In a world rushing for arms, Singapore must 'outsmart the queue'

Fragmented suppliers, long queues and rapid disruption mean Singapore must reinvent how it acquires and develops military technology.

- Michael Raska

At the 25th anniversary of Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) last month, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered a stark reminder: the world Singapore operates in has changed.

The accelerating pace of technological disruption, the hardening of geopolitical divides, and the return of high-intensity warfare collectively demand not incremental tweaks but a rethink of how small countries approach defence planning and innovation.

For a technologically advanced yet strategically vulnerable city-state like Singapore, this is not about reactive adjustments but about building a more agile and risk-tolerant defence ecosystem.

Singapore's defence technology development, its industrial partnerships and diplomacy, and even its definition of sovereignty will need to evolve.

A QUEUE ECONOMY OF ARMS

This challenge is not unique to Singapore. Across Europe, militaries face a Zeitenwende - a strategic turning point to rethink defence strategies and rebuild military capabilities.

European stockpiles, however, once thought ample, are running dry, while supply chains are proving fragile, and reliance on allies is not always a guarantee.

The war in Ukraine has underlined these hard truths. Despite extensive Western aid, Ukraine has faced delayed deliveries, withheld systems and rules limiting its freedom of action.

Last month, reports also revealed a brewing internal debate within the US government over whether scarce Patriot missiles should be reserved for American troops or sold to Denmark.

For small states, the lesson is sobering: where a country stands in the production line can determine how effective its defence is.