1. National security practitioners, policy-makers, and experts convene this week at the Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO) 2024.

2. A flagship programme of the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS) of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), APPSNO is organised every year with the support of the National Security Coordination Secretariat (NSCS) in the Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore, to explore and foster networks and dialogue on the reality of interdependencies within and between countries in an increasingly amorphous global security landscape.

3. For national security practitioners and policymakers, the devising of strategies and responses to threats is taking on a new complexity. Caught between interdependencies and a need for self-sufficiency, local ripple effects from international conflicts, the promises and perils of emerging technologies, and the unpredictability of extreme climate events, states are facing new challenges. The geopolitical fallout from the Israel-Hamas and the Russia-Ukraine conflicts has states assessing a range of national security policy responses, particularly for middle powers that manoeuvre spaces and strategies amidst big power contestations. Where it concerns ground operations, the spectre of grey zone tactics persists and evolves, interfering with security matters ranging from economics and trade, sensitive and strategic technology, and social cohesion. Challenges have arisen in the wake of geopolitical tensions that reinforce and reshape existing alliances. Game changers in the form of AI and unpredictable extreme climate events have pushed security policymaking into unfamiliar territory fraught with uncertainty and conflicting voices.

4. APPSNO 2024 runs from 15 to 19 April 2024 with the theme of “Defining the State of Security in Uncertain Conditions: Lessons and Responses”.  This year, more than 40 national security practitioners, experts, and scholars from 27 countries, including Singapore, the Asia Pacific, Middle-East and Europe, gather to discuss challenges such as i) local ripple effects from conflicts abroad and their security implications; ii) strategising opportunities for middle powers in uncertain times; iii) navigating the uncertainty of grey zone tactics, iv) impacts on supply chain resilience from de-globalisation; and v) energy security in the context of climate change

5. In welcoming the APPSNO delegates, Professor Kumar Ramakrishna, Dean of RSIS, observed that with security policymaking being pushed into territory fraught with uncertainty and conflicting signals, the theme of “Defining the State of Security in Uncertain Conditions: Lessons and Responses” was timely. He encouraged participants to interact actively with the panels of speakers in discussing the pressing issues.  He also encouraged APPSNO delegates to remain connected with the wider, growing APPSNO alumni network.

APPSNO 2024 Speakers

This year, speakers from 10 countries will spearhead the discussions in the week-long programme. On the first day, a Singapore perspective on national security issues will be explored by panellists from CENS. Dr Kevjn Lim, Principal Research Analyst for MENA at S&P Global Market Intelligence will then deliver an Opening Keynote Speech on “Navigating Uncertainty in a Multifront Conflict”. A Closing Keynote Speech will be delivered on 19 April by Dr Hisham Hellyer of the Royal United Services Institute, United Kingdom, titled “A Rules Based Order – But Rules For Whom?”.

Other prominent speakers on the various programme panel discussions include:

• Dr Henry Gao, Professor of Law, Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University (Singapore)
• Mr Mikael Tofvesson, Head of Operations, Swedish Psychological Defence Agency (Sweden)
• Dr Ibrahim Negm, Chairman, Salam Centre for Extremism Studies, Dar al-Ifta (Egypt)
• Dr Yoshihide Soeya, Professor Emeritus, Political Science and International Relations, Faculty of Law, Keio University (Japan)
• Dr Shafiah F. Muhibat, Deputy Executive Director for Research, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (Indonesia)
• Prof David Capie, Director, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand)
• Dr Audrye Wong, Assistant Professor, Political Science and International Relations, University of Southern California (United States)
• Dr Edson C. Tandoc Jr., Professor and Deputy Chair, Wee Kim Wee School of Communications and Information, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)
• Mr Jason Healey, Senior Research Scholar, Columbia University’s School for International and Public Affairs (United States)
• Dr Kim Hua Tan, Professor, Operations and Innovation Management, Nottingham University Business School (United Kingdom)
• Dr June Park, Expert Principal Investigator, Small States Research Program, Georgetown University of Qatar (Qatar)
• Dr Abdul Jalil Abdul Kader, Assistant Chief Executive Officer (Operations), Singapore Food Agency, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (Singapore)
• Mr Yukihiro Sukisaki, Deputy Director General, Trade Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan)
• Prof Nick Butler, Visiting Professor, Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy, King’s College London (United Kingdom)
• Dr Michael Lochinvar S. Abundo, Chief Executive Officer, OceanPixel Ltd. (Singapore)