WOMEN, VOLUNTEERS AND MINORITIES
The minister also noted that there are now more opportunities for women and volunteers to experience and contribute to the SAF.
Technology has changed the demands of being in the military, opening up more opportunities for female officers to be deployed across the force, he said.
In 2022, there were more than 1,600 uniformed servicewomen in the SAF, making up 8 per cent of regulars. At the time, more than 500 women were trained and deployed as part of the SAF Volunteer Corps (SAFVC).
Since the SAFVC started in 2015, more than 1,000 volunteers have enlisted in the corps, which is intended for women, new citizens and first-generation permanent residents.
The SAFVC now has an acceptance rate of one in eight applicants, said Mr Chan, calling this a “very strong signal” of public interest and support.
Asked about the possibility of conscription for women, Mr Chan said this has not been done in the past because the government did not see the operational need for it.
Any decision on whether to conscript women must be driven by “real operational need” and principles like universality, he said.
“The question is that, even without full conscription, are there calls for more women to be given the chance to experience National Service? I think we have heard that loud and clear,” he said, pointing to the support for SAFVC.
“Over time, even without making that decision (on conscription), I think there will be a demand for more exposure, and I think this is where MINDEF is thinking through how we can also respond to this demand for greater exposure. But I don’t think we are making that decision now,” he said.
