National Cadet Corps (Singapore)

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Coordinates: 1°23′11.69″N 103°51′01.19″E / 1.3865806, 103.8503306

National Cadet Corps
NCC Crest
Active 1901 - present
Role Volunteer Youth Organisation
Headquarters Amoy Quee Camp
Motto To Serve With Pride & Dedication
Commanders
Cmdt NCC LTC Stuart Khoo

The National Cadet Corps (NCC) is one of the most established uniformed youth organisations in Singapore. As of 2006, it had a total strength of 523 officers and 18,500 cadets spread over 143 Land Units, 21 Sea Units and 18 Air Units. While supported, in part, by the Singapore Armed Forces, the Corps is not considered a pre-service organisation, although a large number of cadets do eventually sign on for careers in the Armed Services.

Contents

[edit] Organisation

[edit] National Level

The National Cadet Corps comprises three elements. These are the Land (Army), Sea (Navy) & Air (Air Force) elements.

Of the three elements, the Land element is invariably the largest and is divided geographically into three districts. The Air and Sea elements function independently of these geographical districts and have a more centralised command structure.

Headquarters National Cadet Corps (HQ NCC), based at Amoy Quee Camp, an Army facility, controls the organisation; there are subordinate HQs at element or district levels staffed by teachers seconded to the Corps, civil servants and a handful of volunteers. A regular Army Lieutenant Colonel serves as Commandant National Cadet Corps. While the Commandant holds command over the corps and controls its day to day activities, he or she is bound, by law, to work in consultation with a policy making body known as the National Cadet Corps Council when making major changes in policy.

The NCC Council is chaired by a Chairman appointed by the government. Members of the Council include officers from the armed services as well as officials from the Ministry of Education.

[edit] Unit Level

Units of the various elements of the Corps are based in various secondary schools throughout the nation. It is also not unusual for some schools to support more than one unit, with a few schools hosting even up to three units, one each from the Land, Air & Sea elements. Each unit’s ranks are usually filled by students from the school in which it is based. The typical NCC unit is commanded by a Commanding Officer (CO), who is usually also a teacher from the host school. The CO is assisted by a team of officers, cadet officers and cadet specialists.

[edit] Membership

[edit] Cadets

Singapore citizens and permanent residents typically join the NCC as a school Co-Curriculum Activity (CCA) around the same time they enrol for Secondary School at the age of 13. They then stay for a term of 4 to 5 years. Cadets who wish to stay on in the Corps after completing their secondary education may apply to undergo a 2 and a half week long Cadet Officer course (C/Offr Course). Cadets passing out from the course are then appointed Cadet Officers (C/Offr). Upon graduation of the course, Cadet Officers must serve a probation period of 6 months, being actively involved in HQ activities (1 Live Range/IMT, 1 Trainfire and 1 Camp). After which, they will clear their probation and be promoted to the rank of Cadet 2nd Lieutenants (C/2LT). Cadet 2nd Lieutenants who wants to further their career in NCC can be promoted to the rank of Cadet Lieutenants (C/LTA) once they accumulate 300 points and fulfill a certain set of criteria. The rank of Cadet Captain (C/CPT), the pinnacle of the Cadet Officer's Rank Structure, can be attained upon accumulating 1000 points and fulfilling a stringent set of criteria.

The cadets of all elements join at the rank of Recruit. After a period of up to 2-3 years, cadets who complete a Specialists Course are then promoted to the status of Specialists (3SG - 1SG). The Specialist ranks in the NCC typically mirror those of the Singapore Armed Forces. Exactly when and how cadets are promoted after the specialist course varies depending on the procedure followed by the cadets' element. Cadets who perform well may be nominated to attend a further training course known as the Senior Specialist Course, where they earn the rank of Staff Sergeant (SSG) to groom them for leadership positions within their respective units. The two best cadets of each school units will take on the post of Unit Sergeant Major and Assistant Unit Sergeant Major, holding the rank of Master Sergeant (MSG).

[edit] Adult Staff

The staff who run the NCC come in 3 types: commissioned officers, adult volunteers and SAF personnel.

Commissioned officers are usually teachers from the Ministry of Education, who have been seconded to the Corps. Adult volunteers may also apply to be commissioned as NCC officers, however, there also exists a sizable pool of civilian volunteers who are not commissioned and provide service to units on an ad hoc basis. SAF personnel are both Regular armed forces personnel and also Full-Time National Service (NSF) personnel, usually from the Army, who are seconded to the Corps. Regular SAF personnel either stay permanently or rotate out of the Corps after serving a period of 2 to 5 years, while NSF will serve for a period of 1 to 2 years before they ORD (Operational Ready Date).

Commissioned officers typically start at the rank of 2nd Lieutenant, though if they held a higher rank in the Armed Forces, they may enter at that rank. For instance, an NCC Officer who is also an Operationally-Ready NSman (or Reservist) holding the rank of Captain, can join the NCC at the rank of Captain. The highest rank attainable by an NCC officer is Lieutenant Colonel.

All ranks of the NCC have the suffix (NCC), to distinguish them from the ranks of the SAF. For example, a Captain in the Corps would list his rank as Captain (NCC) while working in that capacity.

[edit] Activities

Within the framework of the training programme NCC cadets have the opportunity of taking part in many activities.

A cadet taking part in Fieldcraft training.
A cadet taking part in Fieldcraft training.

[edit] Training Days

Every unit meets or parades, at least once a week. Training Days usually begin and end with a simple parade. The parade at the start of training is usually used for taking attendance and briefing cadets on the schedule for the days training session while the parade at the end of training is used to brief cadets on subsequent events and as a short feedback session. A typical training day might include Physical Training, Drills and lessons on topics such as Fieldcraft, Navigation and other military-related topics.

[edit] Marksmanship

Cadets have the opportunity of firing an M16 or SAR 21 rifle on firing ranges. Cadets first train on the Army Individual Marksmanship Trainer (IMT), a computerised simulation, before progressing on to shoot at live firing ranges. Safety is always the main concern when shooting, with everything done by the book. Cadet live firing is always conducted by active armed forces personnel under the supervision of a trained Safety Officer. An armed forces Medic is also attached as a safety measure.

A Shooting Competition is also organised annually where cadets from all three elements (Land, Sea and Air) compete.

Cadets who obtain a respectable shooting score are awarded a Marksmanship badge.

Cadets of the three services marching in the annual NCC Day parade
Cadets of the three services marching in the annual NCC Day parade

[edit] Drill

All NCC squadrons practise drill as a means of instilling discipline and teamwork, it is also used in formal parades, for moving around military bases and moving cadets in a smart and orderly fashion.

Cadets who possess a high standard of military drill may be selected aa Parade Supernumerarys. This group is given further drill training and compose the Guard-of-Honour contingent who greet visiting dignitaries.

Certain units also form Precision Drill Squad which specialise in performing display drills.

Cadets taking part in a Rappelling training.
Cadets taking part in a Rappelling training.

[edit] Adventure Training

As part of the NCC's mission to develop resourseful, responsible, resilient, loyal leaders and team players, the NCC offers a wide range of adventure and experimential programmes and activities.

Part A (Alpha, Secondary 1 cadets) cadets attend an outdoor camp for at least 2 nights and 3 days conducted by their school's Unit and for many cadets this is their first outdoor camp. On 2008, Camp FEAST will be attended by Part A's and B's. From 2009 onwards, Camp FEAST will be attended by Part A's only.

Part B (Bravo, Secondary 2 cadets) cadets attend Camp FEAST, an adventure-based experiential in the NCC Campus. The acronym FEAST, stands for Fun, Experiential, Adventure, Social cohesion and Team building. Cadets are given opportunities to participate in activities such as archery, paint-ball gun competition and many adventure facilities such as The Flying Fox and the Rappelling Wall.

Part C and D (Charlie and Delta, Secondary 3 and 4 cadets respectively) selected cadets are sent toe Spec Course where they undergo training to become Sergents. Cadets are also provided many opportunities to attend adventure courses locally and overseas. The following are some of the courses available:

-Outward Bound Course in Singapore
-Round Island Kayaking Expedition
-Mount Ophir Expedition
-Jungle Training Course in Brunei
-Outward Bound Course in Sabah/ Brunei
-Desert Trekking in India
-Glider Course in India

NCC cadets are also able to attend prestigious courses such as the Airborne Course and Basic Diving Course conducted by the SAF Commandos and RSN Naval Diving Unit respectively. The Engineer-NCC Experiential Camp is another opportunity to expose the cadets to the SAF training environment.

Currently, there is an array of 17 different types of adventure trainings offered to cadets both locally and overseas as compared to 21 similar adventure trainings worldwide. The NCC is constantly seeking new adventure programmes to broaden the experiences and horizon of its cadets.

[edit] National Youth Achievement Award

The National Cadet Corps is one of Singapore's largest supporters of the National Youth Achievement Award. Cadets are often encouraged to achieve the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards as they progress through their cadet careers.

A cadet participating in a community park clean-up project.
A cadet participating in a community park clean-up project.

[edit] Community Volunteering

Cadets often volunteer to help local charitable organisations through various fund raising and interaction programmes. For example, the Corps has previously raised funds for disabled youth. The Corps also frequently organises Clean-up projects at local parks, beaches and nature reserves.

In addition, the Corps occasionally organises overseas community projects in countries like India and Cambodia.

[edit] International Cadet Exchanges

Every year selected cadets are given the opportunity to participate in various international exchanges with cadets from countries like Australia, Brunei, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and India.

[edit] History

Prior to the formation of the modern National Cadet Corps, the Land, Air & Sea elements of the Corps were regarded as separate organisations. These were respectively known as the Army Cadet Corps, the Singapore Air Training Corps and the Sea Cadet Corps. All three corps were integrated to form the National Cadet Corps in 1969, along with the Police Cadet Corps, which was then renamed as the National Cadet Corps (Police). In 1972, the Singapore Parliament passed the National Cadet Corps Act, and was also the same year that the National Cadet Corps (Police) reverted as a distinct organisation, and became known as the National Police Cadet Corps.

While the year 1972 is the official date of the formation of the modern NCC, the Corps can trace its history back to colonial days when in May 1901, C M Philips, the acting principal of Raffles Institution formed a cadet corps which comprised existing and ex-Rafflesians. Because of this, the Corps considers itself the oldest youth organisation in Singapore and, disregarding the 1972 date, celebrated its centenary in 2001.

[edit] People

[edit] Commandants

[edit] See also

[edit] External links