While soldiers and commanders pushing themselves mentally and physically to do well in training and maintain high standards is to be encouraged, it also comes with an increased risk if safety guidelines are not followed.

And if soldiers concerned about safety do not speak up, is it due to overzealousness, or a fear of being marked for speaking up?

What should SAF do to ensure its commanders and soldiers strike a balance between training hard to remain a deterrent fighting force and training safe to achieve its aim of zero fatalities?

But safety in the military is challenging due to the inherent risky nature of its training, said defence analyst at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Ho Shu Huang. “War is violent, dangerous, uncomfortable and physically demanding. There is no other human experience like it. Training to be proficient war-fighters therefore requires an abnormal level of risk compared to daily life.”