Boosting NS, bilateral ties among plans to secure S’pore’s place in a changing world

Plans released in ministries’ addenda to President’s address at opening of Parliament

- Samuel Devaraj Correspondent

To secure Singapore’s place in a changing world, the Government will strengthen national service (NS), expand partnerships with other countries and improve its national security capabilities.

These are part of upcoming plans for Singapore’s Foreign Affairs and Defence ministries, and the National Security Coordination Secretariat under the Prime Minister’s Office. They were released on Sept 15 in the ministries’ addenda to President Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s address at the opening of Parliament.

In his speech on Sept 5, Mr Tharman said Singapore’s first priority is to secure its home and safeguard its place in the world, and that it can never take its security for granted, “especially in an era when tensions can flare up suddenly, in the region and globally”.

Here are some of the highlights from the various addenda or public statements of each ministry’s respective plans:

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE (MINDEF)

* The Singapore Armed Forces will deploy service personnel more effectively and adopt technologies that complement and amplify their strengths. It will also refine its medical classification system, redesign vocations and roles, and provide more opportunities for operationally ready national servicemen to apply their civilian expertise, said Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing.

* Mindef will establish new structures to drive the development of new capabilities, especially in advanced cyber security and unmanned platforms, as advances in technology — particularly low-cost, unmanned and dual-use systems ~ are redefining warfare.