SAF Launches Two Commands to Sharpen Singapore's Cyber-Security Edge

One will deal with hostile threats; the other will support development of technologies

- Mike Yeo

Singapore's armed forces on March 18 officially launched two new commands to better protect the country's "digital backbone" and critical information technology infrastructure against hostile cyber threats.

The Defence Cyber Command and SAF C4 and Digitalisation Command (SAFC4DC) fall under Singapore's fourth military service — the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS).

In a speech at a ceremony in Hillview Camp to inaugurate the new commands, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said the move is timely, given the alarming increase in the frequency, sophistication and scale of cyber threats.

"Cyber threat actors have refined their methods, used advanced techniques — they also use AI, zero-day exploits and ransomware to target critical infrastructure in healthcare, energy and government sectors," he noted.

The Defence Cyber Command will consolidate Singapore's cybersecurity capabilities by bringing together the Cybersecurity Task Force and the Defence Cyber Organisation under a single command, Dr Ng said.

"They will deal with hostile digital threats against Singapore to safeguard our digital backbone and essential services," he added.

Meanwhile, the SAFC4DC will bring under its command the Digital Ops-Tech Centre, which supports the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) by engineering digital products that can drive new fighting concepts or improve existing workflows.

It will also establish the SAF AI Centre alongside the existing C4 Operations Group, which manages the SAF's strategic networks and resources, including driving its cloud-related developments.