Speech by Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, at the Total Defence Awards Dinner

My colleagues from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA),
Minister for Manpower and 2nd Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo,
Senior Minister of State (SMS) for Defence Heng Chee How,
SMS for Education, Trade and Industry and Co-Chairperson of ACCORD Chee Hong Tat,
Permanent Secretaries,
Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Melvyn Ong,
Co-Chairperson of ACCORD, Mr Tony Chew,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

First, let me on behalf of MHA and the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), congratulate all recipients of Total Defence Awards 2018. As I was looking through the list of persons and agencies and companies who received the awards, I was very glad that we have stellar examples who serve as role models across the spectrum of our society: we have big companies as well as Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs); government and private organisations; employers as well as home-makers; and of course individuals. When I look down the list, I said to myself this is a good effort, because collectively, you, we send the message that Singaporeans are committed to Total Defence. It is a strong message and a reassuring one, given the security challenges confronting our generation.

OMNI-DIRECTIONAL THREATS IN AN EVER-CHANGING SECURITY LANDSCAPE

I remember a quote from one Secretary of Defense of the United States (US). He was previously Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief, Secretary Robert Gates. And he gave a speech at West Point, on a graduation. And he started with quite an interesting remark. And he said that over the last ten battles the US were engaged in; they did not get it right once. Not even a year before they actually went into the combat zone. We may not be able to predict where the security challenges come from, but I believe that each generation of Singaporeans will face security threats. Every generation will face security threats, simply because we do not live in a perfect world, free from troubles, or from those who want to do us harm. So, for the Pioneer Generation, your parents, your grandparents, it was World War II, the Japanese Occupation and colonisation; The Merdeka Generation struggled through Independence, Konfrontasi, Communism and communalism. These challenges not only threatened their livelihoods and lives but inevitably shaped their basic attitudes – you do not go through challenges without being changed and forged what they believed in both individually and collectively as a nation. In fact, the concept of “Total Defence” first introduced in 1984, was a discrete response to the challenges that that generation faced. It represented a culmination of both will and vision to harness the entire society to defend what we hold precious as Singaporeans. Most of you, I think, would know we hold Total Defence Day on February 15. If you think about it, it is an interesting concept, because February 15, for many families of that generation, marked “total defeat”, when Singapore fell to the Japanese.

But that generation chose that day to remind us that if we do not have Total Defence, then we face total defeat. What of today’s generation, the here and now, and for the next ten, twenty years? What are our security threats and how will this generation respond and be defined? Terrorism is certainly one threat, it is now nearly 20 years, since 9/11. First, fuelled by Al-Qaeda globally and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) regionally, then ISIS and their affiliates in our region. The Surabaya bomb attacks, where two terrorists co-opted their families, including young children, for suicide bombing missions is a stark reminder that the threat is real, present and growing. Unfortunately, the threat of terrorism will be a long term one – all terrorism experts think so. In fact, even as ISIS is decimated in the Middle East, the threat here is expected to grow, as foreign fighters return to wage jihadist battles in our region. We must never let up, and in fact must do more.

This is why Singapore is working closely with Indonesia to build a platform for Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to share intelligence on terrorists and their networks. Indonesia is a key player for counter-terrorism in our region. They experienced the horrendous Bali attack that killed hundreds of innocent civilians in 2002. We will be tabling the proposal in the upcoming ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) in two weeks’ time. And we hope to get support for this important initiative that will combine intelligence resources from ASEAN countries and beyond to deal with this pressing problem.

For Singapore and Singaporeans here, we must plan and prepare based on the possibility of an attack. To use the MHA’s tagline says, “Be Prepared. Our Response Matters”. It is a matter of when, not if. No country is immune to terror attacks. Security organisations will do all we can to prevent an attack, but when one does take place, we must ensure that Singapore holds, that our total defence holds. That we can quickly repair the damage on infrastructure and tend to the wounded through civil defence; that we can keep our economy going and restore confidence of the investors; that we remain united and not allow suspicion or hate to divide us as one people; that we show resilience through psychological defence and believe that we can overcome. So far, against the threat of terrorism, Singaporeans have done well. Our polls show that at least, we are mentally prepared.

I have named one threat, terrorism. I think the second threat that confronts this generation and will define it comes from the digital domain, including cyberattacks and false information. If you think about what Singapore is, we are nothing if not connected. And that is a function of what we are both economically and socially. To put it in a simple metric, our external trade is three to three-and-a-half times our Gross Domestic Product. And we thrive on connectivity. But because we thrive on connectivity, our cyber borders are in fact disproportionately long. We have intentionally built it so, so that we can connect with the world for trade, education, social activities and many other aspects. If you want proof of this, we can test it. Shut down all the networks for one day and see what Singapore will do. Many of us will feel withdrawal symptoms, because, I think, you check your phone, like me, probably a few hundred times a day.

But long cyber borders also mean that intruders can find many low walls or unlocked doors to enter and do mischief. And both individuals and companies or agencies are targeted. The recent ransomware attacks and the theft of the health records of 1.5 million patients in Singhealth are examples. But Singhealth is not the only company that is targeted. I know there is a saying among information technology (IT) experts that says, “There are only two types of companies when it comes to cyber-hacking - the ones that have been hacked and the ones that do not know they have been hacked”. But that is the IT industry, I do not know how true that is. But in 2017, the Cyber Security Agency detected over 2,000 Singapore-linked website defacements, with SMEs from the manufacturing, retail and information communications technology sectors being targeted. All of you would have read that just last week, even Facebook, even Facebook, with all its tech-savvy experts, experienced its worst ever security breach where hackers exploited a vulnerability to steal the personal information and logins of about 50 million users. When I read this, I was somewhat discouraged, if Facebook can be hacked, it means that we really have to up our game. This is a serious security issue given that many users link Facebook accounts, and other social media accounts, with other accounts and mobile applications.

THE CONTINUED RELEVANCE OF TOTAL DEFENCE

Compared to real physical threats, I think we are less prepared as a society against threats from the digital domain. And yet, the impact of some of these threats from the cyber arena can be as devastating, if not more. False information can have disastrous social consequences. Cyberattacks on our critical infrastructure could disrupt lives and even lead to injury and death. Just imagine the mishaps of our air-traffic control, or our Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) systems, or our traffic systems or power systems. Individuals, companies and Singapore itself can suffer from weak cyber defences. Internet scams target the vulnerable to steal information and cheat individuals. I am a target as much as you are. Ever so often, someone or some organisation will attempt to “spear-phish” me by sending to my email box some innocuous looking email. Usually it is with a subject matter that I have struck some lottery or won a lot of money. But now they are more sophisticated, such as luxurious holidays with some familiar-looking name or address. Thankfully my security agencies have taught me well to not click on anything. It is a common tactic and you would have experienced it, and in fact it is a modus operandi for hackers to infiltrate any organisation to plant malware. These attacks can be orchestrated, even state-sponsored and can do real harm. Those are individual attacks. But collectively, you can have state-sponsored or orchestrated attacks against societies. In the US, a commonly known example cited are two websites – “United Muslims of America” that pits itself against “Heart of Texas”. Both have tens of thousands of fans, and they each are polarised with very strong views and are pitting against each other. Both these websites are fake, put up by a third party, and it is meant to stoke Islamophobia. In India this year, as many as two dozen innocent people were killed by mobs, who had been misled by rumours about child kidnappers spread through WhatsApp. Can it happen here? Of course. In fact, a similar case of fake news occurred in Singapore. This year, false claims about the disruption of a Thaipusam procession by a police officer and a member of the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB) were spread widely online, garnering at least 3,000 shares on Facebook in less than three days. Given our multicultural make-up, this misinformation could have caused great division along racial or religious fault lines.

Total Defence has been around for more than three decades. It started in the last millennium, and now we are in a new millennium. It is time to apply the concept of Total Defence to threats from the digital domain. MINDEF is working with other ministries, particularly the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), to do so. We are working through the details but we may need a sixth pillar to strengthen our Total Defence framework with “Digital Defence”.

I have mentioned two familiar and distinct security threats but there may be more on the horizon. With trade wars, rising nationalism and extreme ideologies gaining ground, the world, as Henry Kissinger says, is going through a “very, very grave period”. When Mr Kissinger uses two “very”, we ought to sit up and take notice. Singaporeans must remain watchful and alert.

To respond to these ever-evolving threats, we need a collective will, a Total Defence to stand as one people united in resolve and action. At its heart, Total Defence bears a simple message: Every Singaporean has a part to play in upholding the peace and security of Singapore. Each must do his part – “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken”; 团结一致，攻无不克; this biblical verse and Chinese idiom that means ‘when we stick together, nothing can defeat us’.

I am confident that this generation of Singaporeans will rally together when threatened. I am confident because we showed it during SARS and the haze. If you remember, during SARS, our healthcare personnel worked tirelessly and around the clock to treat the sick; our contact-tracing team, our epidemiology team, our public health team and grassroots volunteers took care of families under quarantine. That unity gives confidence to the World to continue to invest in Singapore – and even today, we are the eighth biggest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) globally, which amounted to US$58 billion in 2017.

The 152 award recipients tonight embody the commitment and dedication to Total Defence.

I want to particularly thank the members and alumni of the Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence or ACCORD, who have been actively engaging employers, businesses, educational institutions, families, as well as facilitating various ground-up initiatives in support of defence and NS. You have done us a great service. And I wish to extend my deepest appreciation to all the ACCORD members for their immense commitment and dedication in encouraging and nurturing these efforts.

For Total Defence, no part is too small or too big. Take the example of Madam Azizah Bte Azman. Madam Azizah is the spouse of an Operationally Ready National Serviceman (NSman). Unfortunately, Madam Azizah was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer in late 2015, and she began chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Despite receiving treatment and having to take care of their two children, she encouraged her husband not to defer his In-Camp Training (ICT), not once, but twice. I am extremely glad that her cancer is now in remission and that she is able to join us tonight and receive the outstanding individual award.

More than 700 businesses have been awarded the NS Mark Gold since the scheme was launched in 2016. Huber’s Pte Ltd, which runs the butchery at Dempsey Road rewards its NSmen employees with their own certificate of achievement when they have completed their NS obligations, and even considers NS performance when determining performance bonus. I presume whoever who do well will get extra pork chop. Huber’s also encourages NSmen to wear their uniforms on the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Day as a visual reminder to the rest of the office about the importance of NS.

Temasek Polytechnic is another great example. The management rallies their students to write appreciations to NSmen to thank them for their service during special events such as the SAF Day Rededication Ceremony and National Day Observance Ceremony. And to equip students to do well in NS, Temasek Polytechnic also conducts fitness programmes and preparatory talks by alumni who are invited back to share their NS experiences. I cite these two examples but many of you seated here, are examples yourself, of organisations that we can be proud of.

CONCLUSION

After more than 30 years, it would be fair to say that Total Defence defines us, as Singaporeans who are fully committed to defend Singapore. To all the award recipients tonight, be proud that you have done your part as role models for Singapore’s defence.

Thank you all and have an enjoyable evening ahead.

More Resources

• Dr Ng: Total Defence is Pivotal for Continued Progress

• PIONEER Magazine: 152 NS advocates recognised