Speech by Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, at the 54th Defence Scholarships Award Ceremony

PSC Members,

PSes,

CDF,

Chief of Services

Senior Officials, 

Distinguished Guests, and

special mention to the principals who are our recruiting agents,

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the 54th Defence Scholarship Awards Ceremony. 54 years is a long time. When this was first started in 1971, the idea was that we needed a key plank through which MINDEF and the SAF could compete to attract our most able and committed young individuals into careers for the defence of Singapore. 54 years on, it seems a run-of-the-mill thing, but if you cast your mind back to 1971, in our cultural roots — 好男不当兵 (good men do not become soldiers) right? It is not as if in the Chinese culture or the Asian culture that entering the military was a tradition. You have it in other countries, for example, in America they go to West Point and the United Kingdom they go to Sandhurst, but not in Asia. So it was a bold idea. It was an idea that the defence scholarship will be a high calling. It was an untested idea at that time, but it had a significant uplift to this noble idea and cause, when the first few batches attracted individuals like Senior Minister (SM) Lee Hsien Loong, SM Teo Chee Hean, George Yeo, Lim Hng Kiang, Lim Swee Say, and Peter Ho — to name a few —who became leaders within the Government. 

Last week, at the SAF Day Dinner, we honoured one of the most illustrious of the alumni, SM Lee Hsien Loong for his contributions in the SAF and as Prime Minister for two decades.

Now, more than half a century since that first award ceremony, things have changed, profound changes, whether within Singapore or outside. There is a new generation of young Singaporeans, like yourselves seated here, with their own passions and zeitgeist that are part of that inexorable change. You know the song “The Times They Are A-Changin”, but the raison d’être of the defence scholarships remains immutable – to protect the sovereignty of Singapore through a strong SAF.

A WORLD IN FLUX DEMANDS UNWAVERING STRENGTH

This year, we celebrate 59 years of Singapore’s independence. Over the past six decades, whether the external environment was relatively peaceful or troubled as it is presently, the Government has kept constant its commitment to defence. This Government believes that the defence of Singapore is a long-term investment, both in people and equipment. And over the past six decades, we have never wavered in that commitment.

Two weeks ago, I was in Aspen for the security forum – it is a yearly thing in Colorado. The moderator was a very bright young Indian born in Calcutta but educated in the US, and he asked – why did the Singapore Government believe in a strong defence and matched that belief, year after year, with defence dollars. You can say you are committed, but you spend less than one percent of your GDP on defence – it is not quite credible. We spend a considerable amount of our GDP on defence. It is actually an interesting question because there are other countries with circumstances like Singapore that have not chosen our path. You could say this government and its people support a strong defence because of our history. We were booted out of the union with Malaysia. There was Communism and there were threats, so that is part of our founding roots. But, if you look at other countries that have similar traumatic pasts, even more turbulent pasts and who faced aggression from their neighbours, not all of them have chosen the path that we have taken. For example, Latvia and Lithuania. They are Baltic states that border Russia – they have a common border with Russia – they too had National Service (NS). But when the Berlin Wall came down, they joined NATO, and did away with NS. They spent less than a third of what Singapore does on defence. I suppose they felt secure as a part of a larger group in NATO, and had strong allies in NATO, including the US’ backing and Article Five – which commits NATO allies to protect them if they were invaded. Also, after the Berlin Wall dropped, the USSR bloc, NATO’s erstwhile threat, had dismembered and with the end of the Cold War, it was time for the European countries to reap the peace dividends.

Of course, all of us know that all these assumptions were shattered on February 24 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. The Baltic states are on the frontline, and even as part of NATO, they feel insecure. I visited all three – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Go back and look at the map and see why they are victims of geography. Latvia re-introduced compulsory military service in 2024, while Lithuania just passed legislation to expand their conscription policy. But once you let the genie out, it is very hard to put it back. Even larger countries like Germany and the UK are seriously considering reintroducing NS. In fact, the Conservatives used it as a platform in the last UK elections.

Your grandparents who lived through the Japanese occupation, and your parents, some of them, who saw the upheavals wrought by Communism and communal riots, need no convincing that peace is fleeting and that Singapore will always need a strong defence. The Pioneer and Merdeka Generations know this hard truth, but those born in the 1970s and thereafter, have experienced only peace and progress all of their lives – that is more than 50 years. Thankfully, these younger generations have also ingrained that same abiding belief in a strong SAF. As Defence Minister, together with my Senior Ministers of State – SMS Heng and SMS Zaqy, we are very gratified that the younger generation have adopted these values.

Each of you, in all 105 award recipients today, by applying and accepting this scholarship award to make careers in the SAF and MINDEF, have provided that strongest manifestation of this belief and commitment of a strong defence through your personal choice. I commend you for that act but would also remind you that it is a heavy responsibility, on which the fate of Singapore and Singaporeans may depend, if the future turns against us.

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

I know that you are just about to start off in universities and this is a sombre thought –  that you are now in charge of our defences. Find comfort in the fact that those who have gone before you, have served as excellent role models and forged many paths to success. The result is a highly capable, modernised and respected SAF.

In March this year, at short notice, the SAF was asked to airdrop humanitarian supplies to Gaza via Jordan. We knew there was a humanitarian problem, and too complex was the political problem and military problem to be settled in the short run. We wanted to do something direct and PM suggested that the SAF mobilise and airdrop supplies. There were many parameters to consider. You have to get the supplies, load it up and fly to Jordan and from Jordan fly into the Mediterranean, and at the northern end, there could be missiles from Hezbollah and while they were flying, they were within range of those missiles. It was not a risk-free mission. But within six days, the mission was executed, and the SAF sent over 20 tonnes of food supplies, equivalent to about 60,000 meals, to Gaza.  Press a button, six days later, 20 tonnes delivered thousands of kilometres away. That is capability, that is confidence, that is a strong defence, and that was not accomplished overnight.

None of these missions or others in recent years, whether it was the air drops in Gaza, Ops Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea, counter-terrorism operations in the Middle East, and operations during Covid-19, were foreseen. It is not as if someone wrote a manual on how to deal with Covid-19. The SAF was asked to do contact tracing, the SAF was asked to take care of patients with Covid-19. I visited them in Changi Expo. When I walked into the hall, there were 2,000 people, all of them with Covid-19. I did not get Covid-19 after the visit thankfully, because we had proper protection, but everyone else had Covid-19. That is the nature of being in the military establishment – uncertainty is a given. What you have, to improve your chances to ensure success, are yourself, each other, and the SAF that you have trained and built over the years.

INVESTING IN OUR PEOPLE - OPPORTUNITIES IN MINDEF/SAF

So take time to cultivate these three known elements. Stretch yourself in your university years – expand your horizons and comfort zones. I am encouraged that our scholarship recipients are going to more countries like China, Japan, France, Italy, and The Netherlands for fresh perspectives. To broaden that exposure, more MINDEF/SAF scholars can now take a gap year, of their choosing. And that gap year does not even have to be a university course. One of your alumni, Ms Elizabeth Chia, she is a Defence Merit Scholar, studied law for her undergraduate studies, chose her gap year at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as a legal fellow to lead initiatives on refugee protection. We believe that our investment in Miss Chia and others similar to her who take that gap year, will yield high dividends.

I said that a second known element in an uncertain environment was each other. Look around you – inherent in defence establishments like MINDEF and SAF, which you are now a part of, are large numbers and hierarchies. The people that you come with, the people that you sit with – you are likely to see them for the next ten, twenty, thirty years. That organisational structure is both a strength and weakness. Militaries are nothing without organisational structure. But the ones who move faster and more decisively win the battle. And how do you move faster? Trust is the coin in the realm. Know your peers and those you lead. Bond with them to build trust, and only then, will you be able to lead with confidence and effectiveness

Today’s SAF is the culmination of many lives poured out into her. In many areas, you reap what others have sowed. In the following years, you must also do your part, to leave your organisation stronger and more fit-for-purpose than when you inherited it.

I think if we can keep to this virtuous cycle, then Singapore’s future will continue to be bright and secure.    

CONCLUSION

Let me thank the PSC members – they hold a large number of interviews every year to select people like you, and the leaders from MINDEF, SAF, DSTA, DSO and CSIT for their efforts in identifying Singapore's brightest young minds to join our defence family. As I said, I also want to extend my gratitude to your principals, your teachers, your family members for encouraging you along the way and for supporting you in this decision. 

Congratulations, to all our scholarship recipients and all the best in your endeavours. 

More Resources

105 Award Recipients, One Defence Community

Fact Sheet: The Defence Scholarships and Profiles of Scholarship Recipients