Senior Members of MINDEF/SAF

Heads of Navies, Coast Guards, and Maritime Law Enforcement Agencies,

Partners from Experia and ST Engineering,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning,

Introduction

A warm welcome to the 14^th International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference Asia, or IMDEX as we know it.

What began in 1997 as a modest defence exhibition, with just five navies and 65 exhibitors, has grown into a significant, premier naval and maritime defence show today. This year, we received 56 VIP delegations across 35 nations, including Navy Chiefs, Coast Guard Director-Generals, and Heads of Maritime Law Enforcement Agencies. And we also have 14 ships from 12 different countries on display in Changi Naval Base. There are more than 230 exhibitors from 26 countries and we also expect to welcome over 12,500 trade visitors from all over the world.           

Through its evolution, IMDEX has become a crucial platform where defence and military leaders and the defence industry converge to exchange perspectives, establish new partnerships and address common security challenges that affect our region. It is heartening to see such strong international participation, especially amidst the backdrop of a more turbulent world.

A More Turbulent World

Indeed, we are gathered together here today, in turbulent and troubled times. Who would have imagined that in such a short span of a few years, we would witness two full-scale conflicts that are still continuing today with no clear end in sight? Traditional geopolitical hotspots have intensified, with new ones that have sprung up. Many of these hotspots are occurring within Asia’s maritime spaces.    

The global security architecture that we all know, and that has kept the peace for eight decades is under strain, as are the system of international rules and norms that form the basis for how states and militaries have interacted with each other for peace and prosperity. This is particularly salient for the maritime domain, where the 1982 United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea or UNCLOS has been the landmark treaty governing all interactions at sea. In many ways, UNCLOS has kept the peace at sea and has provided a way for countries to resolve their maritime differences. We should never take this for granted.

The challenges facing the maritime domain have also taken on a new dimension and complexity. Traditional maritime security challenges such as piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling and disaster-response remain, while more novel threats such as cyber-attacks on ships and on maritime infrastructure have increased in frequency. We see an increasing number of drones being used in the maritime space, often operated by non-state actors, and this as we have seen, has disrupted global shipping. The global vulnerabilities and interdependencies associated with critical underwater infrastructure or CUI have also come to the fore. This is a new risk surface that demands our attention today. Already more than 95% of internet traffic is carried on seabed data cables. This is something not many people understand except for us in the industry, because we all think that internet is something in the sky because of Wi-Fi, but it is really still driven by undersea water connectivity. And indeed, moving forward, we are seeing more and more countries moving towards seabed energy cables to meet their energy needs. The potential for disruption is growing. The role of the navies goes beyond traditional threats and security domains, and even economic security and communications. 

Rising to the Challenge

I do not mean to say that the outlook seems rather grim. It seems to look worse and worse but thankfully, I am in an enviable position, at least for today, where all I need to do is to lay out the problems for you, and urge all our esteemed guests out here to figure this out. I am just kidding, but I think we all have to solve these issues and it is something that we have to think about, not just for today, but for tomorrow too, because the threats continue to evolve. As you can see, underwater drones and some of these things remain understated, but they remain a threat to many of our maritime and security infrastructure.

But in all earnestness, the challenges facing the maritime domain are pressing. And I urge everyone here to consider how your entities and your companies can play a part to preserve and protect the maritime domain. And I think it is also just as important for us to protect the laws and freedoms that are the foundations for all our prosperity, not just here in the region but also the world. So, leverage on the conversations that you find here, and bring forth new solutions.

But in the meantime, let me also share a bit about what Singapore, through MINDEF and the Republic of Singapore Navy, has been doing to contribute to the safety and security of our seas. Internationally, the RSN’s Information Fusion Centre (IFC) continues to support Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea, through information sharing and outreach with the commercial shipping community. We continue to support a range of security platforms such as the Malacca Straits Patrol initiative and the Indonesia-Singapore Coordinated Patrols (CORPAT INDOSIN) to jointly address traditional maritime security challenges in the Straits of Malacca and in Singapore.

Together with Brunei and Thailand, Singapore also jointly co-sponsored a Concept Paper on Critical Underwater Infrastructure (CUI) Security to the ASEAN Defence Minsters’ Meeting earlier this year. Together with our ASEAN partners, we will work towards developing a set of principles that will govern our collective approach towards ensuring the safety of CUI in our region.

We continue to support multilateral capacity building exercises that are key to strengthening mutual trust and interoperability, such as the ASEAN Multilateral Naval Exercise (AMNEX) hosted by Malaysia later this year, the Maritime Information Sharing Exercise (MARISX) involving maritime info-sharing practitioners running concurrently with IMDEX, and Exercise PACIFIC REACH – a submarine rescue exercise. These exercises are important opportunities to bring navies and sailors together and are critical avenues to build habits of collaboration.

Starting with IMDEX 2023, we have also started to invite our Coast Guard and Maritime Law Enforcement Agencies to be present here with us. Coast Guards and Maritime Law Enforcement Agencies play important roles to uphold safety and security at sea, and as fellow maritime users. Therefore, it is important that we dialogue together about these pressing issues that confront us. IMDEX 2025 features an even larger participation of Coast Guards and Maritime Law Enforcement Agencies Heads and representatives, which speaks to the utility of this platform to bring conversations together, not just from the navies but also our coast guards.

Conclusion

I believe I speak for everyone here, when I say that our common desire is for safe and secure seas; for a maritime domain where the rules-based order is upheld; and one that facilitates the free-flow of global trade and contributes to the prosperity of our peoples. And while the maritime domain is facing some daunting challenges, I believe that there are opportunities that the maritime community can turn our minds and our energies to. 

So on this note, I am delighted to declare IMDEX 2025 open and I wish everyone a fruitful exhibition and conference. Thank you and enjoy the wonderful day ahead.