Speech By Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing at the Total Defence Awards at Padang/Collyer Ballroom, Raffles City Convention Centre on 12 November 2026

A very good evening to all of you, ladies and gentlemen.

Introduction – Total Defence Is Now More Important Than Ever

Let me first say the most important thing, and that is to say a big thank you. Thank you to all NSmen and the families. Thank you to all the employers and businesses. Thank you to all our community organisations, schools and institutions. And most importantly, thank you to all fellow Singaporeans who, in ways big and small, have contributed and will continue to contribute to Total Defence.

Tonight, we recognise some among us who have gone further. But the larger purpose of this evening is to remind ourselves of something more fundamental – the defence of Singapore has never rested on the SAF alone. It rests on all of us.

War has never been only a contest of military strength. It is a total contest across all dimensions of a nation’s power: military, economic, social, technological, informational, and diplomatic.

Recent conflicts have reminded us of this reality. We see countries seeking to weaponise every advantage available to them, from geography to supply chains, and from energy to social divisions. The battlefield is therefore not confined to a physical frontline. It can reach our businesses, our institutions, our homes, and increasingly, our minds.

Our concept of Total Defence was conceived many years ago precisely because we understood this challenge of total war. The SAF must be strong, capable and credible, but military strength alone is never enough. We also need an economy able to withstand disruption, and essential services and systems that can continue to function under pressure. Above all, we need people who remain united, clear-minded and determined when tested. This is what Total Defence is all about.

For an armed force like the SAF, where conscription is fundamental to our defence, societal support is of utmost importance. Political support for the defence budget, talent and time allocated to the defence ecosystem, while necessary, is insufficient.

At its deepest level, our defence ultimately depends on public support and the collective will to defend what is ours. This is expressed not only in grand gestures, but more importantly, in the small acts that we do every day. A simple word of encouragement to an NSman. A colleague who is willing to take on additional responsibilities when an NSman goes for ICT. An employer who does more than facilitate the disruption caused by National Service by actively supporting an employee who takes on greater responsibilities in defence, such as a command appointment. Even an employer who asks during an interview, “What is your NS role?” plays an important part in affirming the contribution of each and every NSman.

These everyday acts of support mean much more than the once-a-year discounts or promotions on SAF Day, because support for defence cannot be seasonal. It has to be a part of who we are.

In Singapore, we have a saying: “When one serves, the whole family serves.” In fact, I can add that the whole company serves as well.

The Strength of Our Systems Will Depend Greatly on Our Weakest Links

There is another dimension of defence that has become even more important than ever, and that is our psychological resilience and social cohesion.

Recent conflicts have demonstrated how relatively inexpensive drones and missiles can destroy a tactical target worth many times their cost. But we must never allow the destruction of a technical target to bring down the much larger edifice of our psychological resilience.

A building damaged can be repaired. An aircraft or piece of equipment that is damaged can also be replaced. But if fear takes hold, if trust breaks down, if communities turn against one another, and if Singaporeans lose confidence in our institutions and in each other, the strategic damage can be far more serious and will take far longer to rebuild.

Information operations have become more common. Their purpose is not always to persuade us of one particular version of events. Sometimes, their purpose is simply to confuse us. Sometimes, it is to make us distrust one another. At other times, they might be trying to intimidate us, exploit fault lines within our society, or widen them until we begin to pull ourselves apart.

The strength of our collective defence is determined by our weakest link. We therefore have to inoculate ourselves by equipping ourselves with the knowledge and training to discern better. We must ask where the information comes from. We must distinguish fact from assertion, evidence from emotion, and honest disagreement from deliberate attempts to provoke and divide.

When others seek to exert psychological pressure on us, we must learn to steady ourselves. This is difficult for any individual to do alone, but none of us need to do it alone. By supporting one another, we can overcome the pressures together. Resilience is not the absence of pressure. It is our capacity to withstand pressure together.

Finally, we must recognise one uncomfortable truth: the task of maintaining support for defence will become more difficult with every year of peace we enjoy. Complacency comes quietly and we might be tempted to pay more attention to the short-term urgent issues rather than the more important long-term issues of capability development, trust building, and social cohesion. There will always be an urgent problem demanding our attention today – our economy, our jobs, and the pressures of daily lives. These are real concerns, and we will need to address them together.

The Ultimate Safeguard for Singapore Must Lie in the Resilience and Unity of Our People

Defence requires us to think beyond what is urgent to what is important. Military capabilities take years, often decades, to develop. Trust and cohesion between communities cannot be manufactured after a crisis begins, and the will to defend Singapore cannot be switched on only when dangers arise. We must build these things before we need them. This has always been the central discipline of defence – preparing in peace for circumstances that we hope will never come.

Our task, therefore, is not only to keep Singapore safe today. It is to ensure that the next generation understands why a country worth living in is also a country worth defending. And if ever, one day, Singapore is tested, the decisive question will not simply be whether the SAF is ready. It will be whether Singapore is ready.

Whether we can distinguish truth from manipulation. Whether we support those who step forward to serve. And ultimately, whether we possess the collective will to stand together.

Conclusion

Tonight’s award recipients demonstrate that Total Defence is not an abstract concept. It is something built through choices made every day by individuals, families, companies, and communities.

To all our recipients, and to everyone who contributed quietly without recognition, MINDEF, the SAF and the Home Team – we want to say a big thank you to all of you.

Peace is not something we inherit and consume. It is something each generation must protect, preserve and pass on. So once again, thank you for doing all this for Singapore, not just for this generation, but for generations to come.

Thank you very much.

More Resources

Total Defence Awards 2026: Strengthening our National Resilience Together