15 April 2024
Welcome Remarks by Prof Kumar Ramakrishna, Dean of RSIS, at the 15th Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers
Mr Chan Chun Sing,
Minister for Education; Minister-in-Charge of the Public Service
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the 2024 edition of 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 Nanyang Technological University (NTU), with the support of the National Security Coordination Secretariat in the Prime Minister’s Office. It brings together senior national security practitioners, policymakers, and academics from various countries for a rigorous exchange of ideas and networking.
The theme for this year’s APPSNO is “Defining the State of Security in Uncertain Conditions: Lessons and Responses”.
Why did we choose this theme? Caught between interdependencies and the 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 navigating an increasingly amorphous global landscape.
For national security practitioners and policymakers, the devising of strategies and responses to threats is taking on a new complexity. The geopolitical fallout from the Israel-Hamas and the Russia-Ukraine conflicts has resulted in states having to carefully evaluate a wide range of national security policy responses, particularly for middle powers and small states that need to manage a geopolitical terrain marked by big power contestations.
Moreover, we are living in an era of hybrid or grey zone operations, and such complex challenges continue to impact a range of national security matters ranging from economics and trade, sensitive and strategic technology, to social cohesion.
In addition, as global supply chains recover from the shock of COVID-19, new challenges have arisen in the wake of geopolitical tensions that continually reinforce and also reshape existing strategic alignments.
Game changers in the form of AI and unpredictable extreme climate events have also pushed national security policymaking into unfamiliar territory, one that is fraught with uncertainty and conflicting signals.
Against this backdrop, the five panels we bring you this year encourage wide engagement with these pressing issues. They include addressing the security implications of local ripple effects caused by global disruptions and conflict; how middle powers could find flexing space amid big power contestation, how states can cooperate in navigating grey zone or hybrid tactics, securing supply chains in an increasingly de-globalising world, and securing the energy commons in the face of climate change.
The speakers gathered here are highly accomplished in their respective domains and have arrived from around the globe to share their expertise. I thank all the speakers for finding time out of their busy schedules to join us at APPSNO.
To the participants of APPSNO, we note that you have also travelled far to be here. Given the range and spread of issues that will be discussed, not all of us will be experts in every field. APPSNO, though, is an excellent opportunity for you to appreciate and consider other aspects of national security from the perspective of each participant and speaker.
Owing to the challenges we face as a global community, the sharing of ideas, experiences, and solutions is vital 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. I hope that you would keep in touch with your fellow course participants even after APPSNO 2024, and remain plugged into our wider, growing APPSNO alumni network.
In closing, thank you for making the commitment to come here to contribute to the discussion and exchange perspectives on various national security issues faced by our respective countries. I hope you all have a very productive week ahead.
It is my pleasure now to invite Minister for Education and the Minister-in-Charge of the Public Service, Mr Chan Chun Sing, to address us. Minister, please.
