SAF training areas, F-35 and Digital Defence

Cuts by Mr Henry Kwek during MINDEF’s Committee of Supply debate 2020

[Training Areas]   

1. Last year, I had the opportunity to visit SAF’s training camp at Brunei. It was heartening to see the dedication of our servicemen who had to man our overseas detachment, and to facilitate the training of our visiting SAF soldiers.
2. Over the years, going overseas training has become a part of what it means to be a member of the SAF, whether it is regulars, NSF, or NSMen.
3. We train overseas, because we need to overcome our space constraints., to give our soldiers better and more realistic training opportunities in diverse environments.
4. MINDEF/SAF has worked hard with our partners to provide the SAF access to overseas training areas.
5. MINDEF recently announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Singapore and the US to establish a RSAF Fighter Training Detachment in Guam (FTD-Guam).
6. Could the Minister for Defence please provide more information on FTD-Guam, and how it will improve the RSAF’s training?

[F-35]  

1. At last year’s COS debate, MINDEF recently announced the intention to purchase the F-35, a 5^th generation multirole aircraft, which can perform:
   • air-to-air,
   • air-to-ground, and
   • intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
2. More importantly, the F-35’s stealth capabilities can help us maintain air dominance, and overcome sophisticated air-defence.
3. At the same time, the F-35’s can fuse sensors and information from different sources, thereby networking our 4^th Generation aircrafts and SAF assets together.
4. MINDEF recently announced that Singapore has received the US government’s approval for the sale of F-35s to Singapore.
5. Could the Minister of Defence please provide an update on Singapore’s acquisition of the F-35s, including how the F-35 will improve the capabilities of the SAF?

[Outreach to Businesses]  

1. Many of our businesses and companies rely on secure and reliable networks to trade, transact and communicate. They also store vast amount of personnel and commercial data in Singapore.
2. As the digital sector expands, it is important that businesses networks and systems are well-protected. We have seen the devastating impact of cyber-attacks on individual businesses.
3. More importantly, such attacks could hurt Singapore’s reputation as a trusted hub.
4. Given the pervasive nature of digital threats, MINDEF and MCI introduced Digital Defence as a pillar of Total Defence in 2019.
5. How is MINDEF working with partners to better equip businesses to deal with threats from the digital domain?

Watch the speeches here and here

Watch the response here