The seemingly templatised response of the government to the deaths of National Servicemen - the fourth training fatality of the Singapore Armed Forces in the past 18 months, including actor Aloysius Pang as the latest casualty - through its communications strategy, the work of the Committees of Inquiry, as well as the promised changes or punishments which follow, is similarly matched by a templatised chorus of outrage, even before the facts have been established: Calling for "accountability" through punitive measures against perpetrators and the immediate resignation of generals and ministers, for organisational improvements and guarantees of no more peacetime deaths, and even for a reassessment of Singapore’s need for National Service (NS). Missing in this back-and-forth, however, is a more holistic and rigorous understanding of the NS and reservist experience for the average serviceman. Put otherwise: What does the average soldier go through upon conscription, and does he think are the areas for improvement? Continue reading →