President Tony Tan Keng Yam was the guest of honour at the Defence Technology Community's 50th anniversary (DTC50) dinner at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre this evening. The DTC50 dinner, hosted by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, celebrates the DTC's significant contributions to Singapore's defence over the past 50 years and was attended by some 900 guests, including former Defence Ministers, Permanent Secretaries (Defence), Chief Defence Scientists and Chief Executives of the Defence Science and Technology Agency and DSO National Laboratories.
 
Speaking during the dinner, President Tony Tan commended the DTC for their role in developing the SAF's capabilities over the past five decades. He said, "Over the past 50 years, the DTC has been a resolute partner of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), working hand-in-hand with the SAF to build a strong defence to underpin Singapore's security. Through determination and innovation, the DTC has supported the creation of a modern armed force by providing the SAF with a technological fighting edge and ensuring that our defence capabilities are up to date." On the DTC's role in the future, President Tony Tan said, "I am confident that the DTC will continue to be a steadfast partner to the SAF and a pillar of Singapore's science and engineering capability."
 
President Tony Tan also launched a commemorative book series, "Engineering Singapore's Defence - the Early Years", chronicling the DTC's journey in delivering defence capabilities to the SAF and innovative solutions to the nation over the past 50 years. The series comprises four books, titled "Engineering Land Systems", "Engineering Our Navy", "Aviation Engineering" and "Engineering Systems-of-Systems", that cover the entire spectrum of the DTC's work over the land, sea and air domains.
 
During the dinner, Dr Ng also presented the Defence Technology Prize (DTP) to two individuals and four teams from Ministry of Defence agencies, defence industry, academic and research institutes. Established in 1989, the DTP is awarded annually to individuals and teams that have made significant technological contributions to the defence capability of Singapore. The DTP also serves to foster technological innovation and encourage breakthroughs in defence science and technology.
 
Noting that "the DTC is the "secret-edge" weapon of the SAF", Dr Ng highlighted that the DTC's contributions to defence allowed Singapore to overcome the vulnerabilities of a small nation. He said, "All of us can draw satisfaction that today, Singaporeans are no longer daunted, as before. They feel safe even though we are still a small nation with no strategic depth and limited manpower. Our warriors in defence technology have made up for these inherent shortcomings to build an SAF that is capable of keeping us safe and secure."