11 April 2016
Welcome Remarks by Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman of RSIS, at the 10th Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)
11 April 2016
Marina Mandarin Singapore
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers, or APPSNO in short. APPSNO is organised by the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS) at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at NTU, with the support of the National Security Coordination Secretariat in the Prime Minister’s Office.
2016 is a year of celebrations for RSIS. It is the 20th anniversary of the School, the 10th anniversary of CENS and the 10th edition of APPSNO. I am pleased to state that the work of CENS has offered both a Singaporean perspective on global issues as well as made Singapore a conduit for greater global cooperation on matters pertaining to national security.
APPSNO’s theme this year is “National Security Revisited”. The theme is a broad one. It will allow us to review and revisit many important domains discussed at previous APPSNOs that continue to have an impact on national security. Over the years, APPSNO has been a platform for discussions on topics such as resilience, terrorism, complexity, public health, strategic communications, and cybersecurity. It is good that APPSNO has continued to identify topical and pertinent issues to engage and research on. At the same time, I am also concerned these issues continue to remain unresolved and absorb our energies.
This year’s APPSNO will deal with technology and security, the importance of strategic communications for national security, terrorism as well as environmental degradation, communicable diseases and irregular migration. The Distinguished Dinner Lecture will grapple with an evergreen topic when dealing with national security – the tightrope to be walked in order to balance civil rights and the demands of national security.
We have assembled local and international speakers who are highly qualified experts in their respective domains. I thank all the speakers for finding time out of their busy schedules to join us at APPSNO 2016.
With regard to the participants of APPSNO, we note you have come from far and wide: from Chile to China and New Zealand to Norway. We do not expect every one assembled here to be a specialist in all the topics of the programme but I do not think you should feel uncomfortable because of it. APPSNO is an excellent opportunity for you to appreciate and consider other national security concerns while also thinking about the portability of solutions.
Owing to the complexity of the challenges we face as a global community, the sharing of ideas, experiences, and solutions is desperately necessary among national security practitioners. I have no doubt some of your most meaningful encounters and exchanges will take place during your informal exchanges or even during the external excursions planned for you.
In closing, thank you for making the commitment to come here to contribute to the discussion and expand your understanding of the issues facing the national security of our respective countries. I hope you all have a very productive week ahead.
It is my pleasure now to invite Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan to address us. Minister, please.
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