Singapore’s public spending is under increasing pressure as its population and infrastructure age. An ageing society means higher health and social spending, while infrastructure needs require the nation to set aside vast sums to maintain and upgrade old systems and build new ones.

Naturally, other sectors of the national Budget will come under increasing scrutiny. One such sector is defence.

In some quarters, there is a nascent perception that Singapore’s defence spending – in the current absence of external military aggression – has not only ballooned, but is also excessive. The rising query has become, “Are we spending too much on our defence?”

… Dr Graham Ong-Webb is a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

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