A new battle has emerged on cyberspace and social media platforms.

The weapons: messages by terrorist groups seeking to incite hate and discrimination.

To fight back, one needs a rational mindset that can reject such messages. It is a form of social resilience that is increasingly important, said Senior Minister of State for Defence Maliki Osman yesterday.

Speaking on Total Defence Day at at The Future of Us, an exhibition at Gardens by the Bay, Dr Maliki said: “The real battle of today and of the future is for the hearts and minds of our people.”

… Agreeing, Dr Shashi Jayakumar, head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security, cited US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who lists cyberthreats as the most potent emerging threat, followed by terrorism.

Dr Shashi termed cyberthreats as “slow burn” threats that erode resilience and thus ultimately a nation’s defence capabilities.