Speaking at the opening dinner of the Singapore Defence Technology Summit on Wednesday, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen raised the urgent need for a rules-based order to protect the functioning of society and prevent the loss of lives. This is especially when the cyber arena becomes more contested while the rules of engagement remain vague in this new battlefront. As organisations and resources are still optimised and allocated towards traditional, conventional threat, Dr Ng called for technology to improve the effectiveness of militaries around the world to deal with new challenges.

Dr Ng: “Our militaries today are not geared to respond optimally. When called upon to address these newer, non-conventional challenges, there will have to be close interaction between operational units and the defence technology communities such as yourselves to optimise resources and to improve responsiveness. For Singapore, MINDEF and the SAF, this ops tech integration is key.”