perseverance and the older generation has complained that we are not determined enough. There has been a declining trend in Singapore in terms of character development, and the calibre of Singaporeans seems to be decreasing rapidly. This can all lead down to one problem---having a lack of fundamentals in character. Boys (including some teens and youths) are getting spoilt by their parents and there have been many situations where the child has not been disciplined well enough due to their parents’ soft-heartedness. NS, however, solves this basic problem by instilling discipline in our children. It is only through imposed discipline that self-discipline can be instilled. In the Army, we have to wake up at the crack of dawn and this is an example of having disciplined. Many youths nowadays wake up close to noon, and such habits can be seen as a sign of laziness. Even with an alarm clock, we refuse to take note of it and simply shut it off. The minority have been able to cultivate good habits like waking up early and thus there is a need for National Service in Singapore to guide our youths back on the right track of life.

Thirdly, National Service also helps in developing mental resilience. When we enter the workforce, we will be bound to meet daunting situations that may overwhelm us. If our mental capabilities are not well honed, we might just crack under the pressure of the project. Also, in NS, we will meet with people from all walks of life. This is something that will help us see what the outside world is like. Having to work with all kinds of people will help to cultivate our teamwork skills and experience many different feelings. Being subject unto the officers who seemingly give pointless tasks helps to train your patience and this can help a lot in worklife when your boss may give you assignments just because he wishes to. NS is the place where “boys become men”. It brings out the fullest potential of every man in every person in NS, making sure that we have a competent military force. Unlike other big countries like the U.S, where NS is not compulsory, many people that are just doing office work are untrained in combat and they will become burdens in the country should a war occur. I believe that the government has reviewed the NS policy many times and the current system is a result of much consideration. Although Singapore has a lack of manpower, if all of our men have both brains and brawn, the calibre of capability will help us to par with those countries with more manpower and larger armies.

Many people say that NS should not be mandatory. They claim that NS is a waste of two years and that time can be used to pursue a career. This is not true as those two years in the army can help to train a person to tackle the challenges of being in the Singapore workforce more efficiently and thus contribute to the Economic Defence of Singapore in an improved manner compared to throwing a bunch of inexperienced scholars, who have no experience in handling people. Many times in school, we are spoon-fed by our teachers and we do not have the ability to take care of ourselves. Without the NS, we will not learn to take care of ourselves. Without that ability, how are we to take care of our future families? If we cannot take care of our families, how do we raise up the next generation of Singaporeans? It is also said that we should have an army that is willing to serve. However, is this possible with the current situation in Singapore? Our youths are all intelligence-orientated and we are taught that “brains are better than brawn”. In National Service, there is a misconception that we need more brawns than brain. This leads to people becoming disinterested in the Army, and who knows how the enrolment for the Army will drop if NS becomes voluntary? The result will certainly leave Singapore in an extremely vulnerable position for other countries to take over. Besides, much of Singapore’s current population is made up of foreign talent who have become Permanent Residents (PR) in Singapore. Why is it that we take up the same space, live in the same country, but they have no obligations to defend it? Should they decide to live here or even become a citizen here, it has become their responsibility to help defend their home here in Singapore.

With this I conclude my comment. For a greater cause and a safer, more reliable place to stay in, I strongly support NS being mandatory. People say that “it is better to be safe than sorry”, and having men to be trained in the Army for general knowledge does not harm anyone. We require balances in all Five Aspects of Singapore’s Defence and Military Defence is something that is not to take lower priority. The government has made the right decision, and there is no need for any change in the government policy. Our males complain about NS, but sometimes “you have to be cruel in order to be kind”. War is ensuing in many countries, and it might just become inevitable that Singapore get involved in one. If that is the case, we will need the Army to show that we are NOT some small country, but we are a country that CAN fight back and we are not to be taken lightly.

To all previous comments:

Singapore is not a country that relies purely on manpower and military force. Under the leadership of our government, we have forged alliances with many strong countries and have many allies to assist us. Such examples are China, U.S, Malaysia and many others. War alone, is not a reason for National Service to be mandatory.

@Li Xuan:

I can’t believe a lady would actually want to enrol in the NS; you must be the rarity amongst the millions of ladies in Singapore. For this, I would like to put down my thoughts concerning this. I support NS for ladies as well. We all stay in the same country- so why do only the men give 2 years of their lives into the army while the females can move on? Defending the country is a role for all and it is also important that we maximise the manpower that we have as Singapore is considered to have a small population when compared to other countries. However, Military defence is a very large scope- the ladies do not necessarily need to be on the frontlines. Additionally, try to imagine what would happen if the women were to be captured as POWs. However, if guys were to be captured they would most likely be tortured or killed. Also, it has been scientifically proven that females have lower physique compared to males. After all, guys would rather sacrifice their life then let a lady die in war. Thus, Ladies would be more suited to work a bit more “behind the scenes”, having roles such as medics, intelligence or admin staff. This would allow the men to be able to learn other things that can be more relevantly applied in battle, e.g. tactics or rifle handling. They would also be able to concentrate in battle more. However, there are some disadvantages of having ladies in the Army. For example, the ladies might pose as a distraction to the men’s training. At the age of 18, many men are beginning to start looking for girlfriends and they might find a lady which attracts them within the camp. This might manage to spur him on to excel further, but what would happen if more than one person likes a single girl? This would eventually lead to fights and things may become lethal if the soldiers have easy access to the weapons. The contributions that women make for NS will be much different from what males will put in. For a start, they must be willing to accept this change in the system as girls in Singapore tend to lead over-protective lifestyles and for them to be involved in Singapore’s defence might be something that they may need time to cope with. Their contribution will often be more indirect as their roles would involve taking care of the men and ensuring that they are in the best condition to go for war. Thus, women would be more ideal for contributing to the “behind the lines” defence. NS should be introduced to women and the youth should be educated on the importance of military defence. We should not take NS as a form of torture- Instead, we should think of it as a way to contribute to our country by defending our homeland. Ladies should also strengthen themselves so that they will not become a burden to the men during wartime. By introducing these changes, Singapore will become a better place for us all.

Sorry Miss. Sam, this is Sean here, please pardon me I forgot to put my name inside my username.