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Military Studies Programme

The Military Studies Programme (MSP) was instituted in 2012. It traces its genesis from the then-Institute of Defence Studies, which had the responsibility of educating senior Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) officers at the former Singapore Command and Staff College, as well as provide policy-related research for Singapore’s Ministry of Defence and the SAF.

Today, MSP is the strategic partner of the SAF in its Professional Military Education (PME), working with the SAF-NTU Academy and the various SAF schools, including the Officer Cadet School, the SAF Advanced Schools, the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College (GKS CSC) and the SAFWOS Leadership School, to this effect. As part of this PME role, MSP conducts tailored lessons for various SAF courses focusing on two broad topics: military and strategic studies, and geopolitics and international relations. These SAF courses include:

  • Courses at the Master’s level at the GKS CSC
  • Joint Foundation Course
  • Joint Warfighting Course
  • Officer Cadet Course
  • Joint Senior Leadership Course
  • Joint Advanced Leadership Course
  • Joint Leadership Course

MSP accomplishes these through a team with diverse expertise and research agendas aimed towards credibility and relevance. Recent select publications include:

  • Ian Li Huiyuan and Thomas Lim, “Operation Inherent Resolve: Understanding Singapore’s Participation in Multilateral Overseas Operation”, IDSS Paper. 25 January 2023.
  • Chang Jun Yan, “Not Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Singapore’s Hedging”, International Studies Quarterly, 66:3 (2022).
  • Chang Jun Yan, “Benign Defence Diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers”, IDSS Paper, 14 October 2022.
  • Pascal Vennesson, “Grand Strategy and Military Power” in: The Oxford Handbook of Grand Strategy edited by T. Balzacq, R. Krebs, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021).
  • Ian Li Huiyuan, “The Importance of Context for Military History and Education” in POINTER: Journal of the Singapore Armed Forces, 46:2 (2021), pp. 54-62.
  • Chang Jun Yan, and Collin Koh Swee Lean, “US Engagement in Southeast Asia: How Much Will Be Enough?”, The Interpreter, 15 September 2021.
  • Pascal Vennesson, “Fighting, Fast and Slow? Speed and Western Ways of War” in: War Time: Temporality and the Decline of Western Military Power, edited by S. Rynning, O. Schmitt, A. Theussen, (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press-Chatham House, 2021).
  • Nah Liang Tuang, “North Korea’s dwindling relations with Southeast Asia”, East Asia Forum, 24 April 2021.
  • Bernard Loo Fook Weng, “The Challenges Facing 21st Century Military Modernization” in PRISM, 8:3 (2020), pp. 146-157.
  • Chang, Jun Yan, and Nicole Jenne. “Velvet Fists: The Paradox of Defence Diplomacy in Southeast Asia.” European Journal of International Security, 5:3 (2020), pp. 332-349.

The Programme also aims to create a networking platform for military officers, policymakers and stakeholders to discuss the dynamic changing security environment and the challenges for military and national leadership in these issues.

Programme Staff

To reach the Military Studies Programme, email us at [email protected].