Speech by Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Defence, Mr Chan Chun Sing, at Nanyang Technological University

Professor Bertil Andersson, President of Nanyang Technological University
Professor Quek Tong Boon, Chief Defence Scientist
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction Today is a significant occasion as we mark the tenth anniversary of Temasek Laboratories at NTU (TL@NTU). I am very pleased to be here to commemorate this milestone, and to meet with the NTU researchers and scientists who have dedicated themselves over all these years to making breakthroughs in defence-related science and technology areas. Over the past decade, TL@NTU has contributed much to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and to Singapore's defence and security. The achievements of this partnership have not only contributed to the SAF, but they have also potentially generated applications that extend beyond defence to other fields in the civilian world.

Leveraging The Wider Defence Ecosystem

Technology is a key pillar of Singapore's defence strategy. As a small country with limited resources, we do not have the luxury of space, manpower or budget that many other countries may enjoy. As we built up the SAF over many decades, we have had to challenge ourselves to turn such constraints into opportunities for smart solutions. Technology has been a critical enabler for these solutions and in many cases integral to them. Over the years, we have been very carefully investing in technologies that best serve our unique needs, and leveraged on these technologies to their fullest potential to maximise the bangs for our bucks. We have realised very early on that buying technology from overseas may not always give us the necessary edge in our defence capabilities.

What we have achieved today would not have been possible if we had not built up our indigenous expertise in defence science and technology. We recognised that we cannot depend on others to develop the technologies that best fit our unique circumstances. Take for example our frigate and the SAR 21 rifle. We did not buy them as-is and put them to use just like that. We applied locally-developed science and technology to tailor them to our defence requirements and to give the technological edge to our defence systems. MINDEF has therefore made it our mission to build up a robust defence science and technology ecosystem in MINDEF, DSTA and DSO. Each year, we recruit some of the best minds in science and technology, passionate and talented individuals, to work on state-of-the-art capabilities for the SAF. The work of the defence technology community, in applied research, system development and engineering support, ensures that the SAF is always equipped with the right hardware and technology. In addition, we have also leveraged on the larger scientific and technological community, internationally and locally, to expand our capacity and to tap on innovative ideas from various sources. Our strategic collaborations with universities and research institutions, such as NTU, have provided a natural source of scientific expertise and talent to augment the research and resources in DSTA and DSO. These partnerships allow us to collaborate with talented researchers nation-wide on promising research and development initiatives for the next generation SAF.

It also gives the researchers an opportunity to challenge themselves with cutting-edge defence work. This convergence of interest between defence scientist and academia has brought vibrancy to our defence research and development ecosystem. We will continue on this path to make sure that we tap on the talents and resources across the entire nation for our defence purposes, and not just only in DSTA or DSO. Only so will we be able to build a first class and a strong defence ecosystem that will meet the unique needs of the SAF going forward.

MINDEF's Collaboration with TL@NTUThe cornerstone of MINDEF's strategic collaboration with NTU is TL@NTU. TL@NTU's work in upstream research, looking at nascent technologies and potential areas of defence research, has borne fruit in exciting areas. Let me share with you some of these examples of what TL@NTU has achieved over all these years. The Advanced Materials team in TL, who worked with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), had found a way to create flexible ceramics. The super-elastic ceramics can bend, and then recover upon heating. This breakthrough means that the ceramics could potentially be used for body or vehicular armour, strengthening our ability to operate in dangerous environments. Also, TL@NTU's research on algorithms for communications signals enables very weak signals to be picked up in a noisy environment. This technology is useful for the SAF, and will help improve the robustness of our radio communication systems. Singapore is a small place not just physically, but also very congested in our electromagnetic spectrum. For us to provide all the 4G and other telecommunications services in such a confined environment, it is a very big challenge.

TL@NTU's technological innovations have applications beyond the realm of defence. The research done at TL@NTU can potentially also be used to benefit the public. This is what we term as "dual use technology".

I understand that TL@NTU, in collaboration with DSO, has been developing advanced microchips for defence. For the SAF, these microchips can translate to more sophisticated electronic components for our sensors and communications systems, and also pave the way for research in advanced semiconductor technologies for our military systems. At the same time, these microchips can potentially be harnessed for commercial use. The microchips are used not only for gadgets such as our smartphones, but also in commercial vehicle radar systems to prevent collisions!This is an example of MINDEF stretching our defence dollars, by developing technologies that not only contribute to the security and defence of Singapore, but also have commercial applications to benefit all Singaporeans in their daily lives.

Bringing the MINDEF-NTU Partnership To The Next Level

MINDEF's cooperation with NTU goes back some twenty-five years ago. Over the years, apart from the TL@NTU, we have collaborated to set up other research centres focusing on energetic materials, satellite technology, protective technology and electromagnetics.

This underscores MINDEF's commitment to a continued partnership with NTU. As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of TL@NTU this year, I am pleased that NTU will further strengthen its partnership with MINDEF by embarking on a new strategic thrust in Defence and Security research. I am confident that this new focus area will enhance NTU's research capacities to continue generating great ideas and translate them into cutting-edge capabilities to meet the SAF's technology needs. I would also like to thank NTU for its strong support in working together with MINDEF's defence community over the past decade to build capabilities and technology that will further the defence of Singapore.

MINDEF looks forward to NTU's contributions. We also look forward to working closely with NTU to further our cause and continue to dream of new possibilities and new ideas that will stretch our defence dollars in the defence portfolio.

Thank you.