476 SAR organises Singapore’s first NSmen-led Open House

The Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) of 476th Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (476 SAR) have been riding a wave of success.

After completing their final Army Training Evaluation Centre (ATEC) evaluation last year, they went on to clinch the title of Best NS Armour Unit in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Best Unit Competition 2026 – a first for the unit.

For Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) (NS) Ray Sharma-Ong, the journey to this point has been an incredibly enriching one.

He has been with 476 SAR since Day One, joining as the unit’s S3 before becoming their Commanding Officer in their fourth In-Camp Training (ICT).

The unit is now gearing up to hold the first-ever NSmen-led Open House on 2 Oct, in partnership with SAFRA, welcoming about 1,200 members of the public.

In the lead-up to the Open House, the NSmen have been conducting guided tours and family days for preschoolers, employers and their families, giving them a better understanding of what the battalion does.

PIONEER spoke with four men from the unit helping to organise the Open House: Operations Officer (more commonly known as S3) Major (MAJ) (NS) Goh Khiam Li, 31; Intelligence Specialist Staff Sergeant (SSG) (NS) Ng Poh Chin, 32; Vehicle Commander 3rd Sergeant (3SG) (NS) Sakthivel, 32; and the unit’s Media In-Charge (IC), Corporal (CPL) (NS) Brandon Sim, 34.

They tell us what it’s like going from fresh-faced Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) to NSmen, and what they hope visitors will take away from the Open House.

Congrats on winning Best NS Armour Unit! Was that a surprise or did it feel expected?

LTC (NS) Sharma-Ong: Achieving Best NS Armour Unit was never the goal. From Day One, the focus was on getting better as a unit with every ICT, strengthening our operational capability, and improving our fitness.

The recognition was the culmination of that journey, and the collective effort of everyone in 476 SAR.

How was your final ATEC evaluation last year?

3SG (NS) Sakthivel: When we were NSFs, we were much younger, and chiong-ing (slang for arduous military training) was a lot easier. Once we came back as NSmen, it was, ahem, slightly tougher for us.

I find myself going, “Guys, it's way past my bedtime already… I can't do this!” (laughs) But we’d still push on and do our best.

I think what makes us power through is the camaraderie that we have forged; we’ve seen each other grow over the years.

What’s the biggest difference between being an NSF and NSman?

CPL (NS) Sim: (As NSmen now), not everybody has the luxury to just drop everything and come back for NS.

But the commanders of 476 SAR are understanding and help the men balance their 10-year NS cycle with their lives outside of NS.

That means a lot to me, knowing that our leadership is empathetic towards the challenges we face.

MAJ (NS) Goh: I always tell myself coming into ICT that I cannot just look at the men as “just a group of soldiers”.

Behind each of them are parents, siblings or wives I must answer to if things don’t run smoothly. When you think about it that way, there are so many people counting on us.

So my job is to take good care of them and make sure things are smooth, “chaos managed” in some sense.

We hear your unit does “post-ICT films”! How did this tradition start?

CPL (NS) Sim: In army camps, there's always security requirements, so you cannot anyhow take photos. I realised there was a demand for (videos and photos) for our people to share with their friends and family, and we started with a simple photo slideshow.

Over time, the focus shifted to videos showing our guys carrying out the everyday, often unspoken duties that are part of ICT . NSmen from the unit also volunteered to join the media team, becoming “embedded media” on the ground.

It helps everybody see that there's actually a lot of behind-the-scenes work that’s (integral to) everybody's NS experience.

SSG (NS) Ng: These videos bring our people together and end each ICT on a good note! Brandon always showcases the challenges that we’ve overcome together, and watching the videos is always a “goosebumps” kind of moment.

Are you friends with your NS mates outside of ICT?

SSG (NS) Ng: We catch up quite often and meet up for meals and drinks. So when we come back for ICT, we don’t feel distant from each other at all.

CPL (NS) Sim: Because I’ve been editing the post-ICT videos, I recognise people (from the footage) even though some of them didn’t really know who I was at first. Over time, they’ve come to know me as the media guy!

You guys are hosting the first-ever NSmen-led Open House. What’s the inspiration behind this initiative?

LTC (NS) Sharma-Ong: The motivation is to strengthen the connection between NS, our servicemen, and the wider community. 476 SAR is an operationally ready NS unit, but we can also contribute to Total Defence beyond our military role.

The Open House is an opportunity for the unit to give back by helping the people around us better understand what NS is, why it matters, and what NSmen actually do.

MAJ (NS) Goh: We also wanted to explore a way of engaging the guys at a more meaningful level after fighting (missions in ICT) together the past few years. Working with the community and showing them what NS is like was one avenue to achieve that.

What do you hope visitors, especially the little ones, take away from it?

LTC (NS) Sharma-Ong: With preschoolers, it is about building that connection with NS from an early age. Meeting a serviceman in uniform, seeing an Armour platform up close, or eating what soldiers eat, can help create an early and positive association with NS.

3SG (NS) Sakthivel: As a teacher, I know I can use my skill set to help them learn more about NS. I feel that we will not only inspire the next generation of kids but also help them understand what we do.

CPL (NS) Sim: I remember when I was young, the idea of going through NS was quite daunting. Now that we’re nearing the end of our cycle, I see this as coming full circle – we’ve done our duty and now we’re showing the younger generation what it means to serve as part of an NS battalion.