Speeches
Speech by Minister for Defence Mr Chan Chun Sing at the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College (GKS CSC) Command and Staff Course (CSC) 2026 Graduation Ceremony, on 22 October 2026
23 October 2026
Commandant, distinguished guests, faculty and staff, graduates, family members, employers and our international friends, a very good evening to all of you.
First, let me once again congratulate all our graduates on reaching this important milestone. Today is a celebration of your hard work, your professionalism, and your commitment to service. I would also like to thank the family members who have supported all our graduates throughout their journey. Behind every graduate is a family that has made contributions, endured long hours apart, and provided unwavering encouragement. The achievements of our graduates, belong to you as well. Thank you very much.
To our international students, thank you for being part of this graduating class. Your presence enriches our discussions, broadens our perspectives, and strengthens the professional bonds that connect armed forces across the world. In an increasingly uncertain world, these relationships matter more than ever and we hope that you will continue to remain connected to Singapore and your Singapore friends. Thank you very much for being here with us for the last one year.
And to the faculty and staff of Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College, thank you for your dedication in developing the next generation of military leaders. Your contribution extends far beyond the classroom. You help shape the minds, values, and judgement of those who will bear heavy responsibilities in the years ahead.
To all our graduates, you are entering a world that is changing in profound ways. For decades, many countries operated on the assumption that international rules, institutions, and interdependence would gradually reduce the likelihood of conflict. While that aspiration remains worth pursuing, recent developments remind us that history does not always move in a straight line. Today, we see less restraint in the use of force, less faith in rules, and less trust in institutions. Increasingly, countries are prepared to weaponise advantages arising from geography, technology, resources, and even supply chain interdependence. The result is that instead of enjoying the benefits of a globally optimal and deeply networked system, we risk fragmenting into local optimisations and, in some cases, suboptimal outcomes. Over time, this erosion of trust makes the world less prosperous, less stable, and less secure.
At the same time, technology is rapidly transforming warfare. The cost of attack and defence has changed dramatically. Long-standing assumptions about platforms, force structures, and battlefield advantage are being challenged. New technologies are lowering barriers to entry and creating capabilities that were once only available to major powers. The previous equilibrium between attack and defence has been disrupted. The nature of warfare is in flux. Until a new equilibrium emerges, we are likely to live in a more dangerous and more unpredictable world.
For a small country like Singapore, these changes present significant challenges. But they also present new opportunities. New technologies offer asymmetric and cost-effective ways to complement our conventional, high-end systems. They provide opportunities to multiply our effectiveness, strengthen deterrence, and rethink how we organise, train, and fight. More fundamentally, they offer opportunities to reinvent the way we defend ourselves.
A third shift is equally important. The resilience of nations is no longer determined solely by their military capabilities. Increasingly, resilience depends on the strength of the entire national system. The boundary between civilian and military domains is becoming less distinct. Cybersecurity, space, communications networks, energy systems, financial infrastructure, and critical supply chains are all examples where vulnerabilities in one domain can have immediate consequences in another. In future conflicts, success may depend not just on those who possesses superior capabilities, but on those who can endure, adapt, recover, and prevail as an integrated national system. Ultimately, the question may become not simply who can outfight whom, but who can outlast whom.
Against this backdrop, what must we do as leaders? First, let us challenge ourselves to ask better questions, not just provide better answers to yesterday's questions. Military organisations are often rewarded for certainty. But in periods of profound change, progress begins with curiosity. The leaders who matter most will not necessarily be those with all the answers. They will be those willing to question assumptions, identify blind spots, and explore new possibilities before circumstances force them to do so.
Second, let us challenge ourselves to do better things, not just to do things better. Efficiency is important. Excellence in execution is essential. But improving existing processes is not enough if the environment itself has changed. Sometimes leadership requires the courage to stop optimising old models and start building new ones. Innovation is not merely about doing the same things cheaper or faster. It is about identifying what truly matters and having the conviction to pursue a new path and to jettison the old ways which no longer work or are no longer relevant.
Third and most importantly, let us challenge ourselves to build teams that endure beyond ourselves. Leadership is not measured by what we can achieve personally. It is measured by what continues to thrive after we have moved on. The strongest leaders develop others. They bring out the best in the men and women who serve. They create cultures of trust, learning, and shared purpose. They build institutions that become stronger with each generation. In a world that is increasingly complex and unpredictable, no individual will have all the answers. The quality of our teams will matter far more than the brilliance of any single leader.
Graduates, our profession has always demanded courage. Today, it also demands humility, adaptability, and imagination. The world that you inherit will be more contested, yet more connected, and more uncertain than the one that shaped previous generations. Yet every generation of leaders faces their own defining challenges. Yours will be to navigate change without losing sight of enduring principles; to embrace innovation without abandoning judgement; and to strengthen security while continuing to build trust wherever possible.
And I am confident that the education, experiences, and friendships forged here have prepared you for the responsibility ahead. So let us remember to ask better questions; to challenge ourselves; to not just do things better but do better things. But most importantly, it is upon us to make sure that the next generation of leaders are even better than us. Challenges there may be, and challenges will continue to evolve. But if every generation of SAF leaders endeavour to build up the next generation to be even better than the last, then the SAF will secure Singapore’s future to SG100 and beyond.
Congratulations to all our graduates. I wish you the very best in your onward journey and I look forward to your continued service to our nation.
Thank you very much.
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