Soldiers may help manage crowds in rail disruptions

* SAF to respond only when agencies cannot cope

We refer to the recent reports and Forum letters on the Singapore Armed Forces' support during train service disruptions ("Troops not trained to manage crowds" by Mr Lim Chong Leong, "Use soldiers only if rail operator is nationalised" by Mr Tong Hsien-Hui; both published on Tuesday, "Marshalling the troops during train service disruptions"; Sunday, "Talk of SAF helping out in rail incidents sparks debate"; last Saturday, and "Soldiers may help manage crowds in rail disruptions", last Friday).

The primary responsibility of the SAF is to safeguard Singapore's peace and security.

From time to time, the SAF may be called upon to assist during extreme circumstances which affect the national population.

The SAF responded to contain the Sars crisis in 2003, and in 2013, when the haze blanketed Singapore, the SAF distributed N95 masks to Singaporeans.

The SAF's assistance in these circumstances ensured the well-being of Singaporeans and protected livelihoods, as the scale of these national disruptions overwhelmed the existing resources of other agencies.

Even as the SAF responds to assist Singaporeans in times of national need, we will commit only limited assets so as not to compromise our ability to perform our primary role.

Similarly, the SAF will respond to large-scale train service disruptions only when all the available resources of local agencies cannot cope.

This is to ensure Singaporeans are not left stranded for hours at MRT stations or on the tracks.

The Land Transport Authority and the public transport operators will still be primarily responsible for having comprehensive contingency plans.

Desmond Tan (Brigadier-General)
Director of Joint Operations
Ministry of Defence
ST Forum, 27 Aug 2015

Soldiers may help manage crowds in rail disruptions

LTA says it has approached SAF to explore deploying troops in large-scale breakdowns

By Jermyn Chow, Defence Correspondent, The Straits Times, 21 Aug 2015

Soldiers will be roped in as marshals to give directions to stricken commuters in the event of a massive train breakdown, The Straits Times has learnt.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA), which is beefing up its contingency plans, has approached the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to explore deploying the men in green to give directions and manage crowds. They will be tapped only during large-scale disruptions.

The LTA said that personnel from the police, Public Transport Security Command (Transcom) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force are already helping the LTA and the public transport operators in managing such incidents.

A spokesman for the LTA told The Straits Times that it "will also work with other agencies like the Defence Ministry to provide additional manpower resources if necessary".

When contacted, the Defence Ministry also confirmed the move, saying that the SAF will work with LTA in the event of a major disruption, "while maintaining our primary responsibility to safeguard our security environment".

The latest move comes on the back of a spate of major incidents involving Singapore's rail system.

The most recent was the July 7 massive breakdown of the North-South and East-West MRT lines, which affected some 250,000 commuters during the peak hour.

There were accounts of people, whose trains broke down around 7pm, not managing to get home until close to midnight. Some had to walk all the way. In the wake of the incident, a review was conducted, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo in Parliament on Monday. She said it was found that the contingency plans of rail operator SMRT were "not adequate" to handle the scale of the breakdown.

As a result, trunk bus services calling at MRT stations hit by delays or breakdowns will be ramped up to provide alternative travel options for commuters, said Mrs Teo.

Transport expert Park Byung Joon said that tapping the military during massive disruptions makes sense as soldiers can be called up and deployed at short notice and "can channel commuters to the right places as quickly as possible".

The adjunct associate professor at SIM University said that using the military as "alternative backup manpower" during such incidents is not unheard of.

He pointed out that some special forces troops in the South Korean army learn how to operate trains to ensure train services continue in the event of a strike by train drivers.

Mr Alex Yam, deputy chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Foreign Affairs, said deploying SAF personnel at MRT stations is not entirely new as soldiers are already put in key installations like Jurong Island and Changi Airport to conduct patrols. They also have experience in crowd control during mega national events like the National Day Parade.

Mr Yam added: "Transcom already has a sizeable pool of officers, so activating military men will not be the first course of action. It is a last resort."

Should SAF soldiers be roped in to help out during massive train breakdowns? The idea has sparked a debate: http://str.sg/Z7Ut
Posted by The Straits Times on Saturday, August 22, 2015

Talk of SAF helping out in rail incidents sparks debate
Many question if train disruption is a matter of national security, while others favour idea
By Jermyn Chow, Defence Correspondent, The Straits Times, 22 Aug 2015

News that soldiers could be roped in to help out during massive train breakdowns has sparked a debate about whether the military should pitch in during such incidents.

Many questioned if rail disruptions are a "matter of national security" and whether the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), "a national resource", should be called upon to help the public transport operators, which are commercial entities.

Others, though, felt it was worthwhile tapping the military, which can be mobilised quickly and is "quite dependable".

The Straits Times reported that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has approached the SAF to explore deploying the men in green to give directions and manage crowds. They will be tapped only during large-scale disruptions.

Currently, personnel from the police, Public Transport Security Command and Singapore Civil Defence Force already help the LTA and public transport operators to manage such incidents.

On the issue of getting soldiers to lend a hand in the case of major disruptions, commuters had a variety of views.

Accountant Lee Boon Chye, 29, who takes the train from Ang Mo Kio to work in Raffles Place, said: "While the army has the manpower and resources to get things done, it should not be helping to solve problems of companies that are profit- driven... It is also not a national crisis that requires soldiers.

"These companies can hire auxiliary police officers or private security firms."

But Madam Chua Mui Lam, 43, who takes the train to work in Orchard, said train breakdowns are serious enough to call in the military as they affect many people.

The sales executive said: "The MRT is a very important part of Singapore's transport system. If there are very serious breakdowns, what matters most is that we get people to solve the situation quickly."

Defence analyst Ho Shu Huang said it is "not a bad thing" to involve the SAF for contingency planning, especially for worst-case scenarios.

The associate research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University said: "Train breakdowns have so far resulted in delays for a few hours.

"But a train breakdown could become a crisis if there are other untoward consequences, such as a stampede, civil unrest or if the train breakdown continues for days or weeks... it will then be justifiable for the military to support efforts to manage the crisis."

The SAF needs to train up an army of war-fighters who can tighten their grip on their primary mission and not be distracted by mundane missions, writes ST's Jermyn Chow. http://str.sg/Z7w5
Posted by The Straits Times on Saturday, August 22, 2015

Calling in soldiers for MRT train breakdowns should only be the last resort
By Jermyn Chow, Defence Correspondent, The Straits Times, 22 Aug 2015

The latest move by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to turn to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) for help during massive train disruptions has raised some eyebrows. Many wonder if we want our fighting men and women to become marshals and direct stricken commuters at the MRT stations.

Given its vast experience in deploying large bodies of people and diverse pools of resources quickly and effectively, it would make sense to rope in the SAF to help ease the congestion during such incidents.

It is clear that the LTA and rail operators want to avoid a repeat of the July 7 massive breakdown which affected some 250,000 commuters during the evening peak hour.

There were accounts of people, whose trains broke down around 7pm, not managing to get home until close to midnight. Some had to walk all the way.

In the wake of the incident, a review was conducted that found SMRT's contingency plans wanting.

So it is not a bad thing to involve the SAF in planning for contingencies, especially in worst-case scenarios.

But calling in the troops should be the last resort and not a routine exercise in a breakdown.

That is because the primary mission for Singapore's soldiers, airmen and sailors is to fight increasingly complicated and difficult enemies.

Making them the go-to guys during large scale train disruptions would mean taking them away from focusing on training for the business at hand.

While the LTA is tight-lipped about when and how it plans to call in the troops, a few questions come to mind immediately: Should public transport operators, which are private corporations, tap on national resource to help sort out their problems? Should they have to pay for the use of such resources? While the rail business has not been doing well and suffering losses, a profit-driven firm should have the financial wherewithal to hire more auxiliary police officers or private security firms to get the job done.

In any case, how far will military presence on the ground go in easing the commuter's grief and inconvenience?

Commuters just want to know where to go, what buses to take and how to get their refunds. Such information can be simply presented in signs that commuters can refer to in the stations and hear from frequent public announcements, and by having enough staff - or even part-time marshals - on the ground. Soldiers aren't necessary.

To be sure, SAF personnel have made their presence felt in previous emergencies. They have swung into action, from coordinating screening measures during the Sars epidemic in 2003 to distributing one million masks when the haze blanketed Singapore in 2013.

More recently, nearly 10,000 SAF regulars, defence executives and national servicemen worked throughout the day and night to organise the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew's state funeral.

With its proven track record, some analysts have rightly pointed out that the SAF is a shared national resource whose use doesn't have to be limited to just defence or security.

Elsewhere, militaries have also been called in to help in crises. British soldiers, marines and airmen were deployed as drivers when ambulance workers went on strike last October. In South Korea, some elite soldiers from the Special Forces have to learn how to drive trains in case the train operators walk off their jobs.

Thankfully, such scenarios don't play out in Singapore. Train breakdowns here have so far lasted for a few hours and not spiralled out of control.

But as defence analyst Ho Shu Huang said, a train breakdown could become a crisis "if there are other untoward consequences, such as a stampede, civil unrest or if the train breakdown continues for days or weeks".

It will then be justifiable for the military to support efforts to manage the crisis, he said.

I agree. As former defence chief Lieutenant-General (Retired) Winston Choo once said: "Although our main task is the defence of the nation against external aggression, we must also be able to assist the civil authorities in any emergency that may occur... We must be absolutely reliable in times of crisis. Our role is not merely to defend and protect but also to assist in saving the lives of our fellow citizens."

That being said, managing crowds is a far cry from being caught in the heat of battle.

With falling enlistment rates, there will be fewer boots on the ground. The SAF needs to train up an army of war-fighters who can tighten their grip on their primary mission and not be distracted by mundane missions.