Speech by Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, for the 49th Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College Graduation Ceremony and Dinner

The Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, His Excellency 
Dr Mohamed Omar Abdulla Balfaqeeh,
Permanent Secretary (Defence),
Chief of Defence Force, 
Service Chiefs, 
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Policy), 
Senior Commanders, 
All Graduands of the 49th Command and Staff Course, 
19th Command and Staff Course (National Service), 
10th and 11th Command and Staff Course (Executive), 
Distinguished Guests, 
Ladies and Gentlemen.

First, welcome to tonight's dinner at the Istana. There was a little rain but I understand you also had some fair weather to take good pictures. So that is a portrayal of life. Take good pictures while the sun shines. 

Let me offer my heartiest congratulations to the 227 graduands tonight. And I am very happy that you have one Singapore Police Force officer and 16 International Officers whom I met earlier, and am very happy that for many of them, their spouses and families are also here. 

I am told also that this has been a particularly productive group, who in addition to their graduation, also produced 22 babies. My congratulations to all the parents of the newborns.

The Challenges for Small States

As graduands of the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College, or GKS CSC, you shoulder a tradition of excellence that has been carefully established by your alumni. And this college and the courses have prepared you to be senior commanders. For the Police and international officers, I hope the instructions as well as the interactions with SAF officers as well as the interactions among yourselves would have provided you with the wherewithal and perspectives to be effective as leaders in your respective organisations. For SAF officers, it must have dawned on you through the many hours of reflections and discussions, how unique the SAF is and onerous the responsibility to protect Singapore’s sovereignty and independence.

The constraints and challenges on small states have always placed them at a disadvantage. Among you are international officers, some from very big countries. There are very few smaller than Singapore. Some of you would have come across a book with the title Small is Beautiful. It propounds an attractive economic model, but history teaches us that for survival of countries, big is good – and the bigger the better. Yes, small states do have their days in the sun, when they shine brightly. Sparta, Athens and Venice were good examples but the durability of the prosperity and independence of small states actually goes against the grain of history. 

As Singapore enters its next 50 years, we would do well to remember our immutable vulnerabilities and recognise the foundations that provide the stability and endurance of our small city state. Without doubt, capable and committed leaders, especially military leaders, that the College produces is one strong foundation stone. Mr Lee reminded us in his later years; "Without security", he said, "there can be no economic or even social progress". That is why for Mr Lee and the founding generation of leaders, one of the first orders of business was to start the SAF. And in his speech to the Temasek Club Dinner, he said, “As I believed it then, I believe it now. Without security, there can be no economic or even social progress”.

Why and how do capable military leaders provide the premium to our continued survival and prosperity, one might ask? I am obviously preaching to the converted, because if I say that military and police officers are important, none of you would disagree. But, how do they provide the premium?

Our Branding

Rather than a long thesis, let me illustrate with a few examples. I think nowhere was it more obvious in the recent 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and 5th ADMM-Plus meetings that we have recently hosted. Because as Chair this year, we set ambitious targets. I must give you a little bit of history of ADMM-Plus: a group of 18 nations, 10 ASEAN plus eight partners that – I asked for the statistics and the statistics were quite astonishing – together we have 4 billion citizens. And these 18 countries represent 90% of the global military troops. That, in corporate terms, makes a major shareholder. And we set ambitious targets.  This time, we said we wanted not only to have joint statements although we had two joint statements, which all 18 countries could agree on. We also wanted something substantive. For our region, we have already the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea. And we wanted something for the air. Because it seems to us that if ships can collide and we do not have protocols, surely the same thing can happen in the air. And if something happens, as indeed previously has, it changes the entire complexion of our relations with one another. So we decided to go for a Guidelines for Air Military Encounters, or GAME. For 10 ASEAN countries to agree with it, not only in principle, but annexes which have protocols. And for the eight Plus countries to agree with it, at least in-principle. And we achieved it, the first of its kind in the world. We also wanted ASEAN to agree to set up an intelligence sharing platform on counter-terrorism. It is a real and present-day threat, and growing. Returning fighters will come, our people will be at risk. There is no single Defence Minister of the 18 countries and I suspect, globally, that would say, "My citizens are not at risk or not in harm's way". We know it is coming, and that is why the Ministry of Home Affair's dictum is "Not if, but when". We also were ambitious in starting the ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise, which I visited earlier this week. We also got agreement to start the ASEAN-US Maritime Exercise next year.
 
We succeeded on all these counts and more. And the question is, why and how? These achievements were the culmination of efforts of scores of military officers with a deep knowledge of all 18 countries' military establishments, what their vested interests were, their red lines, the trade-offs that they were willing to make, and the key decision makers in complex organisations. So it was not a given that we would have agreement but through persistence and understanding each country, we managed to get all 18 countries to agree. But I think it was also due to Singapore's branding as a trusted broker, not self-serving but always seeking to improve regional security.

And I believe this was the same branding and premium which resulted in both the US and DPRK agreeing for Singapore to be chosen for the Trump-Kim summit. Many of you would have seen the coverage. The US officials have told us this openly. The DPRK officials are not so communicative, but the fact that Chairman Kim extended his stay longer than first indicated, which included a last minute decision to view the Gardens by the Bay, speaks volumes about how others perceive this little red dot. I wrote this speech before I went to the Xiangshan Forum. And as they would have it, they sent the Vice Minister of North Korea's People Armed Forces, the first time in many years. And he said the meeting between the US President and Chairman Kim was an epic event. It changed the last 10 years of animosity. 

The accolades that we have received, whether myself, Permanent Secretary, Chief of Defence Force, Service Chiefs over the past months, because of these events, in our day-to-day interactions, border on embarrassment. We should not let it get to our heads. This vaunted position may not last if we lose focus on the strong fundamentals that got us here. Without the capability and the depth of knowledge of Home Team officers and SAF officers who conduct yourselves constantly with professionalism, integrity and competence in all that you do and with all whom you meet, our slide into mediocrity will begin.

I conducted press interviews after the ADMM-Plus, as well as after my visit to the ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise earlier this week in Zhanjiang. And I found it interesting that for both interviews, it was the foreign press who, after asking the questions, asked what Singapore else would continue to do, even after stepping down as ADMM Chair. I think their questions remind us of the high expectations that other countries place on us. It's a good challenge, but a challenge nonetheless. We will disappoint if we cannot maintain the high standards set by our past successes.

Building Strong Partnerships 

And the Ministry of Defence and the SAF have been able to build our own strong defences and for the region because of strong partnerships.

The international officers tonight embody those strong partnerships – Australia, Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar, the UAE, and the United States of America. More than ever in an interconnected world, security challenges are increasingly transnational and these partnerships are crucial to help Singapore deal with them. So as a further sign of our commitment to partnerships, from next year onwards, we have decided to increase the annual number of international officer billets by 50%, which means 25 slots. I think that is a good development. 

The personal ties that you formed here are part of the bedrock of relations that will keep both our countries safe in times of need. I encourage you to keep up those linkages over time.

Commending our NSmen

Let me also make special mention of the 51 NS officers who graduate tonight. I was told an interesting fact – you come from all walks of life – a tour agency manager; businessmen; civil servants; a district judge; even a diamond gemologist. These NS officers represent the stout spirits and bold hearts of the citizen soldiers of Singapore, who have the commitment and courage of their convictions to spend precious months doing their part to keep the Singapore story alive and going. I commend and congratulate them for their achievements as well as being role models for others. 

Conclusion

I said that the durability and prosperity of small states go against the grain of history. So the question must obviously be asked in the conclusion. Can Singapore go against the grain of history which puts small states at a disadvantage? And for how long can we keep Singapore stable, progressive and outward looking? I think only time will tell. All we can do within our power is to be our best, do our best and constantly tend to the well-being of our country, our home. And this is what each of you do every day, in your jobs, in your families, among friends, among colleagues. Strong families and supportive friends provide us the motivation to build for the next generation, soI am very glad that your spouses and employers are here, when they join, hear us, they can hear what you were actually doing and for what reason. So thank you for joining us tonight for this graduation dinner. Thank you for the support that you have given your spouses or your significant others.

Once again, my congratulations to all graduands. I look forward to the strong contributions each of you will make in the future to Singapore, and your own countries as you return. 

Thank you very much. 

More Resources

227 Leaders Graduate from Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College