What 700 Years of History Tell Us About the SAF Today

Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman

The Straits Times

03 July 2019

A look back at Singapore’s history highlights both the strategic advantage of its location and its vulnerability to being pulled into regional powers’ conflicts, underlining the need for a strong defence

… In his SAF Day 2019 interview, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen highlighted several key issues. These include the danger of complacency, difficulty in predicting the future precisely, not fighting the next battle with the last battle’s tactics, and optimising the nation’s limited resources to build a stout defence for future generations. Additionally, national support is the crucial factor for a strong SAF.

… While prediction of the future is difficult, a keen appreciation of geopolitics and its intersection with technology can help the SAF keep its strategies and tactics current, and transform to be more prepared for the future. Together, the SAF and the nation respectively form the muscle and will in a stout defence that would secure Singapore’s peace for generations to come.

… Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman is a research fellow at the Centre of Excellence for National Security, a unit of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.

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Last updated on 03/07/2019