Ministry of Defence, Singapore (MINDEF)

The Singapore Armed Forces participated in the 32nd edition of Exercise Suman Warrior (XSW), a Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) land-focused exercise. This year's edition was hosted by the British Armed Forces in Warminster, Wilshire, United Kingdom, from 9-22 Sep. The Brigade Command Post Exercise (CPX) involved participants from Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom, focusing on conventional operations and providing participants the opportunity to practise command, staff, and logistics procedures within a combined operation mission context.

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-xsw24

Permanent Secretary (Defence Development) Mr Melvyn Ong and Chief Executive of the French Directorate General of Armaments Dr Emmanuel Chiva co-chaired the 19th France-Singapore Defence Technology Cooperation Committee (FS-DTCC) meeting in Singapore on 20 Sep. Established in 2003, it is the highest-level defence technology bilateral meeting which provides strategic direction in defence technology cooperation.

During the meeting, both sides noted the good progress made by the Joint Research & Development Laboratory in Artificial Intelligence between MINDEF and France’s Ministry for the Armed Forces, since its recent establishment in 2023.

Mr Ong and Dr Chiva reaffirmed both countries’ commitment towards strengthening defence technology cooperation, and signed a Terms of Reference (TOR) for Supply Chain Collaboration to enhance each nation’s supply chain resiliency efforts. Both sides also renewed the TOR for bilateral cooperation in the area of open innovation under the DSTA Defence Science and Technology Agency-Defence Innovation Agency (DIA) Open Innovation Steering Committee (DDOISC). 🇸🇬🇫🇷

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-torscc24

The SAF has successfully delivered humanitarian aid supplies to Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam from 18-20 Sep. The Republic of Singapore Air Force flew a total of 12 sorties in support of this mission, via a A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport and two C-130 transport aircraft.

The SAF delivered a total of 35 tonnes of relief aid while the Changi RHCC consolidated a total of 20 tonnes contributed by the SAF and various local NGOs. The remaining relief aid was contributed by the Disaster Emergency Logistics System for ASEAN (DELSA) through the AHA CENTRE.

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-typhoonyagi2

The Republic of Singapore Navy's Formidable-class frigate RSS Supreme with an embarked Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk naval helicopter and The Republic of Singapore Air Force’s Fokker-50 Maritime Patrol Aircraft is participating in the multilateral Exercise Kakadu from 9-19 Sep.

This year's exercise is the largest in the series, with over 10 ships, one submarine, over 10 aircraft and around 3000 participants from 32 nations.

Hosted by the Royal Australian Navy, the biennial exercise provides an invaluable opportunity for the participating navies to strengthen cooperation and people-to-people ties.

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-exkakadu24

Deputy Secretary (Policy) BG Frederick Choo and Assistant Secretary for Strategic Assessments and International Affairs Ms Marita I. Yoro co-chaired the 7th Philippines-Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue (DPD) at the Ministry of Defence this afternoon.

During the dialogue, BG Choo and Ms Yoro reaffirmed the warm and friendly bilateral defence ties between Singapore and the Philippines and exchanged views on geopolitical and regional security developments. They discussed ways to strengthen defence relations, in keeping with the Memorandum of Understanding concerning Defense Cooperation between Singapore and Philippines, and contribute to the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus fora.

As part of her visit, Ms Yoro also called on Permanent Secretary for Defence Mr Chan Heng Kee and visited the ADMM Cybersecurity and Information Centre of Excellence (ACICE).

Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Zaqy Mohamad is in Indonesia from 17-18 Sep to attend the Bali International Airshow (BIA) 2024, a platform that brings international defence and aerospace communities together.

Mr Zaqy's visit underscores the close and long-standing bilateral defence relations between 🇸🇬 and 🇮🇩

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-bia2024

The Singapore Armed Forces will deploy an A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport and two C-130 transport aircraft to deliver humanitarian aid supplies to communities affected by Typhoon Yagi in Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

In addition to existing SAF aid stockpiles, the SAF's Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre (Changi RHCC) has consolidated supplies through NGO partners, including Charis - Caritas Humanitarian Aid & Relief Initiatives, Singapore, Humanity Matters, Singapore Red Cross, Relief Singapore, as well as the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA CENTRE).

The aid supplies include blankets, hygiene kits, water filters, collapsible water containers and meal packs.

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-typhoonyagi

: This year’s Exercise Pitch Black was the largest in its history, with 4,400 personnel and over 140 aircraft from 20 participating nations. The The Republic of Singapore Air Force’s F-16 fighter aircraft also dropped their Joint Direct Attack Munition for the first time in the exercise series.

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen attended the opening ceremony of the 11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum this morning and spoke at the first plenary session titled “Security Cooperation and Asia-Pacific Prosperity and Stability”, highlighting China's contributions to global peace and stability. Dr Ng emphasised that as China develops as a world leader, inclusivity and universality would be crucial to maintain peace, progress and support from most countries. Dr Ng also called for continued dialogue and sustained channels of communication.

Dr Ng’s visit to 🇨🇳 underscores the longstanding, warm and friendly bilateral defence relations between both countries.

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-bxsf24-dmspeech

Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Heng Chee How hosted His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office of Brunei Darussalam, to a visit at the Centre of Excellence for Soldier Performance (CESP) this morning. His Royal Highness was briefed on how the CESP leverages science and technology to enhance soldiers’ fitness and nutrition, reduce and prevent injuries, strengthen soldiers’ resilience, and improve soldier systems and equipment within the SAF.

His Royal Highness’ visit to the CESP underscores the close and long-standing defence relationship between 🇸🇬 and 🇧🇳.

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-bruneicpvisit24

The homecoming ceremony for the Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN) Invincible-class submarine, Invincible, was held earlier today at RSS Singapura - Changi Naval Base.

Launched in Kiel, 🇩🇪 on 18 Feb 2019, Invincible is one of the four Invincible-class submarines designed for operations in Singapore’s shallow and busy tropical waters. Invincible is expected to be commissioned in the coming weeks.

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-invhomecoming

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen met Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission General Zhang Youxia at the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Bayi Building in Beijing, 🇨🇳 this afternoon. They reaffirmed the longstanding, warm and friendly bilateral defence relations between 🇸🇬 and 🇨🇳. Dr Ng also visited the PLA National Defense University where he interacted with senior PLA and provincial officials.

Dr Ng is in Beijing, 🇨🇳 from 11 to 13 Sep to attend the 11th Beijing Xiangshan Forum.

More: https://go.gov.sg/bxsf24-engagements

The 36th edition of Exercise Safkar Indopura, an annual flagship exercise between the Singapore Armed Forces and the Indonesian Army TNI Angkatan Darat, was successfully conducted in Salatiga, Central Java, 🇮🇩 from 2 to 11 Sep.

The flagship bilateral exercise involving approximately 200 personnel from both armies, provided an excellent opportunity to enhance mutual understanding and strengthen relationships through professional exchanges.

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-xsi24

Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Heng Chee How attends the 13th Seoul Defense Dialogue (SDD) in 🇰🇷, and spoke at a plenary session on “Building a Free, Peaceful and Prosperous Asia-Pacific region”, where he called for countries to maintain open and regular communication to build mutual trust and understanding, upon which common goals can be achieved.

On the sidelines of the SDD, Mr Heng had bilateral calls with 🇰🇷 Vice-Minister of National Defense Kim Seon-ho, where they reaffirmed the warm and friendly bilateral defence relations between both countries. Mr Heng also met 🇯🇵 State Minister of Defense Oniki Makoto and 🇹🇷 Deputy Minister for National Defense Şuay Alpay.

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-sdd24

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen gave remarks as co-host Minister at the High-Level Luncheon and spoke at the Ministerial Roundtable of the 2nd Responsible AI in the Military Domain REAIMsummit in Seoul, 🇰🇷 today. Dr Ng announced 🇸🇬’s endorsement of the REAIM ‘Blueprint for Action’ and said that the blueprint would be a useful avenue to build consensus on the way forward on international AI governance.

At the sidelines of the Summit, Dr Ng also met 🇳🇱 Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans.

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-reaim24-dmremarks

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen attended the Opening Session of the 2nd Responsible AI in the Military Domain REAIMsummit today. As part of his visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK), Dr Ng also met with Minister of National Defense Mr Kim Yong-hyun. They reaffirmed the warm and friendly bilateral defence relationship between 🇸🇬 and 🇰🇷, as well as discussed regional and international security developments.

Dr Ng thanked the ROK for hosting the 2nd REAIM and expressed appreciation for ROK’s commitment to advancing international norms and standards on responsible AI.

More: go.gov.sg/mindef-reaim24

대한민국 국방부

A total of 196 cadets from The Singapore Army, Republic of Singapore Navy and The Republic of Singapore Air Force, were commissioned as officers of the SAF earlier this evening.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Gan Kim Yong reviewed the 134/23 Officer Cadet Commissioning Parade held at the SAFTI Military Institute.

The parade marked the completion of 38 weeks of rigorous training at the Officer Cadet School, Singapore.

Congratulations to our newly-commissioned officers!

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-13423occp

Chief of Defence Force Vice Admiral (VADM) Aaron Beng, attended the 21st ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting (ACDFM), held in Vientiane, Laos from 4 to 6 Sep.

The meeting is an important platform for ASEAN CDFs to exchange views on regional security challenges and to strengthen defence collaborations.

In his remarks, VADM Beng emphasised the importance of the respective nations’ armed forces standing in solidarity in the face of emerging security challenges.

"It is more important than before that we work together to enhance our awareness and collaboration against emerging threats," he said.

This year’s meeting was chaired by Laos as ASEAN Chair, with the theme “ASEAN: Together for Peace, Security and Resilience”.

At the end of the meeting, VADM Beng and other ASEAN CDFs signed a Joint Statement to reaffirm their militaries’ collective commitment in addressing peace, security and stability in the region.

Permanent Secretary (Defence Development) Mr Melvyn Ong visited the National University of Singapore (NUS) earlier today, where he was briefed on MINDEF’s research and development efforts with NUS and Temasek Laboratories@NUS in drone swarm and flight control, electromagnetics, as well as aerodynamics and propulsion.

Mr Ong and President of NUS Prof Tan Eng Chye also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Temasek-Presidential Young Professorship (T-PYP). The Temasek-PYP will be awarded to exceptional and promising research talents who are keen to lead in next-generation cutting-edge defence research.

For more information on Temasek-PYP: www.nus.edu.sg/careers/nus-programmes/

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) concluded its participation in Exercise (XSGS 24), which was held in Indonesia from 26 Aug to 6 Sep.

Co-hosted by the Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI) and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the multilateral exercise involved assets and personnel from 11 countries.

The Singapore Army participated in a combined arms live-firing exercise, while the Republic of Singapore Navy participated in various maritime and amphibious serials.

This year’s exercise also featured the inaugural participation of The Digital and Intelligence Service.

XSGS 24 is an important platform to promote friendship, mutual understanding, and professional exchanges amongst the participating armed forces.

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-xsgs24

Super Garuda Shield Pusat Penerangan TNI
TNI Angkatan Darat U.S. Army Pacific
TNI Angkatan Laut U.S. Navy

Just a few more days to the 134/23 Officer Cadet Commissioning Parade! Here are the highlights of their Platoon Assault Course last month, where their teamwork, mettle and strength were tested! Let’s cheer them on! 🙌

📸: Officer Cadet School, Singapore

The Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže called on Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Ministry of Defence earlier this afternoon.

During the call, Dr Ng and Minister Braže reaffirmed the warm and growing defence relations between Singapore and Latvia, and exchanged views on deepening bilateral defence cooperation in mutual areas of interest such as strategic communications, National Service and Total Defence. 🇸🇬🇱🇻

MINDEF and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to attract the brightest researchers to undertake exciting and challenging defence research in support of Singapore’s national defence and security. The Temasek-Nanyang Assistant Professorship (Temasek-NAP) will be awarded to exceptional and promising research talents who are keen to lead in next-generation cutting-edge defence research. For more info: https://www.ntu.edu.sg/temasek-labs/work-with-us/temasek-nanyang-assistant-professorship

Permanent Secretary (Defence Development) Mr Melvyn Ong signed the MOU with NTU President Prof Ho Teck Hua on 3 Sep.

As one of the world's key players in Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology, Singapore’s capability in GaN can be traced back to the Centre of Microsystems Technology (CMT) at Temasek Laboratories@NTU which grew from a small lab to an ISO-certified facility to design and produce high-performance electronics for sensors and communications. The GaN capabilities developed by CMT have since transitioned to establish the National Gallium Nitride Technology Centre (NGTC) in 2023. This is part of the Defence Technology Community’s long-term investments in harnessing Critical and Emerging Technologies (CETs), accelerating technology innovation and boosting supply chain resilience.

SAFTI Military Institute collaborated with Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) to conduct a crisis leadership masterclass for industry leaders and practitioners on 23 Aug. The masterclass was part of SUSS' inaugural Leadership Masterclass Series.

14 leaders from the healthcare, social services and education sectors attended the three-hour masterclass, and walked away with insights and practical strategies in navigating through a crisis or disruption.

The masterclass provided SAF leaders an opportunity to share their leadership experiences with other ministries, agencies and industries. It also paved the way for greater collaboration and learning between SAFTI MI and other Institutes of Higher Learning.

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)'s Fleet Commander Rear Admiral (RADM) Kwan Hon Chuong and People's Liberation Army (Navy) [PLA Navy]'s South Sea Fleet Commander Vice Admiral (VADM) Li Pengcheng co-officiated the opening ceremony of Exercise Maritime Cooperation at Ma Xie Naval Base earlier today.

The exercise underscores the longstanding, warm and friendly bilateral defence relationship between Singapore and China, with approximately 200 participants from the RSN and PLA Navy attending the opening ceremony.

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-xmc24opening

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)'s Formidable-class frigate RSS Stalwart arrived at Ma Xie Naval Base in Zhanjiang, China earlier today to participate in the bilateral Exercise Maritime Cooperation with the People's Liberation Army (Navy) [PLA Navy].

This exercise will be conducted from 1-5 Sep, comprising of a shore phase at Ma Xie Naval Base and a sea phase in waters off Zhanjiang.

More: https://go.gov.sg/mindef-xmc24