Oral Reply by Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing to Parliamentary Question on the Relocation of Paya Lebar Air Base on 14 Jan 2026

Mr Kenneth Tiong Boon Kiat asked the Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence (a) whether the Ministry has conducted a strategic review of the decision to relocate Paya Lebar Air Base in light of recent global conflicts demonstrating the vulnerability of concentrated air assets to mass drone attacks and long-range munitions; and (b) whether such consolidation of the RSAF’s assets into fewer air bases significantly increases operational risks during a first-strike scenario.

Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence, Mr Chan Chun Sing:

As a small island with no strategic depth and hinterland to absorb an attack, the SAF needs to develop operational concepts and solutions that are uniquely suited to our security needs, while taking into consideration the competing needs for Singapore’s limited land and finite human resources.

Broadly speaking, our circumstances require us to have robust intelligence and effective threat detection and early warning systems at range, so that the SAF can mount timely and decisive responses with a suite of diversified capabilities across multiple layers and distances where necessary. Even then, we may not be able to prevent all threats from reaching our shores.  For this reason, our critical infrastructures and facilities are hardened against potential attacks, and our key assets can be dispersed in peacetime, and especially during contingencies. We have also factored in reserve capacities to ensure resilience for scenarios where some of our assets may be destroyed or damaged.

The decision to relocate Paya Lebar Air Base to free up land for national development purposes was a carefully considered one, taking into account the factors I have just mentioned, as well as then emerging and now evolving threats. There are certainly trade-offs involved. We have undertaken a series of additional measures to reduce the risks and challenges. For example, in terms of available airbases and runways, we have invested significant resources in expanding Tengah Air Base and Changi Air Base, and lengthening the contingency runway at Pulau Sudong. Tengah Air Base and Changi Air Base are also being upgraded with better detection, response and resilience capabilities, including against the emerging threats posed by drones. Enhancements are also being made in other parts of the SAF.

The SAF will continually assess our operational, infrastructure and capability requirements, taking into consideration the threats on the horizon and available technologies, while carefully weighing the costs and risks to Singapore. For good reason which Members will appreciate, many of our efforts are conducted out of the public eye and not disclosed. We will make public announcements at appropriate junctures should there be good operational and deterrence reasons to do so.