They fear these newcomers, with their own rank and pay structures, among other things, could undo the teamwork and social cohesion in the SAF.

On the contrary, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, these experts will help turn the SAF into an effective fighting force.

They would accomplish it by sharing the same mission and value system as the other uniformed personnel and also by serving alongside them, added Mr Teo, who is also the Defence Minister.

He gave this assurance in Parliament on 23 November during the debate on proposed changes to the SAF Act that were announced in May this year.

The SAF (Amendment) Bill, which was passed, sought to introduce changes in three main areas, as part of the armed forces’ goal to attract and retain capable and committed Singaporean and to meet the needs of a third- generation (3G) military.

The changes, to take effect in April next year, involve a new uniformed scheme of service known as the Military Domain Experts Scheme (MDES) and enhancements to the existing Officers and Warrant Officers schemes.

During the debate, all the four MPs who spoke supported the Bill. But Dr Lam Pin Min (Ang Mo Kio GRC) and Nominated MP Paulin Straughan asked about the impact of the Military experts on the SAF’s teamwork and cohesion. Also, would the military experts be well-received by their SAF peers?

Dr Lam noted that frontline combat-trained personnel are often perceived as being superior and more important than support personnel who may not be at the forefront of battle.

“By implementing the MDES rank regime, will Mindef be creating the perception that MDES officers are somehow less important than their counterparts?” he asked.

Replying, Mr Teo noted that different vocations already existed for SAF soldiers, based on their qualifications, training regimes, pay scales and schemes of service.  But the latest changes – particularly the MDES – are necessary to help the SAF strike a balance between staying dynamic and acquiring deeper knowledge and expertise, he said.

“If we try and fit everybody into the same mould, same progression rates, same types of training pace… then what we will do is we will be sub-optimising our people,” he added.

Military experts will be accorded status and regimentation practices similar to those for their peers in the officer and warrant officer corps, said Mr Teo.

He said military experts-besides putting their domain expertise to good use.- must demonstrate strong commitment to Singapore’s defence as well.

In addition, there are clear lines of command over military experts in a division or unit.

So, while there may be different schemes of service, Mr Teo said officers, warrant officers and military experts “still operate as members of a cohesive unit with a common mission”.

He added:” They will work in partnering and leverage on our collective strengths to achieve the desired mission outcomes together.”

Asked if armed forces elsewhere have an MDES- like structure, Mr Teo said the SAF is at a level of maturity where it cannot always find ready-made solutions elsewhere , though it tries to learn from others in dealing with similar situations.

Hence, the SAF needs to develop” innovative solutions of our own to face our unique circumstances and be ready for the future”, he said.

The minister also addressed the MPs’ concerns over employment prospects of the soldiers on retirement.

The SAF, he said, is committed to encouraging lifelong education and has schemes in place that allow all personnel- military experts, officers and warrant officers- to further their studies.