We probably need to maintain our active personnel (including conscripts) at the current level of 71,000 to match the neighboring countries.
However, is there need to have such a large reserves?. It should be all right to reduce the reserve liability to half of the current duration - say up to a max of 8 years - and keep the reserves at 400,000.
This will relieve the burden on our males who have to work and look after the family.
Also, any NS man who has one or more children should be exempted from reservist training totally. They have to help in taking care of the child and have done more of their fair share of duty for the country.
It is unfair to continue the burden. Already Singaporeans are marrying late or not at all, due to the heavy burden of competing for jobs and high cost of raising a family and still have to carry out reservist and remedial training.
Our defense budget is clearly too high, and can be reduced by 50%. Is there inefficiency and waste?
Source: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Petition-to-reduce-National-Service/1450910421794913?fref=ts