Speech by Senior Minister of State for Defence, Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman, at the Young Defence Scientists Programme Congress 2017

Board Members and Management of DSTA and DSO,
Principals and Teachers,
Parents and Students,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

A very good afternoon. 

I am very happy to be here with all of you. It is my great pleasure this afternoon to be part of this Young Defence Scientists Programme (YDSP) Congress 2017. This is the 11th year that the Congress has been held, and many promising and innovative ideas have emerged from the event. This year is no exception and I am impressed to learn that the YDSP participants were working on cutting-edge technologies such as data analytics, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. The future of science and technology in Singapore is brimming with a lot of promise, especially with many young minds like you present here this afternoon.

Technology and its Disruptive Impact 

The rapid advancement of technology has influenced our lives in many ways and quietly transformed the way we live, work, play and communicate with one another. For example, a few of us here would remember the days of the pager. I think it is quite alien to many of you young people, but the ones who are probably seated in the first few rows will remember what a pager is. A pager is a small little device (which is used) when a person who wished to contact you would leave a short text message or number to call back. Replies would often take a while because you need to have access to a phone to call the person back, so you need a number to call back, unlike what we have today. So what do we have today? With smartphones, you just need to have a few swipes and a few taps on your device and you are already communicating in real time with the other party who may be thousands of miles away. So, times have really changed. Smartphones can even retrieve CCTV live feeds, connect to motion sensors at home to monitor the health of the elderly, and turn on your air conditioner before you arrive home. It is just fascinating to see how things (have) changed in a short span of time.

For those of you who are into gaming you may recall Nintendo's Super Mario -- a simple game that required only a controller with an eight-directional keypad and two buttons, but provided many hours of entertainment in front of a television. I doubt youths today would be impressed with this game. Now, we are talking about a new gaming dimension -- virtual reality headsets that immerse you into the game environment, complete with high-definition images. Throw in motion detection sensors, and you would be able to execute moves as if you were really in the game. 

So, in more advanced applications involving artificial intelligence, we have also witnessed breakthroughs in recent times which will likely shape the way humans interact with robots. Take for example Google's AlphaGo's unprecedented win against world champion Lee Sedol last year at the Chinese board game Wei Qi -- a complex strategy game with an almost infinite combination of moves that no computer today would be able to handle given its limited processing power. Google overcame this limitation by making the computer execute moves based on intuition as though it was a human. It does this by equipping AlphaGo with artificial neural networks, or the equivalent of a human brain, and training it extensively with a special technique known as machine learning. AlphaGo then executes moves with the highest predicted win probability based on the knowledge it had previously "learned", quickly and effectively. With robots becoming so intelligent, it is not too far-fetched to imagine yourself working beside a robot colleague in the near future. It is quite scary if the robot can think beyond what we can think, but that is the reality that we have to prepare ourselves with. Imagine the robot anticipating your move and you will not be able to anticipate the robot's move.     

Technology for Defence

So what does all this mean for all of us, particularly in defence, the future defence scientists? What does it mean for all of us? First, technology is a game-changer and we must embrace technology. This is especially crucial in Singapore where we are constrained by the lack of physical space, manpower and natural resources. As we transformed from a fledgling first generation Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to the formidable third generation force that we are today, we have always leveraged technology in our systems and platforms to train and fight smarter. The next generation SAF will need to continually evolve to respond to new challenges and threats, and to do so we need to better exploit advancements in technology.  

The SAF is already tapping on modern technology to transform into a networked, integrated fighting force. Platforms like the Heron 1 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and the Protector Unmanned Ground Vehicles depend on modern technology and communication networks to fulfil its missions.  

However, modern warfare is beyond the physical realm. It has extended to the digital front as we move towards the age of cyberspace and inter-connectedness. Our adversaries can now take to cyberspace to weaken our critical infrastructures and systems -- for example power plants, telecommunication networks and IT systems. The possible consequences are devastating if the attacks are successful. 

This is why we are stepping up our cyber defences to combat these new threats, with the setting up of a new cyber command -- the Defence Cyber Organisation announced by Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen recently in Parliament. State-of-the-art cybersecurity technology like firewalls, end-point and network intrusion detection systems will be exploited to boost our cyber defence. In addition, our cyber engineers are developing novel cyber defence solutions in-house to augment our cyber defence efforts, which would feature the use of advanced techniques like analytics and machine learning to rapidly detect suspicious patterns in massive data sets to increase their effectiveness.

Second, we need the best minds in science and technology for defence. The Defence Technology Community or DTC has evolved since its beginnings as a 3-man logistics team some 50 years ago. It now brings together exceptional engineers and scientists from the Ministry of Defence, Defence Science and Technology Agency and DSO National Laboratories to ensure that the SAF has the technologies critical to it being a formidable fighting force. Currently 5,000-strong, the community is the "cutting" and "secret-edge" weapon of the SAF, the brains behind the many capabilities of the SAF. 

For example, to guard our skies, our defence engineers are working with the Air Force to integrate sensors, weapons, command and control systems, and decision-making tools for the Networked Island Air Defence System, or IAD for short. Designed and developed in Singapore, the IAD will change the way the Air Force commands and controls its Air Defence units. It will help us to overcome the limitations of physical space and manpower, and enable our troops to see further and respond faster to a wide spectrum of air threats. 

Another example is in maritime security. Our defence scientists and engineers from DSO and DSTA have worked together to apply artificial intelligence and data analytics to develop innovative algorithms that tirelessly sift through vast amounts of data, such as from social media and public shipping information to name a few, to look for suspicious activities.  This has provided our Navy that capability to detect potential terrorists or threats early, and to take proactive actions to guard our shores.

Leveraging technology, the technical knowledge and expertise built up in providing technological solutions for defence, the DTC has further enhanced our national security capability, such as in the area of counter-terrorism. With the delivery of a global terrorism monitoring dashboard powered by data analytics, terrorism-related news articles and events from the Internet are automatically extracted by the system for trend analysis. This allows our security agencies to identify and pre-empt threats that could happen in Singapore. Our defence engineers are also integrating the various disparate operational systems from multiple security agencies to build a common operational picture, and at the same time allow videos and information to be shared seamlessly. With these capabilities, our security agencies are well-equipped to respond swiftly and effectively to tackle terrorism threats. I am pleased to know that two of our YDSP participants, Xin Yi and Jia Dong, have also completed a research project in this area and had earlier shared how they have applied data analytics to enhance our national security.

Third, we need the DTC to lay the foundation for the next generation SAF, in introducing practical and user-centred solutions, while possessing an astute and creative mind to adapt emerging technologies to support the SAF's needs. Commercial technologies is an area that should be closely watched. The commercial sector, with its huge R&D funding spurred by high consumer demand, would continue to spearhead innovations that would present vast opportunities for the SAF.

 We have progressed in this aspect. Let me cite you one example of the Army's Advanced Combat Man System (ACMS), a command and control suite of equipment and software which can be worn by a soldier during missions to enhance tactical coordination and effectiveness. In the early days of development when physical keypads were very popular, a similar keypad was designed for soldiers to navigate the ACMS' system or interface. With the advent of touchscreen smartphones, our soldiers found the keypad increasingly unintuitive. (It is) understandable. Everybody is now using smartphones with touchscreens (and) we do not use keypads anymore. Our defence engineers looked into our soldiers' concerns and reviewed the design of the system. They finally assessed that it was feasible to replace the keypad with a commercial smartphone to enhance soldier experience. What followed was a series of engineering work to ensure that the commercial smartphones could work reliably with other military components of the ACMS and more importantly, withstand the harsh military operating environment. The end outcome is a more operationally-effective system that not only execute commands faster, but also weighs 50% lighter compared to its predecessor.   

With their imagination, our defence engineers not only won praises from soldiers for the new smartphone-based ACMS, but also opened up opportunities for the adaptation of more commercial products to innovatively fulfil the Army's needs. One such example is the smartwatch, which would discreetly tug at the soldier's wrist to inform of incoming messages or alerts and also provide navigation guidance. 

Nurturing our Future Engineers, Scientists and Leaders

So as you can see, these are exciting times for the field of defence technology, and I am confident that the DTC will continue in its journey to bring innovative solutions to the SAF. But to do that, it is vital to nurture young, talented scientists and engineers like those we have with us today, That is one of the reasons (why) I spend a lot of time explaining to you what the SAF is doing and what the SAF hopes for you to be able to do. This is exactly the intent of this YDSP initiative, to provide young people like yourselves with insights into the exciting work of our defence engineers and scientists, and how they have transformed the SAF's warfighting capabilities. I hope this experience will inspire you to join the ranks of the vibrant and innovative DTC in the future, as have many of our YDSP alumni, to contribute to the defence and security of our nation.

One of our alumnus is Justin Tan. Back in 2005, he was one of the research project participants working on the development of micro magnetic sensors for detecting armed bombs. Today, Justin is part of the DSTA's Naval Systems Programme Centre, integrating many complex systems aboard the Littoral Mission Vessel to ensure the Navy is well-equipped to safeguard our sea lines of communication.

Another alumnus is John Lee. John's favourite subject in school was Physics, as I am sure is for many of you here, which led him to join several World of Science modules conducted by DSO. He also went on to do a research project where he designed an active optical limiter. Today, John works in an Imaging Radar Lab as a research scientist in DSO's Sensors Division.

Closing

These are all great times, to immerse yourselves in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, where there is immense potential to innovate and make things better. I believe that you will also learn better when you put the theories that you learn from textbooks into practical use to solve real-world problems. And it is with this in mind that the various YDSP initiatives such as the Science & Technology Camps and Research Projects have been set up, so that you can learn by doing, and help you to stretch your imagination to the fullest. 

Finally, allow me to extend my heartiest congratulations to all the participants here who have successfully completed your YDSP journey, and to our 118 YDSP Scholarship and YDSP Academic Award recipients. I would like to also commend your mentors, your teachers, your principals and families who have played a part in your learning journey. To the parents, teachers, mentors who are present here today, I hope you are as proud as we are of the young scientists that we have this afternoon.

Thank you so much everyone. Have a pleasant afternoon.