Neil Humphreys: Women deserve praise for doing NS boot camp, not male ridicule
About a decade ago, I had a meeting with some folks from the Ministry of Defence for a possible TV project, and I enquired about the possibility of doing Basic Military Training (BMT).
I think they're still laughing.
I was a proud Singapore permanent resident, but I'd already passed the cut-off date to do my bit for my adopted homeland.
My ego was suitably pricked.
Apart from a torn rotator cuff, a chronic knee injury and plantar fasciitis in my right foot, I was fighting fit.
All right, I wasn't fighting fit.
An enemy wouldn't need a machine gun.
A staircase would take me out.
'Man, I feel like a woman here'
But I wanted that BMT badge of honour to defend myself against the oldest male criticism in Singapore, because, man, I feel like a woman here. It doesn't matter what I contribute to the country, the retort is always the same.
I wrote many books that championed Singapore?
Ah, never do NS.
I encourage schoolchildren to read?
Ah, never do NS.
I support Singapore over Japan and China?
Ah, never do NS.
I cured cancer, scrapped COE and turned 38 Oxley Road into a sports bar?
Ah, never do NS. (Though I might get a pass for the COE.)
And I get it.
I really do.
In my late teens, I spent my time in East London bars chasing women. Singaporean men of the same age spent their time in forests chasing snakes. Honestly, they had more success with the snakes.
National Service is not just young men, in matching attire, battling imagined enemies. If it was, then West Ham and Tottenham supporters would fulfil the criteria.
NS is a priceless commitment to our national security. It's a unique bonding experience among bands of brothers. It's a lifelong opportunity to remind anyone who didn't do NS – that they didn't do NS.
Personally, I'd go even further and have that reminder written into traditional marriage vows, so men can say… "I, Private Bridegroom, take this woman, who never did NS, to be my lawful-wedded wife, even though she never did NS. And from this day forward, in sickness and in health, I will love and cherish my grey army vest."
Of course, Singaporean women have done their national service. They turned cubs into lions and packed them off to Tekong. They maintained households while sons and husbands were away. The men did nine weeks of BMT to deliver a half decent soldier? The women did nine months to deliver the soldier in the first place. They've done enough for the nation.
Then came Women's Boot Camp — and the trolls arrived
And still, more than 200 women participated in the recent Women's Boot Camp 2025. They took part in field drills and weapons handling, just to get a sense of National Service and appreciate the sacrifices every young male makes. That's all.
But their efforts were unfairly ridiculed. According to the (almost entirely male) trolls online, the boot camp was a glorified holiday camp. In truth, I can't recall too many holiday camps that involved women in heavy makeup wielding machine guns, unless it was a gathering of Trump voters in MAGA hats.
But the cynical online comments kept on coming … Did the women experience physical torture? Did they cut their hair? Did they endure vulgarities?
Are these women doing a boot camp or visiting a dodgy barber?
Inevitably, the criticisms moved across generations and into familiar 'back in my day' territory.
And at that moment, young women finally knew what it was like to be a modern national serviceman, because neither of them will ever satisfy 'Back in My Day NS Man'.
For him, BMT consisted of being hung upside from a tree for 12 hours a day, whilst singing, "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts".
If he stopped singing, the monkeys were allowed to feast on his coconuts.
'Back in My Day NS Man' only had one uniform, which he shared with eight other guys — seven of whom had infectious skin complaints.
He was allowed a single boot for his left foot and a sandal for his right, and left camp with one leg six inches shorter than the other.
How could a three-day boot camp for women compete with that?
How could national service in the 21st century compete with that?
It can't.
And it probably shouldn't.
So what's the point?
Rather than mock the women's camp for what it isn't, why not focus on what it is: a rare chance to participate in a literal man's world.
Even if the participation is fleeting and tokenistic, it raises awareness of what young men do for all of us. It's not an empty gesture, but an empathetic one.
It should unify, not divide — especially if the exercise encourages women to pursue a career in the military.
It should unify, not divide — especially if the exercise encourages women to pursue a career in the military.
And on that patriotic note, can there be a similar camp next year for the over-50s? I'd still like to take a shot at BMT.
Although, to be honest, there's more chance of me turning 38 Oxley Road into a sports bar.
Neil Humphreys is an award-winning writer and radio host, a successful author and a failed footballer.
