"Ultimately the result that we want – and I am sure you must want this – is to produce a community that feels together… on certain things it responds together: this is my country, this is my flag, this is my President, this is my future. I am going to protect it."
Nexus seeks to deepen Singaporeans' commitment to Singapore – by fostering a strong sense of identity and belonging to our country, and a deeper understanding of our shared challenges and hopes.
We do this to strengthen our resilience in a changing world where threats and challenges are complex, multi-faceted, and increasingly targeted at hearts and minds to undermine the unity of our society. For a small, open country like Singapore, it is important to build a strong identity and shared understanding of what we stand for, so that we have the resolve to overcome challenges together.
Nexus provides opportunities for Singaporeans to think about who we are as Singaporeans and express their thoughts through creative means, from filmmaking and animation, to gaming. We experiment with ways to communicate and engage, working with partners from the 3P (public-people-private) sectors.
You can find out more about Nexus here.
"I am proud to be a Singaporean… Our red passport is one of the most powerful in the world and our country is a beautiful first-world city with easy access to water and electricity. We feel safe even when we wander around the streets at night."
Nexus works with a wide range of agencies from the 3P sectors to extend the reach of our campaigns and events. These include the Ministry of Education and People's Association, to extend our messages and initiatives to students and grassroots. We also work with partners from the private sector, such as Challenger and Canon, to support competitions such as the WeAreTotalDefence Photo Challenge.
If you would like to find out more about Nexus' programmes or collaborate with us, email us at nexus@defence.gov.sg.
Nexus develops content based on events and developments in Singapore and around the world to bring out National Education lessons on defence (including Total Defence and National Service), racial harmony and other issues of national importance.
Nexus consists of three teams:
The Plans & Content Group seeks to understand how Singaporeans feel about Singapore and our confidence in our shared future, so that we can plan and design effective engagements to reach out to all levels of society. It also creates content related to National Education and National Identity for various platforms, including social media.
The Community Engagement Group organises engagement programmes and activities for both MINDEF/SAF and external communities to rally support for Total Defence, Commitment to Defence and National Service.
The Nexus Projects Office oversees the development of the National Service-themed Gallery, works with the Singapore Discovery Centre on public engagement, as well as develops and implements the National Education curriculum for MINDEF/SAF.
We began as the National Education Branch. Our role was to get buy- in for National Service and inculcate loyalty to the nation.
The National Education School was formed to conduct national education courses. Meanwhile, NEPO merged with the Public Affairs Department.
National Education Office expanded to become the Central National Education Office as a new directorate in the Defence Policy Group.
As CNEO, we
A new office, National Education Planning Office, was formed to increase the awareness of national education nation-wide.
The Total Defence concept and 5 key NE messages were formulated.
The National Education Office became a department when MINDEF Public Affairs was restructured into a directorate.
As NEO, we
A name change! Central National Education Office becomes Nexus. Meaning bond or connection, the new name better reflects our role in connecting Singaporeans to Singapore and to one another.