Speech by Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Defence, at Committee of Supply Debate 2015
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Madam Chair, first I would like to thank the members for their useful questions and enlightening comments. This is a special year, 2015, because as many members have said, it's the Golden Jubilee of our independence as well as 50 years of the SAF since its inception. Members of this house pointed out that this is an appropriate occasion for us to look back, examine our roots, collectively see what we have achieved and possibly also look forward. And if you look at our founding generations, and what they went through - they went through three bitter periods. First was the British surrender of Singapore to the Japanese and the subsequent occupation, then Konfrontasi, and then the fight against the communists. Just one challenge would have been severe. But we had pioneers who then went through all three, and for this reason, the bitter lessons that they learnt forged an epiphany and fierce determination in our founding generation that only with a strong defence could Singapore safeguard its sovereignty. Because without this strong defence, Singaporeans would never be able to chart our own destiny. And as a small country with limited manpower, I believe that most Singaporeans today understand that this strong defence can only be built up and maintained with a strong and heavy commitment of financial resources, and above all, the efforts and sacrifices of our National Servicemen. We have said it time and again, but it bears repeating - if Singaporeans cannot or do not defend Singapore, no one else will. And on this year, our Golden Jubilee, I am sure that I speak on behalf of all the members in this House, to affirm our strong and continued commitment to defend our country.
The SAF Today and Looking Ahead
Today, Singaporeans can have the quiet confidence that after many decades of steady investment into our defence capabilities, the SAF is a strong and capable military, able to protect our interests and borders. And I think beyond the SAF and our NSmen, the message of Total Defence, that we are as strong as we are united, has also taken root in the community. Many members - Mr Sitoh, Dr Lim Wee Kiak, Associate Professor Fatimah Lateef, Mr Pritam Singh - have asked where the SAF stands today, what it would be like in the future.
First, how does the SAF stand today. I think we can be confident objectively because we have consistently benchmarked the SAF with militaries from other advanced countries. We test our systems through realistic training and real operations.
We have conducted four Exercise Forging Sabres in the United States in the last decade, and every year we go to Australia to conduct Exercise Wallaby since 2000. There we put our soldiers and platforms through rigorous and realistic test scenarios, including our Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), F-15 and F-16 fighters, Apache helicopters, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and Navy ships. The exercise scenarios were complex and required high levels of integration in every exercise. And I am happy to report that after each exercise, our overall systems are validated and we learn important lessons to bridge the gaps. When I say that our overall systems are validated, it tells us that our command and control systems are responsive and coherent. We can close the loop on what we see and how we want to effect a response.
But beyond exercises, the SAF has also actively contributed to missions that have strengthened international peace and security as well as for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR). Mr Sitoh Yih Pin asked about this. We had some 1,500 servicemen deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan for 10 years between 2003 and 2013.They were there a long time, as part of multinational stabilisation and reconstruction efforts. We have also deployed servicemen to the Gulf of Aden to support the international counter-piracy efforts since 2009, and commanded three times the multinational Combined Task Force 151. Recently, SAF ships and aircraft were deployed to assist in the search operations of the Air Asia crash, where SAF men on board the MV Swift Rescue located the fuselage. The Army also deployed in Kelantan with water purification teams. They supplied potable water for Malaysian flood victims. So whether in exercises or real operations, they validate our readiness and professionalism, and provide invaluable operational experience for our servicemen, and also enhance our ability to operate with our key partners.
Whether through exercises or real operations, the SAF has shown that it can move decisively as one integrated professional force and succeed in the missions and tasks assigned.
Members here had asked for an update on what else we are doing for the SAF. Dr Lim Wee Kiak had asked for this in the next five years. We will continue upgrading the SAF's capabilities at a steady pace. From next year, the Navy will start replacing its Patrol Vessels with new Littoral Mission Vessels. Similarly, the Army will use new Protected Response Vehicles. This is in place of the V200 - some older NSmen here would have used it. Others won't know what I am talking about but the V200s are quite ancient and so we will use the new Protected Response Vehicles. Our Super Puma helicopters - members of this House would be more familiar with those. Well, they have been in service for almost 30 years. They will need replacements and this will occur over the next decade.
But beyond upgrading specific platforms, beyond just changing the ORBAT as Mr Pritam Singh mentioned, the SAF also has the need to re-make itself in response to a changing landscape from new security threats. I think this was eloquently put by Associate Professor Fatimah Lateef. Looking ahead in our Golden Jubilee year or SAF50, what do we expect the SAF to be able to respond to? What is its core mission and how does it shape itself to respond to threats to Singapore and Singaporeans? Because threats that threaten Singapore and Singaporeans don't come with necessarily clear labels. And that is a core question that we have to ask. Externally, the SAF will have to contend with cyber threats and the growing use of dis-information in warfare and the landscape is emerging. In the recent Munich Security Conference (MSC) which I attended last month, there were many sessions on "hybrid warfare", which integrates the use of conventional and unconventional tools of warfare by both state and non-state actors.
What is "hybrid warfare"? I think Singaporeans can understand it easily because it is the exact antagonist of "Total Defence" which we started some decades ago. Hybrid warfare is an orchestrated campaign to fracture the solidarity of the target nation through undermining its defences in civil, economic, social, psychological and military spheres. I want you to listen to the chilling words of the Chief of General Staff of the Russian Federation, General Valeriy Gerasimov:
"The very rules of war have changed. The role of non-military means of achieving political and strategic goals has grown, and, in many cases, they have exceeded the power of force of weapons in their effectiveness. The focus of applied methods of conflict has altered in the direction of the broad use of political, economic, informational, humanitarian and other non-military measures - applied in coordination with the protest potential of the population. All this is supplemented by military means of a concealed character, including carrying out actions of informational conflict and the actions of special operations forces. The open use of forces - often under the guise of peacekeeping and crisis regulation - is resorted to only at a certain stage, primarily for the achievement of final success in the conflict."
Clinical but chilling. Why? Because this textbook description of hybrid warfare was played out with orchestral precision in the annexation of Crimea and recent unrest in Ukraine, where subversion and subterfuge were conducted both through flesh and blood provocateurs as well as through dis-information on social media to cause disunity and dissent among target populations, before military force was applied.
There is another example of "hybrid warfare". The radicalising effect of Al-Qaeda and then ISIS - some members have asked about ISIS and how we respond to it - is also another facet of hybrid warfare, if you look at it closely, and this time by non-state actors. Tens of thousands of foreign fighters have been radicalised by ISIS' false ideology and have headed for Iraq and Syria. They may carry out violent attacks when they return to their home countries. The examples of Ukraine and ISIS have added urgency to many countries in studying their defences against such campaigns of hybrid warfare orchestrated by external adversaries. So challenges as we see it are not neatly compartmentalised as we say and I understand Mr Pritam Singh's point. He says what is your core mission and when do you know it is your mission? And it is a difficult question. But at the centre of it, if it threatens Singapore and Singaporeans - even if it comes in uncommon labels or unconfined labels - we will have to respond. The concept of hybrid warfare is as old as war itself. This is why we launched Total Defence in 1984. What is new is the amplification of dis-information due to social media. No country, including Singapore, is immune to this dis-information war. The SAF will have to raise capabilities to detect and counteract such threats in the cyber and information domains.
Beyond hybrid warfare, the unrest in Ukraine and its impact on the rest of Europe hold other salutary lessons for Singapore. Let me describe to you what was last year's mood at the Munich Security Conference. This was in 2014. Last year's discussions at the MSC centred on 70 years of peace after WWII. There was an air of celebrations and rightly so. The Cold War had ended. Russia was integrated into Europe and the global economy. The EU had expanded and more states were joining in, not only the EU, but even asking to join NATO. There were even questions about the relevance of NATO. So there was an air of festivities last year.
Indeed for the last decade, many countries in Europe had reduced defence spending to "reap the peace dividends". Some had even scrapped or suspended military conscription - their version of national service. Then in March last year, just two months after the MSC - the unimaginable occurred. Crimea was annexed. Alleged rebels attacked and seized key buildings and military bases in key cities in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine. These rebels included "little green men" - masked unidentified soldiers armed with Russian equipment. At the same time, Russia assembled a sizeable force at the Ukrainian border, which a senior Ukrainian official estimated to comprise over 80,000 troops and 270 tanks. Decades-old formal treaties and pledges were broken, basically torn up, not worth the paper they were printed on. Fundamental assumptions about peace in Europe were overturned. This year's MSC declared deafeningly - "Peace in Europe is broken". All within a span of one year.
Now, the impact on small states in Europe is even more ominous and threatening. A recent Financial Times article published on 25 February was headlined "Russia fears lead Lithuania to reinstate military draft". The small Baltic states, including Lithuania, are the closest geographically to Russia. The article continues: "Lithuania is reinstating military conscription in a dramatic move that underscores the anxiety among Baltic countries about Russia's intentions." These states are concerned that what happened to Crimea would occur to them and they are no longer confident of their future. Lithuania had just suspended their form of NS only in 2009, because it assumed the neighbourhood was safe. Now Lithuania is frantically trying to raise an army. Earlier this year, the Lithuanian Government issued an instruction manual to schools and the general public on what to do in case of an invasion. The Baltic states are scared stiff that what Russia did in Crimea and Ukraine, they would also do to them.
Lithuania is not very big - it has a population of three million people - but much larger than us. Singapore, like the Baltic states, is a small country. We do well to heed the cautionary tales from their experiences. Never take our peace for granted. It can only be purchased through the collective commitment of our NSmen and all Singaporeans. Never weaken the strong defence that we have built up over the years through neglect and complacency. The time to build up a strong defence is during peace. A strong deterrence is Singapore's best defence. All this, you hear time and time again. When danger is upon you, as it did precipitously for the Baltic states, it will be too little and too late to build up a defence. Contrary to expectations that peace and stability one enjoys today will last, things can go wrong and very quickly. As I said, in one year the mood is completely reversed.
As long as we have the support of the Government and our people, the SAF will discharge its responsibilities fully to protect our home and its people. The SAF will be very clear-eyed about potential threats and challenges. We do not assume any neat packages and we are remaking ourselves to be more effective in the future. Some of you mentioned Singapore's demographic trends. Fatimah Lateef, in particular, mentioned about the trends over the long term. And yes, the SAF will operate with a leaner manpower pool without any loss of effectiveness. Whether it is measured by manoeuvrability, firepower or new capabilities, the restructured SAF, even though leaner, is more potent and versatile. And we have been able to do because we have used advanced technologies.
We talked about productivity and defence spending. And when it comes to productivity, I would tell you that the SAF feels it the most acutely - not only because we want to but the realities that we face with a shrinking NS pool. It is forced upon us. Our manpower supply is not as elastic as the civilian side of the house. So each time a platform is planned, in fact, one of the key questions is how can do it with less people and if not as effective, more effective. For example, our UAV systems can already stay airborne for more than 24 hours. On land, the Army uses robots to defuse explosives. The Army is also studying the use of Unmanned Ground Vehicles to conduct security patrols. Out at sea, Unmanned Surface Vessels may in future patrol our congested waterways. If you can do it without manned ships, why not? These advanced technologies have greater precision and use less manpower, allowing the SAF to use less manpower and remain potent with a leaner force.
The SAF will further leverage new technologies to respond to security challenges both externally and internally. New units for cyber defence are being raised. Better capabilities using infocomm technology, robotics and artificial intelligence are in the pipe-line for testing and integration into existing systems.
People Are Our Greatest Assets
But even with the most advanced military technologies and equipment, we constantly remind ourselves that our people remain our greatest and indispensable asset. It is, many members of this house have said so and I agree with you, ultimately the strong fighting spirit of our Soldiers, Airmen and Sailors, as well as the quality of leadership, that will allow the SAF to deter aggression and when that fails, prevail over potential aggressors. We must continue to sustain this strength into the future. We cannot build an effective force without capable and committed servicemen, particularly NSmen who form the bulk of the SAF's fighting force. We are implementing the recommendations by the Committee to Strengthen National Service (CSNS). Second Minister Chan Chun Sing will elaborate later but let me highlight two significant proposals that are progressing well. First, we are on target to reduce waiting times for NS enlistment to not more than six months after the completion of their post-secondary education. We are on track. Second, the SAF Volunteer Corps (SAFVC) has attracted many responses from citizens and PRs and we are on track to take in the inaugural batches this year.
While NSmen form the backbone of the SAF, we need to ensure that we have adequate SAF regulars to train units and build capabilities. I announced during CSNS that we are stepping up recruitment for more trainers and again we are on track, and will double the number of Regular Trainers at Basic Military Training Centre from the middle of this year. The SAF is also recruiting more women as regulars as more opportunities open up in different vocations because we use advanced platforms.
Defence Spending and Resource Optimisation
A number of members here have asked questions on defence spending; Mr Seah Kian Peng, Dr Lim Wee Kiak and Mr Pritam Singh. They are very observant and they have asked whether we have noticed that defence spending in Southeast Asia has gone up. Southeast Asia's defence spending has increased by about 150% in nominal terms over the last decade - this translates to an annual growth rate of about 11% - China's defence spending has more than quadrupled over the same period. Defence spending in Asia as a whole will continue to rise. We are monitoring this trend closely. We are not responding to it in sharp rises because, as we have often said, we want to avoid sharp increases or dips in our own defence spending.
Our approach is to plan long-term and maintain defence expenditures steadily. And as members have said, over the last decade, Singapore's defence expenditure has grown by 4% nominally on average, and more or less kept pace with inflation. Mr Pritam Singh asked why this year's jumped up 5.7%. I will respond to that by sharing that when we plan, we plan over a long term horizon and not year-on-year, but over a five- to ten-year period. It allows us to make sure that we don't adjust suddenly, whether it is manpower training or platform acquisition. It is also productive because you plan over a longer time horizon. We do not buy a platform when it is just new. We watch when the price comes down; before production goes down and the price goes up again. It allows us to plan when to acquire. And I thank members for reminding MINDEF that we need to be prudent in its use of resources. We are aware that we spend the largest proportion as a single ministry and we will be prudent. The default for MINDEF and SAF is to upgrade existing platforms rather than buy new ones, unless only new equipment provides clearly superior and needed capabilities. For example, our recently upgraded Mine Counter-Measure Vessels are more productive and can integrate with unmanned underwater systems. As a result, mines can be cleared up to five times faster.
Not only with financial resources, but I take the point from members including the point made by Dr Lim Wee Kiak. Have we been prudent in our land use? We recognise that land in Singapore is precious and therefore we use technology to intensify land use. Some of you have visited, and if you have not, we would like to arrange for a visit to the Multi Mission Range Complex (MMRC). Some of the men in this house can remember the old SAFTI and the number of ranges - it was flat. But what we did was put them all together - high-rise - and there are seven ranges in the space of one. You may remember during your SAF days that you had to wait till night to do night shooting. Now, we just switch off the lights. Another example, and this is a big one, is the relocation of Paya Lebar Air base (PLAB) into expanded Changi Air Base (East) and Tengah Air Base. MINDEF/SAF proactively and carefully studied this option, because we knew that land was precious. This will, as a result, free up 800 hectares of land for alternative use, and beyond that, remove height restrictions on developments around PLAB. We are very conscious, and where we can, we will intensify, relocate; but this includes SAF training for soldiers overseas. But I will tell members of this House openly - there is a minimum required to house our defence assets, to train our soldiers in Singapore and to ensure the integrity of our defence capability. Let me say that again - there is a minimum. It is not just that we have so much and so much left, and we squeeze within a single plot. We need to simplify, or we will lose the coherence of defence.
I welcome the questions by members on the external environment. As we focus on the SAF internally, we must also pay attention to our geopolitical environment and defence ties with other countries. We cannot change the fact that we are a small country and therefore need to build strong partnerships to bring about a more secure regional environment. Dr Lim Wee Kiak, Ms Ellen Lee, Mr Low Thia Khiang, and Mr Pritam Singh talked about this.
Mr Low asked about the Shangri-La Dialogue or ASEAN Defence Minister Meeting (ADMM)-Plus, what is Singapore doing and what more can Singapore do. Sometimes I wish that we could do more and whatever we want but we are a small country. We need to build strong partnerships to bring about a strong and secure regional environment. We never overstretch our perception of our own size, potency or force. At the end of the day we said it again and again. It is trite but it is true. We never forget that we are a small country; a red dot - hopefully a shiny red dot but still a small one; and we want to build strong partnerships. In the 70 years after the end of World War II, the US' presence in Asia has promoted regional stability and prosperity. For this reason, Singapore facilitates the US' military presence in this region, by allowing the US the use of PLAB and Changi Naval Base. The second US Navy Littoral Combat Ship arrived in Singapore recently for its rotational deployment to the region. In addition, our close relationship with the US also affords us access to high-end defence systems as well as training space in the US. I talked about the high mobility artillery systems. Some of you were previously artillery chaps. You know how many men they needed to set up the artillery. It was a slog and they had to respond; 12 men they tell me. But now the new systems operate with three men.
Our defence relations with China are excellent, and we acknowledge China's desire to play a peaceful and constructive role in this region. Reflecting this close relationship, Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan and I jointly issued a press release during my visit there in November last year, to further enhance our defence interactions and to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Singapore-China diplomatic ties this year. The joint exercise was quite a sight to see. People's Liberation Army troops on one side, SAF troops on the other, charging up the hill taking their objectives together. Large training grounds where you can sit and see the mass - we really don't have that sort of space. It was a very good interaction.
Singapore also actively engages our closest neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia, with which we share many common interests to build understanding and mutual respect. The SAF was among the first to assist our neighbours in the search for MH370 and QZ8501, as well as to provide assistance during the floods that hit Malaysia a few months ago. Our defence relations with both countries are strong through frequent interactions at all levels. Indonesian Defence Minister Ryamizard chose Singapore as his first stop, among ASEAN countries for his introductory visit in January, and recently as Dr Lim Wee Kiak had pointed out, I hosted Defence Minister for Malaysia Hishammuddin and we signed the Letter of Intent together. And we will do more with Indonesia and Malaysia, they are our closest neighbours. We will step up our coordinated naval patrols with Indonesia, Malaysia and other littoral states because there is piracy and sea robbery in our regional waters.
As Mr Low Thia Khiang said, the ADMM and SLD are important platforms. They allow us space beyond which small countries find hard to give voice, to put things on the table, to ask questions that concern our collective security. And also importantly to encourage militaries from all these countries to build understanding. Because without understanding, there can be miscalculations and misunderstandings. And I would tell you that militaries of North East Asian countries rarely speak to one another; they don't meet. That's not healthy, it can be actually very dangerous. It is very dangerous. When Brunei hosted ADMM, we encouraged Brunei to hold an 18-nation exercise and we helped them, and we supported them and facilitated it. Just imagine 4,000 troops, from 18 countries; the Chinese sent their "Peace-Ark", the Indians sent their ships, Japan sent their ships and; they were deployed across decks. Soldiers from different countries, including the US, went to each other's ships and had exchanges. In the very least, they built some understanding, even more than that, for some, they built trust. It reduces the risk of miscalculations. So, it may not be head-line grabbing. We may not be able to issue head-line news every time we meet. But that would be unrealistic. Defence diplomacy is slow, sometimes it's laborious, just like most diplomacy, but it would be a mistake to think that because we are just meeting, that there are no announceable outcomes, we are not being productive. Patience and slow-cultivation provides us with a small space and actually wins friends and builds that understanding. It is important to reduce tensions in the South China Sea because it is in our backyard. And in May next year, we expect ships, aircraft, and personnel from ASEAN and our Plus partners to participate in another major ADMM-Plus exercise on Maritime Security and Counter-Terrorism. So we have something which is extra, we can get the militaries to exercise together and that is what we are trying to push. This practical cooperation is timely and relevant, especially in the face of increased terror threats from ISIS. Mr Pritam Singh said "can ASEAN issue something in common", and he is right. It is very useful and this is what the Chairman of ASEAN wants to do. If you read the newspapers, you know that Malaysians are in Iraq and Syria. Indonesia's Chief of Defence, when he came to Singapore, he said he was worried about what the fighters would do when they returned back to their hometown. It is a real and present threat; it is a core mission for our security forces.
This is what we do at Shangri-La Dialogue as well. Last year, we had 26 ministerial-level delegates and participants from 35 countries. We don't expect to have announcements and deliverables every year. But when it happens, it can be quite impactful. The combined patrols in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore - members here may have forgotten that two years ago, the Strait of Malacca was put in the risk category equivalent to war risk zones. Premiums went up. You had to pay as if you had ships facing the same risk as they would in the war-risk zones. At that time, Prime Minister Najib was the Defence Minister and he mooted this idea at the SLD of combined maritime air patrols, "Eyes-in-the-Sky", and which was subsequently included in the Malacca Strait Patrols. And it brought piracy down and Lloyds delisted the area.
We will do more and play a constructive role in regional security as members of ASEAN. And that is why the SAF has set up the Information Fusion Centre (IFC) and the Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (RHCC). It is something that Mr Sitoh asked - could we accelerate the defence projects? I am happy to update that China, France, Thailand and Brunei have accredited liaison officers to this Regional HADR Coordination Centre, while Australia and Laos have established operational linkages.
Madam, let me finally provide details on this year's National Day Parade. This year is special; the national day parade will also be very special. I know there will be questions asked later but let me give you some heads-up. It is a very significant year, in view of our Golden Jubilee Year.
Looking back 50 years, Singapore has been blessed, with much to celebrate together. So NDP 2015 will remember our historical roots. We will remember from whence we came and that's why we are doing at the Padang. We will recount our collective achievements as a nation, and also look forward to a shared progressive future for all Singaporeans. Appropriately, the NDP will take place at the Padang. Why? Because that's where our first NDP in 1966 took place. Read Mr Lee's account of that particular parade in his memoirs - it was a stirring account of our challenges and what happened. We were thinking, as you know, every year we have an NDP theme. What would be an appropriate theme for our Golden Jubilee? The NDP organising committee thought hard. And when I read to you the theme, you will say it's a good choice. The theme is "Majulah Singapura", Onward Singapore. It reprises the clarion call to all Singaporeans - a call made to all Singaporeans when we were a poor nation at Independence, beset on all sides with problems of inadequate jobs, housing, education and other basic necessities of life. Listen to our debates in Parliament now. As they say, they are "good problems". Just imagine the Parliament then, at our independence. Problems aplenty, resources very little, if any. And that was the context in which "Majulah Singapura" was the rallying cry to all of us to move forward as one people to overcome these challenges and more. And we have succeeded. So, NDP will tell this story, as far as possible, to remind us from whence we came, and to recognise the contributions of our pioneer generation and our leaders in nation-building.
There have been many calls, you can imagine. The NDP Organising Committee gets many requests, many suggestions, many calls. One of them, I feel particularly is important for us to try to accede to, to agree to - that is to allow as many Singaporeans as possible to share in this historic 50th NDP. Because the next Golden Jubilee will be in 2065 so this one time, we really want to allow as many people to share the experience. But you know the Padang, there is a limited number of people who can watch the show, but I am happy to announce that the NDP Organising Committee have changed the format somewhat so that many as many people as possible can share in this moment on Aug 9th, 2015. We want to make this Golden Jubilee celebration special for as many Singaporeans as possible. What do I mean? With your permission, Madam Speaker, may I show you some slides on what Singaporeans can expect in NDP15. First of all, every Singaporean household - yes, I mean every Singaporean household - 1.2 million Singaporean households, whether in HDB or private estates, will receive an NDP funpack. Even if you can't come to Padang or the areas around the bay, you can watch at home, wave the same banner, slap the same clappers all over the island. Second, we will open up discrete areas around the entire Marina Bay so that more people can congregate and enjoy NDP 15 in person. If you look at the slide, it starts at the Padang, capacity is about 26,000. When I open up the Floating Platform - where we used to have last year's NDP - we can hold 25,000 people. One Fullerton can hold about 10,000; The Promontory, 20,000; the MBS Event Plaza, 30,000; Gardens By The Bay, 40,000. All in, we think the entire area can accommodate more than 150,000 people. And in some of these sites, we will place giant LED screens so that viewers can watch the show, and all of them will be able to watch the aerial displays live and the fireworks. The fireworks at NDP 2015 will be the largest ever, as well as the aerial display, will be the largest ever. I won't be a spoiler but it will be spectacular. They will be many sights to behold and remember. Where possible, the march-past, the contingents as well as the mobile column will make their way to some of these locations around the Bay.
The cost of the NDP at one site in previous years - which members have asked about on this House - has been about $20M. This includes the cost of logistics, equipment for rehearsals over a span of six to eight months, the National Education and preview shows and the actual show which in previous years was about 5,500 participants and 25,000 on-site spectators. The scale of NDP 2015 is much larger and many fold that of previous years. There will be 7,000 participants and twice as many ticketed spectators on the actual day. But there will be large crowds around the bay and thousands of Singaporeans are expected to join, not only at the Marina Bay, but TV viewers - an estimated 2 million TV viewers at home. The cost of the NDP 2015 at the Padang alone is about the same as previous years. But because of these additional sites and new facilities, they will increase the total costs of NDP on our Golden Jubilee year to about twice that of previous NDPs. In addition, the 1.2 million fun packs will cost an additional $10M, part of which will be supported by corporate sponsors.
We are planning for a NDP that allows all Singaporeans to celebrate together. But let me also touch on two important points before the festivities overwhelm us. First and foremost, safety. With large crowds expected, I would like everyone at NDP to pay attention to their personal safety and that of others around them. We are working with the Ministry of Home Affairs, but we need members of the public to take personal responsibility too. If everyone follows instructions, the risks of mishaps will be reduced. Second, civility and cleanliness. Even as we celebrate during NDP, even as we do as one people reflect on how much we have achieved together, we certainly do not want to diminish this by finding out the next day the whole of the Marina Bay area littered. It will be a sad testament to us as a people, if you cannot even clean up after yourselves. Organisers will provide more rubbish points, but I am flagging these out now - safety and cleanliness - so that it enters our collective consciousness and aspirations for National Day.
Madam Chair, with the strong commitment of NSmen, their families, employers and the community, the SAF will continue to safeguard Singapore's independence and sovereignty this SAF50 and our Golden Jubilee. We will do it so that future generations may also enjoy the peace and security that we enjoy today. Thank you.
