Islandwide Total Defence exercise to return in Feb 2025

It aims to simulate large-scale disruptions, help improve Singaporeans' readiness for them

- Mike Yeo

The islandwide Total Defence exercise that made its debut in 2024 will be held again in February 2025.

This is as the inaugural exercise in February, which simulated cyber and drone attacks and saw emergency food supplies provided to some schools, was well received by the public, said Nexus, the government agency responsible for Total Defence and National Education.

The upcoming exercise will also be a key part of events to mark Singapore's 60 years of independence, said Nexus' director of community engagement, Senior Lieutenant-Colonel (SLTC) Psalm Lew.

As with the first run, the 2025 edition of the exercise will likely simulate some form of large-scale disruption here caused by attacks on the Republic's infrastructure, and be an opportunity to improve Singaporeans' readiness in the face of disruptions.

SLTC Lew noted that surveys of those who participated in the inaugural exercise showed that 95 per cent of respondents hoped to participate in similar crisis preparedness exercises in the future.

Table-top exercises, which brought together individuals from different age groups and walks of life, were also given the thumbs-up.