Speech by Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How at the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College Command and Staff Course Graduation Ceremony and Dinner Held at the SAFTI Warriors Hall on 28 October 2024

Chief of Defence Force,

Service Chiefs,

Graduands of the 55^th Command and Staff Course,

25^th Command and Staff Course (National Service),

22^nd and 23^rd Command and Staff Course (Executive),

Spouses and Family Members of the Graduands,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction

Good evening. I am delighted to join you on this important occasion. My heartiest congratulations to the 268 graduands from the SAF, the SPF, as well as our international partners. Today marks a significant milestone in your professional development, and this is key to preparing you for larger responsibilities. I certainly also thank the spouses and families for your support. It matters greatly. 

A Complex and Volatile Security Environment

The prolonged war between Russia and Ukraine, the escalating tensions in the Middle East, the contestations in the South China Sea, the war in Sudan – they are everyday reminders that the world we face is far from benign.

The Evolving Nature of Warfare

The ways by which war is waged have also transformed. The concept of Total Defence which I think many of us are familiar with, is now mirrored by that of Total Offence,  total attack, across so many domains. Indeed, any domain and means that can be weaponised has been or will be weaponised. I think we are familiar with the military part of it but that too, is changing. Take for example, the by now pervasive use of drones. But it also goes into the non-military aspects – be it technological, economic, social, political, psychological. Hybrid war is no longer a novel idea, but a harsh reality.  

Take the kinetic front, for example. What used to be traditional advantages that one might secure in terms of long-range strike systems and armoured platforms could be upended by relatively inexpensive alternatives like drones and drone swarms. This is one example of how the military and economic factors intersect and interact. In this scenario, one can lose the battle, indeed the war, not only when one’s military equipment or weaponry runs out, but also when the adversary’s economics of warfare is fundamentally superior to, and therefore, much more sustainable than one’s own. In other words, I can make you bankrupt even as I can also rain different types of armaments on you. 

Looming Threats in Troubled Peace

Now consider how occurrences in everyday life during a period we may not call military war are no less real and dangerous. Consider terrorism, cyberattacks, induced infrastructure outages, fake news, deep fakes that divide societies on grounds of race, religion, language, or some other primordial instincts, as well as criminal scams. All these in their different ways can be very insidious in wearing down a society’s confidence – the confidence of citizens in their government, the confidence of citizens in the systems, the confidence of citizens with one another. It destroys mutual trust and erodes that will to fight and to resist. And therefore if you consider that this goes on everyday, we are at war in a way. This is a non-kinetic form of artillery bombardment that softens up a people and can render our defences ineffective if we are not careful, and we are not alert.

The SAF is Strong, But Needs to Continuously Transform

Against such challenges therefore, Singapore must continue to build and strengthen a strong and capable, and adaptable SAF, as well as to invest in, foster, and practice Total Defence.

Our SAF must continue to modernise its military hardware matching the multi-domain nature of modern warfare and to bring onboard new technologies and approaches to overcome the asymmetric threats. It must also ensure that its structures and processes are fit for purpose and able to adjust quickly in the face of fast changing threats and threat environments.

Strong Leaders are Critical to Achieve Mission Success for SAF

But the ultimate ability to triumph lies not only in hardware, but in the ability, in the quality and qualities of our people and their leaders. I am talking about leaders who will  understand history, be it military history or history in general. To understand history but not live there. Do not live in the past, but it is important to know what happened. They are important lessons. Leaders who can see how to smartly bring on new technology and methods, but who have a clear mind and that does not lose sight of which are the means and what are the ends. In other words, do not worship technology just for the sake of looking modern, but never fight the next war with what you have for the last one. Leaders who demand much of themselves and their units, and yet at the same time have the ability to rally the troops and to fight as a whole because that makes the most difference in terms of outcomes.  

And for all these, I am very confident that the rigour of the education you received from your programmes at the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College (GKS CSC) will equip you well to deal with these huge challenges.

Conclusion

Congratulations once again on your achievement, may you stay on mission and lead well for a stronger, safer and ever more united Singapore and together with our international colleagues, a better world.

Thank you very much.

More Resources

268 Leaders Graduate from the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College