Speech by Senior Minister of State for Defence, Mr Heng Chee How, for the 9th Moscow Conference on International Security on 22 June 2021

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.

Introduction

I would first like to thank Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu and the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation for this opportunity to participate in the 9^th Moscow Conference on International Security. The MCIS is an important platform that brings together global leaders to exchange views on geopolitical and defence developments. Singapore participates annually in this Conference, and this year is no exception, though I had to give my speech virtually owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The diversity and complexity of security challenges today have never been greater. COVID-19 and climate change are the "twin crises" that have brought about renewed challenges globally. At the same time, governments continue to grapple with geopolitical developments and security challenges that threaten to destabilise the peace and security that we have worked hard to achieve over the past few decades. Allow me to elaborate on two new and two persistent challenges facing the defence community today.

New and Diverse Defence Challenges

COVID-19

COVID-19 is proving to be one of the most significant and disruptive challenges that the world has faced. On the defence track, we have witnessed many lost opportunities for defence diplomacy, joint training and exercises, and dialogue as in-person events and exercises had to be postponed or conducted virtually.

Turning crisis into opportunity, many militaries have stepped up and demonstrated their value-in-peacetime, through partnering civil authorities to manage the crisis. Medical services of the military have been deployed to support national healthcare systems, and in some cases, fill the gaps in under-resourced health systems. Militaries have also leveraged their resources and organisational strengths to respond swiftly and effectively in emergency preparedness, planning and response. For example, in Singapore, the Singapore Armed Forces played a critical role in helping the government manage the COVID-19 pandemic by deploying medical teams to Migrant Worker dormitories to provide basic healthcare, and establishing the Combat Service Support Task Force which conducted logistics and distribution operations where 5.2 million masks were packed and distributed to 1.1 million households.

Climate Change

Beyond COVID-19, climate change is a challenge that governments and militaries are increasingly turning their attention to. While the implications of climate change are hard to predict with confidence, we are starting to witness the many ways it has impacted on the defence sector.

Firstly, militaries will be increasingly called upon to assist in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations in response to extreme weather patterns. Just earlier this year, when cyclone-triggered rains caused massive flooding and landslides in Indonesia, its military was deployed to aid the stricken areas. Going forward, militaries will need to adapt to the increasing demand for operational support and relevant HADR skillsets, such as engineering and evacuation.

Secondly, climate change is a "threat multiplier" that can aggravate existing strains, resulting in greater instability and armed conflicts. For example, the militant group, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, was able to exploit people's desperation in Mali after a severe drought in the country to recruit fighters for its cause, contributing to a rise in armed violence.

Thirdly, defence institutions will need to adapt to the effects of the changing climate on training and operational readiness of its armed forces to future-proof itself.

These growing demands on the military in pandemic and crisis management are likely to intensify with time. Defence establishments will need to rethink and reprioritise to find a new operating equilibrium to ensure that they remain operationally ready across the spectrum of security challenges.

Conventional Security Challenges that Have Persisted

While we face these new emerging threats, we are aware that there remain many enduring geopolitical and security challenges.

Volatile Security Environment

The security environment that we operate in has become more volatile. Global power competition, already prevalent before COVID-19, has become more pronounced in recent months and is threatening to divide the world into competing blocs.

The Asia-Pacific region will increasingly become the centre-stage upon which many such rivalries will play out. The US has progressively committed more assets in the region and participated in the first-ever leader-level Quad meeting in March 2021, which signalled the Biden administration's strong commitment to a 'free and open' Indo-Pacific. Meanwhile, China has also strived to build deeper economic ties with countries in the Asia-Pacific through its Belt and Road initiative. Russia too, has sought closer ties with Asia-Pacific countries, with the elevation of its ASEAN status from that of a Dialogue Partner to a Strategic Partner in 2018.

While countries in the region, including Singapore, have thus far tried not to take sides, it is not difficult to conceive that decisions made by governments on trade, defence, and technology might be misinterpreted as affiliations, and result in a geopolitically fragmented landscape with potentially destabilising consequences.

Terrorism

Non-state actors have also contributed to an uncertain security environment. Terrorists have become more sophisticated, evolving their tactics and leveraging online platforms for funding, recruitment and radicalisation. In recent years, there has been evidence of increased spreading of propaganda and recruitment via social media in Southeast Asian countries, and we can only expect such activities to intensify as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on.

Terrorists are now also mounting financing campaigns in cyberspace using cryptocurrency. For example, in May 2020, it was reported that Islamic State-linked terror groups began conducting cryptocurrency transactions, which were later used to finance the activities of terror networks operating in the Philippines.

Unrestrained by geographical boundaries and exacerbated by the ease and effectiveness of proliferation in cyberspace, we cannot be complacent against the evolving and ever-present threat of terrorism in the region.

In light of this, Singapore is glad to be working together with fellow UN member states through the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the Context of International Security to tackle these new threats enabled through cyberspace.

Confidence Building in Multilateral Institutions and Practical Cooperation

The OEWG is a good example of how countries can come together to respond to these diverse security challenges, both old and new. It is imperative that countries build mutual trust and understanding, and forge new avenues of practical cooperation based on a strong security architecture. Using the Asia-Pacific region as an example, let me elaborate on this further.

First, building confidence in regional multilateral institutions is critical. Actors must continue to believe in the strength of multilateral systems, and engage them constructively in order to strengthen the foundations of a strong regional security architecture. For example, the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus, of which US, Russia and China are members, was established in 2010 because member states recognised its value as a platform for defence dialogue based on mutual respect, which contributes to peace and stability in the region. To that end, we are glad that the defence leaders of US, Russia and China attended and engaged in dialogue in the recently concluded 8^th ADMM-Plus meeting on 16 June 2021.

Second, practical security cooperation can help to ensure that the regional security architecture remains open and inclusive, while building strategic trust amongst militaries. Platforms for practical cooperation in the Asia-Pacific include the Network of ASEAN Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) Defence Experts, information sharing outfits such as the ASEAN Our Eyes initiative and the recently operationalised Counter-Terrorism Information Facility in Singapore, as well as joint exercises with ADMM and ADMM-Plus countries. Such practical security cooperation help in upholding the rules-based order, maintaining open and clear communications, and preventing potential missteps in tactical encounters.

In conclusion, while there are no clear or easy solutions, it is my sincere hope that we can come together as a global community to tackle these security challenges. Our collective will to cooperate and support one another would be key in ensuring peace and stability.

Thank you.