Speech by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, at the Defence Technology Prize Award Ceremony

Dr Tan Kim Siew, PS(DD)
Chief of Navy
DS(T)

I am also very glad that our partners, what we call the defence ecosystem, from academic institutions, NUS, NTU, Mr Lim Chuan Poh from A*STAR are here with us, and of course the ST group, because we have always believed in this defence ecosystem. I am also particularly pleased to be with you here today. I don't often get to meet all our defence scientists and engineers in the same room, even now I am sure there are many who are not here. And I must say the occasional trips where I get to see our various toys, it always stirs my imagination and it's a good feeling. We have very little resources. In fact, we are bereft of natural resources except for our people and it is our karma as I say that we always had to rely on better ideas and technology to stay ahead. This is a choice of default, not of design. I think for our defence capabilities, this is also true.

Are we happy in our plight that we have very little resources except the human factor, ideas and technology to help us stay ahead? History reassures us that this is the right path. Whether it was the Greeks who used advanced catapults to stop the invading Carthaginians, Alexander the Great's siege towers and battering rams that tore down impregnable cities or the British radar that turned the tide against a much larger German Luftwaffe force in World War II, it was always superior technology coupled with that fighting spirit that ensured victory.

This is why since the beginnings of our defence force, we have consistently invested resources in defence technology to support the SAF. We are all believers of technology which we may bridge, make the quantum leap, and make the seemingly impossible possible. Two days ago, I was in Afghanistan. Having gotten there, I took out my handphone and sent SMSes back home, and there was no problem. Because when the Americans came in, they brought enormous bandwidth. So when I talked to our soldiers there, and they said, "No problem, every night I'll skype." Right in the midst of the C2 centre, the UAVs up in the air were providing real time imaging to our Imagery Analysis Team. There were loads of information and data being piped through. I asked them if they had any problems with bandwidth. They said, "No problem." We also went to the hospitals. The hospitals there are better than city hospitals in developing countries. I asked to see the lab and I expected to see a big room. It turned out to be a 3 by 2 metre room with one person inside who is an Australian with tiny machines. I asked her, "How do you do your tests?" and she pointed to a small machine and so on. She told me that most of the machines are ‘point of need'. So technology has miniaturised and it's inconceivable to think that such hospitals exist in the south of Afghanistan. They have digital imaging X-rays, orthopedic equipment so that they can fix you up. I told our chaps that the only relief is that if they do get shot, at least we know you have instant care. It is this belief in technology that we have pumped in resources and used this technology to provide for the basic needs of the SAF, and evolve to today's much more sophisticated capabilities in critical areas such as electronic warfare, information security and guided systems.

And each time we successfully complete one important project, whether it is working with ourselves or working with our partners, it boosts our confidence about our engineers' and scientists' capability, that we can deliver where it counts. We have many examples: they include the Navy's Combat Management System, the Army's Terrex, the Trailblazer and the Pegasus Light Weight Howitzer, all developed locally. Other indigenously-produced platforms like the Bronco all-terrain tracked carrier and the Landing Ship Tank have found export markets. So you read about the Warthog that we sold to the British. Subsequently, a few months later, not that we want it, but they saw action. The Bronco got lifted up in the air a couple of metres. It saved the person's life. He lost his legs but it saved his life because he was protected. So it stood the test, and we have brand credibility and acceptance internationally. This is a good indication of our high operational capability which can meet the demanding needs of the SAF and other advanced armed forces.

Today, we spend about 4% of our annual defence budget is spent on R&D and focused on areas that will provide superior performance through know-how that we cannot obtain from the open market. These areas encompass unmanned platforms, electronic warfare, radar, and command and control systems. But I would say that as much as we have invested in technology and people, we are up against a rising tide. Technology is just moving too fast. As Chief Defence Scientist said, you will lose your edge very quicly because the counter-response is just as fast and the loop is very short. So we have to maximise our efforts. We got to work with the agencies, whether it be DSO National Laboratories, the Defence Research and Technology Office and DSTA. We must synergise and interact with the local defence industries, our research institutes, and our universities, because the universe out there in terms of scientific R&D is much larger, both in scale and the amount of resources and ideas, even though we spend a significant amount in defence R&D internally.

This Defence Technology Prize Award is a fitting tribute to recognise your community, the defence scientists and engineers who have achieved technological excellence and whose work has significant impact on the operational capabilities of the SAF. I know that many of you work quietly behind the scenes, pushing the boundaries of science and technology so that the SAF can continue to keep its combat systems and platforms at the cutting-edge. As CDS had said, over the past 22 years, we have awarded it to some 30 individuals and 72 teams in diverse areas such as Command and Control systems, sensors, guided and unmanned systems. And all these systems are still operational today.

In the R&D category, one of the award winners is the Data Fusion Team from DSO. This effort has been on-going for the last 15 years, a long gestation period, and has allowed us to build complex command and control systems for our Air Defence C2 systems and the naval frigate's Combat Management Systems. The other team award winner in the R&D category is the X-Sat Microsatellite Team. Over the last few years, DSO collaborated with researchers from the NUS Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP) and the Nanyang Technological University who designed and built the satellite, the X-Sat. It is an experimental micro-satellite which was successfully launched into space in April this year, the first for Singapore. So if you are floating around in space and if you come across a satellite made in Singapore, you know it's ours.

The individual award in the R&D category this year goes to Mr Teoh Chin Heng, whose research in advanced electronics has significantly enhanced the SAF's capability in information security. Now CDS has said that there are some things we can say, and some things we say very short, and that's the end of it.

There are three winning teams in the Engineering category. One is the Advanced Radar System Team from DSO, DSTA and the SAF which provided us much needed secret edge capabilities.

Another engineering team prize goes to the Advanced Protective Infrastructure Team from DSTA, whose unique and innovative engineering solution will ensure that critical SAF assets are well protected.

This year, an engineering team prize also goes to a team whose work, for the first time, arises from actual field operations. So this I can describe a little bit more, because it is not secret edge. This is the 15-member Weapon Locating Radar Engineering Team, our boys in Tarin Kowt in Oruzgan I just visited, for the last 15 months was subjected to rockets fired from villagers. They shoot and scoot. You could send a UAV there,but then they're gone. So early warning is important. It was interesting because in the initial reports, they were housed in bunkers. The bunkers had protection overhead, but the toilet facilities are outside and don't have hardened protection. So early warning in a few seconds is decisive, and we contributed by sending our Weapon Locating Radar from September 2009 to December 2010. It was effective in providing early warning of incoming rockets and prevented death and injury. It gave International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) members stationed at the base a few seconds needed to duct, to dive for cover and move to hardened facility. We sent our Weapon Locating Radar but the serviceability and the down time is critical. Obviously this has to be 24/7 because the insurgents don't tell you when they are going to send you a present. This team's innovative efforts to increase the reliability of the radars allowed us to extend the deployment of the radar by a few months, and also to extend the hours the radar could be operated per day as it is a very important asset.

My heartiest congratulations to all the winners. Thank you for your excellent work. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone in this family - the defence technology family. I know that your dedication, creativity and resourcefulness will make the difference in making sure the SAF stays ahead and can protect our families and our nation.

Thank you very much.

More Resources

Engineers and Scientists Honoured for Excellence in Defence Technology

Fact Sheet: Defence Technology Prize 2011