The Ultimate Guide to BMT (Basic Military Training)

Welcome Recruits! This comprehensive guide will detail everything you need to know to about the BMT course: what to bring, the training curriculum, and even the posting out process. Through this course you will be taught the basics of solidering, which includes everything from folding blankets to throwing live grenades.

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Getting Started

Duration

Mono-Intake?

The dreaded mono-intake? What is it and what does it mean for me?

A mono-intake is essentially a unit that you have been pre-assigned to e.g. Armour, Infantry, Guards. Your intake batch will stick together for the entirety of your NS duration (BMT, Unit, Reservist) as you guys will be replacing an outgoing batch.

Generally what this means for you, if you happen to land in a mono-intake, is a more demanding BMT. Since you will be trained by Sergeants from your specific unit and held to the standard of that unit. On top of that, there may be extra unit specific training or physcial standards that you will be expected to attain.

Packing List

In the table below I have detailed the list essential items that you should pack for your first day. In addition to this, you can pack your personal items too such as: Facial Wash, Books, and even a tennis ball (for fun).

Enlistment Day

On your enlistment day, show up in long pants and covered shoes, since you will be taking the oath of allegiance in camp. Show up at the reporting venue, after which you and your guests will take the ferry to Tekong where there will be a tour of the bunk and other facilities. After the tour you will take the oath and depending on your reporting time there may be a meal provided.

After your parents/guests have left is when the fun begins; i.e your Sergeants will start shouting. You will then be directed to collect your equipment all of which neatly packed in a massive black duffel bag. Now with your new equipment, your commanders will go through all the equipment with you, they will show you how to wear the uniform, fiddle with the garters and facilitate any change of sizes. By this time you would already have met and gotten familiar with your buddy, it is in your best interest to get along with him as a good reliable buddy can make or break your BMT experience.

A typical day in BMT

The above timetable shows a typical day in BMT, there is usually 2 main activities for the day: one before and after lunch. On top of physical trainings, you will also be spending a lot of time in other ad-hoc admin tasks such as company interviews, recruitment talks and area cleaning.

Pro tips:

1. Area Cleaning: No matter how clean you think it is - your sergeants will always find a reason to pump you
2. Get to the shower fast, to skip the queue
3. Always keep a folded smart 4 in your locker
4. Black tape all your lose ends - on your assult bag and LBS
5. Don't bother tying your boot laces - just shove them into your garters
6. Remeber that your sergeants are shouting at you because they're trained to - not out of spite

As a recruit you can expect about 2 hours of admin time a day, usually after dinner or throughout the day after activities as you will be given time to rest and wash up.

SAF Terminology

Acronyms

Ranks

The table below will detail all the ranks in the SAF in ascending order:

Rank	Notes	Basic Pay
Recruit	Rank before completing BMT	$700
Private	Combat Voc: Minimum 4 months as PTE Support Voc: Minimum 8 months as PTE	$755
Lance Corpral (LCP)	Combat Voc: Minimum 5 months as LCP Support Voc: Minimum 8 months as LCP	$775
Corpral (CPL)	Combat Voc: Minimum 3 months as CPL Support Voc: Minimum 3 months as CPL Must pass IPPT (Unless excempted)	$825
Corpral First Class (CFC)	Roughly 30% of CPL population may be promoted to CFC	$865
Sergeant Cadet (SCT)	Cadets undergoing the SCS course hold this rank	$845
3rd Sergeant (3SG)	Rank attained upon completing the 6 month - SCS course	$1075
Officer Cadet (SCT)	Cadets undergoing the OCS course hold this rank	$1035
Second Lieutenant (2LT)	Rank attained upon completing the 9 months - OCS course This is the lowest officer rank	$1275
Lieutenant (LTA)	Highest attainable rank as a Full-time NSF Generally you will be promoted to LTA a few months before ORD You could get an early promotion with a superior's recommendation	$1455
2rd Sergeant (2SG)	Highest attainable rank as a Specialist Full-Time NSF	$1175
1rd Sergeant (1SG)	Unattainable as a Full-Time NSF Typically appointed as Platoon Sergeants (PS)	-
Staff Sergeant (SSG)	2nd Highest specialsit rank	-
Master Sergeant (MSG)	Highest specialsit rank Also known as Sergeant Major	-
Third Warrant Officer (3WO)	First rank as Warrant Officer Must complete the 3WO Professional Leadership Course	-
Second Warrant Officer (2WO)	Must Complete the the Joint Warrant Officer Course (JWOC) Will Usually undergo at least one tour as an instructor in various training schools	-
First Warrant Officer (1WO)	Warrant Officers are the most experienced ones in the unit and work closely with officers. May be given the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) appointment	-
Captain (CPT)	Typically an Officer Commanding (OC) in BMTC This is the last junior officer rank In BMTC, a captain is usually in charge of a Company (Coy)	-
Major (MAJ)	The first Senior officer rank Typically a 2nd In-Charge (2IC) of a BMTC school	-
Lieutenant Colonel (LTC)	The Commanding Officer (CO) of a BMTC School Responsible for an entire school	-

Commands in Malay

BMT Curriculum

The 3 high-key activities in the curriculum are the IFC, IPPT and BTP. In order to complete the BMT course, you must pass 2 of the 3 High-keys, with an attendence of at least 75%. If not, you will likely have to re-course the entire BMT.

Outfield - Indiviudal Field Craft (IFC) | High-key

The infamous outfield. This is without a doubt the most challenging phase of the BMT curriculum. You will spend 5D4N in the Tekong wilderness, at the mercy of the weather.

IFC activity list:

• Day 1: Orientation + Fire Movement Practise
• Day 2: Dig Shellscrape + Night Movement
• Day 3: Fire Movement test + Tekan Session + Letter from parents
• Day 4: Movement to SIT test site
• Day 5: Situational Test (SIT)

The first day of the IFC is mostly orientation, for you to get familar with the area and acclimatize you the Tekong forrest. Day 2 will be a tiring day as you will be digging your shellscrape in addition to your fire movement practise, make peace with your maker and hope for good weather.

Once you look past the dirt and grime of the forest, the IFC can actually be a fruitful experience. Just keep in the back of your mind that on Day 3 regardless of how well your platoon performs there will always be a tekan session. Don't take it personally its just a convenient time for your sergeants to kick you while your down, moreover the tekan session makes the heartfelt letter from your parents all the more meaningful.

Pro tips:

1. Zip-lock everything, you can't predict the weather.
2. Bring Wet wipes. You will need it for personal hygine, remember to dispose it responsibly.
3. Keep your torchlight on you at all times, it gets dark sooner than you expect. Bring extra batteries.
4. Black tape. You'll need it for everything you can imagine.
5. Powder everywhere, even if it dosen't rain there's always dew in the mornings.
6. Always help out your mates. You're all in this together, and can't afford any animosity.

Minimally to pass IFC you have to complete day 3, afterwards you can fall out without failing this High-key. If you are looking to go to OCS/SCS the SIT test on Day 5 is crucial, it is a key opportunity to showcase your leadership qualities and highlight your abililty to work cohesively as a team.

Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) | High-key

The IPPT is another one of BMT's high-key. Fear not for you will get 3 attempts spaced throughout your tenure in Tekong and only the highest score will be taken. For those looking to get into SCS/OCS you should aim minimally for at least a Silver to be considered.

I have added an incentive coloumn showing how much you would can claim once a year for attaining IPPT awards. This is only applicable after you are posted out to unit.

IPPT components:

1. Push up
2. Sit-up
3. 2.4km Run

The mordern IPPT only consists of 3 components. It used to include shuttle run, standing board jump and chin ups; So let's all count our blessings that we don't have that. Now if you're aiming for a gold, I would suggest you plan out your IPPT strategy based on the scoring rubrics. Placing empahsis on your weaker stations and making up points in your strengths. Also take note of the point of diminishing returns: the difference between 40 and 48 push ups is just 1 point.

Live Firing - Basic Trainfire Package (BTP) | High-key

On to the last high-key, in order to pass you have to hit at least 16 of 32 shots. Its very unlikely that you will fail this components as long as you're present, as even if you don't pass on the first attempt you will keep repeating the firing until you hit the passing threshold. For the ambitious recruits the marksman threshold is 28 out of 32 shots (87.5%).

Do expect lots of waiting, since you will at the range the entire day waiting on your fellow recruits to complete their turn. In addition, you might come to realise that cleaning the rifle is more tedious than shooting it, BMTC is strict with the upkeeping of their weapons so cleaning it will take the better part of your day.

Standard Obstacle Course (SOC)

The SOC is a 12 part obstacle course designed to test your strength and agility while you're kitted up. Basically a Ninja warrior course with your SAR21.

Standard Obstable Course components:

1. Low wall
2. Stepping stones
3. Rubble
4. Tunnel
5. Dodging Panels
6. Low Rope
7. Ditch
8. Corridor
9. Balacing Bridge
10. Window
11. Apex Ladder
12. Terrace

If you can pass your IPPT the entire course should be manageable. The only 2 components that are challenging is the Low Wall and Low Rope, which conincidentally are not remotely low. The trick for the Low wall is to run at it and kick off the wall for elavation; As for the Low rope the secret is all in the feet, learn how to lock the rope between your boots and you will breeze thorugh this.

24km Route March

Finally you've made it to the end of your BMT, to cap it all off you will embark on the 24km route march. The 24km route march is done progressively starting with a 4km march in vest slack, gradually building up to the entire 24km carrying your LBS and Field Pack. The pace is usually 45mins for every 4km (11:25/Km), followed by a 15mins break; Total elapsed time will take about 6 hours

There's no secret the route march, my only advise would be to keep yourself entertained either by talking to your buddies or singing songs. Before you know it, you'll see the break of dawn and will no longer be a recruit. If all else fails, just sound out to your commanders. This is not a high-key and will not affected your POP.

FAQ

Should I get a haircut before enlisting?

Yes ideally you should, the barbers in tekong can be rough and unhyginic; ask your barber for a zero cut. The test for acceptable hair length: If you still can pinch and pull your hair its too long.

What kind of spectacles are allowed?

Black plastic spectacles, half-frames are not allowed. You can claim up to $40 to make a new pair after enlistment, just remember to keep the receipt.

I have a medical condition, how do I down PES?

The most straight-foward way is to get a letter endoresed by a specilist doctor and present it to your MO. Any other kind of X-ray or MRI scans which can prove your medical condition can also warrant a down PES.

How long is my confinment?

2 weekends. Roughly 2 - 2.5 weeks depending on your enlistment day.

Where can I buy army items?

There are 2 eMart outlets open to public they are located at: The Chevrons (Jurong East) and SAFRA Punggol.