PUBLISHED ONAugust 26, 2026 12:58 PMBYSean LerThe National Cadet Corps (NCC) on Wednesday (Aug 26) unveiled an updated roadmap for its next chapter as it marks its 125th anniversary.
Founded in 1901, with its first cadet corps unit at Raffles Institution to train youths for the Singapore Volunteer Corps, the present-day NCC was established on Jan 1, 1969.
It comprises three services — land, sea and air — mirroring the army, navy and air force of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), and has more than 10,000 members in 135 units across 119 schools today.
In his speech at the Corps' 125th anniversary celebrations held at the Central Manpower Base, Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing said that the NCC has taught young Singaporeans what classrooms alone cannot.
"Leadership, discipline, and service to nation. These qualities do not just develop good cadets, they also help to groom leaders for Singapore."
But as disinformation, cyberattacks, climate-related risks add on to geopolitical and geoeconomics challenges, young leaders in the NCC must be prepared for this "new world", Chan said.
The defence minister also announced NCC2030, a transformation of the Corps' curriculum that will be progressively rolled out from 2027 to 2030.
The first area is in character and leadership development, which will equip cadets with age-appropriate leadership tools and provide structured leadership opportunities to practise in authentic settings.
Common core training, that exposes all cadets to shared experiences and life skills across the SAF's services, will encompass new technology-focused modules covering robotics, drones, and cybersecurity will supplement traditional skills such as shooting, fieldcraft and navigation.
The third area is the introduction of specialised skills modules that will deepen cadets' understanding of each SAF service.
This is also intended to deepen their affiliation to the services.
Resilience building elements — that will feature more challenging activities such as rappelling and obstacle courses, and inter-unit competitions such as air rifle and drone sports — will also be introduced to foster collaboration, critical thinking and adaptability.
To support this, Chan also announced that the NCC will move to a new campus at Bedok Camp in 2032, and it will be adjacent to the second multi-mission range complex, also expected to be completed in 2032.
"Together, NCC2030 and Campus 2032 are our commitment to the next chapter," Chan said.
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