Introduction

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)’s Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC) School V was established in October 2018 as a dedicated training school to provide a centralised and common Basic Military Training (BMT) experience for PES C and PES E recruits.

Functional Assessment to Improve Servicemen Deployability

The SAF has introduced the Functional Assessment for Transport Operators for service-fit servicemen at BMTC School V. This is part of the SAF’s continual efforts to enhance deployment opportunities and maximise the potential of Full-time National Servicemen to contribute meaningfully during their National Service (NS) journey.

Those assessed to be medically fit by Headquarters Army Medical Services (HQ AMS) and possess the requisite vocation-specific functional abilities will be eligible for the Functional Assessment. The Functional Assessment comprises a set of physical ability tests that replicate the physical demands required in the daily operations of a Transport Operator. Conducted in a safe and controlled environment, the Functional Assessment allows servicemen to demonstrate their maximal functional abilities within their comfortable range of motion.

Developed by HQ AMS, in consultation with physiotherapists and occupational therapists from Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s National Driving Assessment and Rehabilitation Programme^[1], the Functional Assessment was designed to assess servicemen’s physical abilities, without compromising safety and operational requirements.

Since the Functional Assessment for service-fit servicemen was introduced in April 2021, the SAF has increased the selection pool of potential Transport Operators by an additional 7%. This has allowed the SAF to better fulfil operational requirements. By enabling the deployment of servicemen based on their functional abilities and skills, service-fit servicemen now have more opportunities to be deployed in roles they would have previously been ineligible for. This in turn maximises our servicemen’s potential to contribute to Singapore’s defence and take away meaningful experiences from their NS journey.

^[1] The Driving Assessment and Rehabilitation Programme at Tan Tock Seng Hospital aims to assist clients with medical conditions to learn or return to driving. Clients are assessed on their ability to return to driving safely and legally based on the Medical Guidelines on Fitness to Drive and the requirements of the Traffic Police.