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The state flag is flown past the National Day Parade 2019 parade ground as troops stand ready for inspection. (Photo: Jeremy Long) - 

A National Day Ceremonial Parade will take place at The Float @ Marina Bay on Aug 9, with about 600 participants from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Home Team on site, said the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) on Saturday (Aug 7).

About 200 more participants from nine uniformed youth groups and 12 social and economic organisations will also participate in the parade virtually.

The ceremonial parade will also include the state flag flypast, comprising one CH-47 Chinook helicopter and two escorting AH-64 Apache Longbow helicopters.

This year's National Day Parade (NDP) was postponed to Aug 21, after the scheduled end of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert), with the ceremonial parade taking its place on National Day itself.

In line with COVID-19 safe management measures, contingent sizes for the ceremonial parade will be reduced compared to past NDPs, and participants will practise safe distancing, MINDEF said in a news release.

“To ensure that safe management measures can be applied, the number of participants forming up the physical parade has been reduced by 70 per cent, compared to past parades held at The Float @ Marina Bay,” the ministry said.

“The size of the contingents were reduced, and a 1m distance is kept between participants in the same contingent.”

The parade’s Guard of Honour will be made up of four contingents each comprising 72 personnel, a contingent commander and a second-in-command.

The 1st Commando Battalion will represent the Army, the Naval Diving Unit will represent the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), the Air Power Generation Command will represent the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Police Training Command will represent the Singapore Police Force (SPF).

The SAF Colours Party will carry the 37 Regimental Colours, and the Army, RSN, RSAF, SPF and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will each provide one supporting contingent formed by 48 servicemen and servicewomen as well as one contingent commander.

A combined band consisting of 53 members from the SAF Central Band and the SPF Band will also participate in the parade.

The supporting contingents represent the six pillars of Total Defence, MINDEF said.“The SAF and Home Team contingents representing our Military, Civil and Digital Defence are joined by the socio-economic organisations from the private sector representing Social and Economic Defence,” the ministry said.“

All contingents on parade, including the youth uniformed groups from schools, represent Psychological Defence.”

The virtual participation of the youth and civilian contingents is a first for a National Day parade, MINDEF said, adding that the youth uniformed groups have adopted a “one school, one uniformed group” policy to accommodate COVID-19 safe management measures.

This means that each group will be represented by a different school.These contingents will be made up of nine marching participants and one contingent commander each.The 12 civilian contingents will each have nine marching participants and one contingent commander, with Families for Life, SingHealth and Singapore Airlines among the participating organisations.

Following the ceremonial parade at The Float @ Marina Bay, two Chinook helicopters carrying the state flag, each accompanied by a pair of AH-64 Apache helicopters, will fly across Singapore via two routes from the east and west of the island. This will take place from about 9.50am to 10.35am//CNA