Exercise SG Ready

Exercise Objective. The inaugural Exercise SG Ready will be held at various locations across the island from 15 February 2024 to 29 February 2024 to increase Singaporeans' readiness for crises and disruptions, as well as to commemorate 40 years of Total Defence (TD40). The exercise simulates disruptions of power, water, food supply, digital connectivity and a civil emergency arising from wide spread cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns and drone attacks from an anonymous actor. The aim of the exercise is to get individuals, communities and businesses thinking about the question, "Are you ready for disruptions?", and to put TD into action by putting in place their own contingency plans for disruptions.

Participating Organisations. Over 500 educational, community, commercial, and government buildings will be participating in Exercise SG Ready. All schools will run simulated disruptions of power, water, or food supply on 15 or 16 February 2024. The community facilities, commercial and government buildings of selected towns and regional centres will also take turns to run simulated disruptions as part of the exercise across the two-week period.

Key Highlights

Exercise SG Ready Scenario Video. As part of Exercise SG Ready, Nexus has introduced an exercise scenario video (scan Figure 1) to illustrate how hybrid security threats can disrupt our daily lives. Members of the public are encouraged to watch the Exercise SG Ready Scenario Video from 22 January 2024 as it will help set the context for the simulated disruptions happening in two weeks starting from 15 February 2024.

Figure 1: QR Code for TD Exercise Scenario Video

SGReadyGoWhere Website. Members of the public who would like more information on the locations and dates of the simulated disruptions for Exercise SG Ready can go to SGReadyGoWhere (scan Figure 2). Upon keying in the postal code, the website that is built on GovTech's GoWhere suite, will show the nearest location and the dates of the disruptions being simulated. As the website will be updated regularly, members of the public are advised to check for the latest updates.  

Figure 2: QR Code for SGReadyGoWhere

Simulated Blackout. Beyond the temporary stoppage of escalators and air-conditioners at participating locations on various days, there will also be a simulated blackout around the Padang and Esplanade on 15 February 2024 from 2030hrs to 2130hrs. During this time, external facade lights of 20 prominent public buildings such as the Treasury, Supreme Court, Singapore Management University, National Heritage Board museums, Esplanade Theatres and Suntec Convention Centre will be switched off to simulate a blackout caused by a cyberattack (see highlighted buildings in Figure 3 below).

Figure 3: Buildings participating in simulated blackout on 15 Feb

Water/Food Supply Disruption and Simulated Closure of Markets. During the two-week exercise period, participating locations will simulate water and food supply disruption with activities such as the closure of toilets and reduced food options at pantries or canteens. Selected schools will also have a chance to try Singapore Food Agency's Ready-To-Eat meals. The National Environment Agency will simulate the closure of 21 markets and hawker centres due to food supply disruption on 26 and 27 February 2024 during the quarterly market cleaning. More information on the locations is available on SGReadyGoWhere.

Playbooks for the Conduct of Simulated Phishing Exercises. The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore will launch playbooks with guidelines and step-by-step instructions to facilitate organisations in the conduct of simulated phishing exercises and to teach their employees how to spot phishing threats. 21 participating organisations will run simulated phishing exercises for their employees within their own networks in conjunction with Ex SG Ready.

Civil Defence Shelter Open Houses. As part of Exercise SG Ready, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), with support from the Land Transport Authority, will organise Civil Defence Shelter Open Houses at Dakota, Potong Pasir and Tan Kah Kee MRT stations on 23 February 2024 from 1000hrs to 1600hrs. The open houses will show how MRT stations can be converted into public shelters to protect civilians during an emergency. Members of the public may walk in to participate, but larger groups of 20 or more will require reservations through the online booking system before they visit the Civil Defence Shelter Open House. SingPass access will be required for the booking, and the QR code for booking is in Figure 4.

Figure 4: QR Code for CD Shelter Open House Booking

Participation of National Servicemen. Full-time National Servicemen from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the Singapore Police Force and the SCDF will also participate in Exercise SG Ready through simulated disruptions in their units and training schools. Selected SAF Units will also use this opportunity to review their contingency plans in the event of a major disruption to power, water, and food supply, to maintain operational readiness.

Ways to Participate

Strengthen Contingency Plans. As part of the effort to increase readiness for crises and disruptions, Nexus is rolling out a self-facilitated TD Table-Top Exercise (TTX) Exercise package to help organisations and businesses review their contingency plans using the Exercise SG Ready Scenario Video to activate thinking. Interested organisations can download the package from go.gov.sg/sg101td or using the QR Code as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: QR Code for TD TTX Package

Help Other Singaporeans. During times of major disruptions, it is important not to forget those in need. In conjunction with Exercise SG Ready, ComChest will be running a campaign to support TD. Interested members of the public can go to the Giving.SG portal to make a donation or sign up as a volunteer via go.gov.sg/sgreadygiving. The Singapore Red Cross Society and Singapore Emergency Responder Academy will also be conducting Psychological First Aid courses during Exercise SG Ready. Singaporeans who would like to play their part for TD can sign up for these Psychological First Aid courses to help others around them get through crises and disruptions and strengthen Singapore's collective resilience together.