Singapore officials said that Singapore has its own strength, and please don't call Singapore a "small country".

The official media of Singapore, "Lianhe Zaobao", stated on the front page that the intensification of global risks, the rapid change in the nature of war, and the aging population at home have brought three major challenges to Singapore's national defense development. However, Singapore's Minister for Public Service and Minister for Defense, Chan Chun Sing, emphasized that the Ministry of Defense focuses on long-term capacity building, systematically conducting forward-looking preparations, which is sufficient to confidently and modestly cope with various changes in situations.

After taking over the Ministry of Defense, Chan Chun Sing gave his first interview in early September, explaining to the official media of Singapore the current strategic, technological, and demographic challenges facing Singapore's national defense, Singapore's response strategies, as well as his views on the international situation.

Over the past three years, two hot wars, the Russia-Ukraine War and the Gaza conflict, have erupted in Europe and the Middle East; in this region, the South China Sea situation has remained tense. The "reciprocal tariffs" introduced by the United States in April this year have added an element of uncertainty to global economic development.

Chan Chun Sing pointed out that the global production system is moving from integration to fragmentation, and the sense of insecurity and uncertainty has increased; these changes in the big environment have brought strategic challenges to Singapore.

In terms of tactics and operations, the drastic changes in technologies such as cyber warfare, drones, unmanned surface vessels, and unmanned underwater vehicles, as well as missiles, have prompted the rapid evolution of the nature of war.

However, Chan Chun Sing emphasized that Singapore is not "starting from scratch" to catch up with these technological developments. "Today, when people talk about cyber threats, actually 25 years ago, when I was just a major in the armed forces, we had already anticipated these developments, and I had participated in them, deeply thinking about these challenges," he said.

Before entering politics in 2011, Chan Chun Sing served in the Singapore Armed Forces for 24 years and held the position of Chief of Army, with the highest military rank of Major General, and was very familiar with defense issues.

He said, "The Ministry of Defense rarely publicly discusses our capabilities, but the armed forces must constantly look ahead to the next ten or twenty years. If we only discuss how to respond when the threat appears, it will be too late, because building capability takes a long period."

Since the implementation of national service in Singapore in 1967, citizens who have reached the age of 18 and their reserve soldiers have become an important pillar of the armed forces. However, with the rapid aging of Singapore's population, the number of national service personnel is also under pressure to decline.

In addition, the armed forces must also make adjustments to accommodate changes in the domestic population structure. "What remains unchanged is that we never take the size of human resources as the basis for establishing national defense and combat capabilities. We always fully utilize technology to achieve a multiplier effect of human resources," he said.

At the same time, the talents of Singaporeans are becoming more diverse, allowing the armed forces to use more different methods to leverage the abilities of the people. Chan Chun Sing cited an example, saying that many soldiers who were previously considered physically unsuitable for combat standards now serve on the front lines in daily operations in the Defense Digital Defense and Intelligence Corps.

In recent years, more people have voluntarily joined the volunteer corps. The Singapore Volunteer Corps was established in 2015, allowing women, first-generation permanent residents, and new citizens to apply for membership. After receiving training, they can undertake tasks such as security patrols at key facilities and basic navigation on warships. Over the past decade, 1,500 people have volunteered, with one being accepted for every eight applicants.

Chan Chun Sing has served as the Minister for Social and Family Development, the Second Minister for Defense, and as Secretary-General of the National Trade Union Congress while also serving as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office. Later, he served as Minister for Trade and Industry and Minister for Education. When asked by reporters about the difference between leading the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Defense, Chan Chun Sing said that both are about "a generation's endeavor," and the challenges that must be addressed are long-term for Singapore.

He said, "In the Ministry of Education, the work you do today will only show results when the children grow up... the cycle faced by the Ministry of Defense is the same. Since I returned to the Ministry of Defense in May this year, many plans I once participated in developing are only now beginning to show results."

One example is the report he participated in writing in the early 1990s, assessing whether to purchase attack helicopters (attack helicopter). Chan Chun Sing said that this was not just about whether to purchase certain military equipment, but about how to integrate the equipment into a larger defense system through training, operation, and coordination of different operational aspects.

When purchasing military equipment, the Ministry of Defense also evaluates the entire lifecycle to ensure that there is enough manpower, logistics, engineering conditions, and financial resources to maintain this capability for two or three decades.

The main difference between education and defense, however, lies in the fact that the former is more public-facing, while the Ministry of Defense does not publicize its actions until the right moment comes.

He said, "If you write a report, build up the capability, and put this capability into operation, but it is never used until it quietly retires, and the outside world never knows, that is success... We develop our capabilities in a very systematic way. Purchasing military equipment is not for showing off to others. For many of Singapore's capabilities, I think we have a quiet confidence."

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843287652930572/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.