GRASSROOTS LEADERS CHECK OUT NDU'S CAPABILITIES

What do you do if you are tossed into the sea with both your hands and feet bound? And what do you do if your air supply underwater is cut off abruptly?

About 80 grassroots leaders got a glimpse of how the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) naval divers are trained to deal with challenging situations underwater when they visited the Naval Diving Unit (NDU) at Sembawang Camp on 14 Oct.

Hosted by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Defence and National Development Dr Mohammad Maliki Bin Osman, the visitors witnessed an exciting Pool Dynamic Display during the visit, where divers from NDU executed their "drown-proofing" moves.

"Drown-proofing" is a water confidence test potential divers have to pass before they become certified combat divers. It includes staying afloat for more than two minutes with limbs bound and performing front and back somersaults at a depth of four metres.

As part of the display, the divers also showcased their finesse in pool competency drills, which are a series of steps that a diver has to execute when their Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, or SCUBA, comes under attack.

Grassroots leaders also saw how a Mine Countermeasure diver neutralised a simulated underwater mine in a Mine Disposal Diving Operation, visited a display of equipment that naval divers use at work and took a ride on a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) ride.

As part of the visit, Dr Maliki also held a dialogue session with the grassroots leaders. During the session, he reiterated the important roles that grassroots leaders play in communicating the importance of National Service (NS) and defence to their constituents. He also addressed their feedback on issues such as the duration of NS and training safety.

For Mr Michael Toh, his first visit to an SAF unit left a deep impression. As Chairman of the Nee Soon South Zone 'F' Residents Committee, Mr Toh interacts with up to 100 residents each week.

The 38-year-old engineer said: "There's a great difference between the 2G (2nd Generation) SAF where I served and the 3G SAF today. Now, we are using more advanced technology and operating on more platforms. We are using less manpower but are still getting the same amount of work done."

Madam Kannagi, Secretary of the Sembawang Indian Activity Executive Committee, said the visit had given her an in-depth perspective into the training that Full-time National Servicemen go through to become competent divers, which was especially reassuring as her son had just enlisted for NS.

"It does indeed turn a boy into a man!"