Singapore must be prepared for more global disorder, conflicts in the years ahead: PM Wong

Singapore must brace for "more disorder, conflicts and fighting" around the world in the coming years, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong warned on Thursday (April 9).

"We wish it were not so, but this is the reality of the world we live in, and we must be prepared," he said during a visit to Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) troops at Mandai Hill Camp.

While much focus has been on energy disruptions due to the conflict in the Middle East, PM Wong said that defence remains of "utmost" importance". 

"While we talk about security across the board, energy and food, we need to build up resilience. We also need to pay particular attention to defence, which we have been and will continue to do so." 

During his visit to the camp, PM Wong was given a walkthrough of the 6th Singapore Division/Headquarters Sense and Strike’s assets (6 Div/HQ SS), such as drones — both off-the-shelf and locally-made — and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.

Accompanied by Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing, Chief of Army Major-General Cai Dexian and other senior SAF officers, the prime minister watched a demonstration on how the army and Republic of Singapore Air Force jointly execute a mission.

Using a suite of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to scan for enemy assets, the images are then transmitted to the command post, before commanders use artificial intelligence and analytics to get a sense of the battlefield. 

On the relevance of his visit, PM Wong noted that recent conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and in the Middle East, provided much "food for thought" as it has shown the lethality of low-cost unmanned drones.

"We have to learn from this experiences on how to better harness new technologies in our concept of operations. There will be challenges and opportunities," he said.

"I thought it would be useful to get a better understanding how we are actually deploying these technologies across the SAF… it’s not just about the equipment.. it’s integrating it well across air, land and sea.

"And what I’ve seen so far gives me a lot of confidence that we are on the right track."

@asiaone Prime Minister Lawrence Wong visited SAF troops at Mandai Hill Camp on Thursday where he was given a showcase of the 6th Singapore Division/Headquarters Sense and Strike’s assets, including off-the-shelf and locally made drones. PM Wong said that the recent conflicts have provided much “food for thought” as it has shown the lethality of low-cost unmanned systems. #sgnews #singapore #Middleeast #war #drones #defence #russia #ukraine #iran #israel ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

In the SAF’s push to beef up its drone capabilities, Defence Minister Chan announced in his ministry’s budget debate in February that the SAF will complement high-end systems with cheap, dual-use UAVs. 

Since last year, all recruits trained at the Basic Military Training Centre on Pulau Tekong have been learning how to fly drones and counter them. 

When asked if the recent conflicts have affected Singapore’s approach to defence, PM Wong said that its posture has remained consistent — which is recognising that "no one is going to come to our rescue when we come under threat". 

"It’s even more important, considering the external environment we are in. If the global order starts to come apart… and it moves in that direction, there will be a vacuum (of) disorder and unpredictability.

"It means a world where countries may resort more to the use of force and coercion to get what they want, and small countries like Singapore will come under pressure."

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