News Room
DPM Lawrence Wong Launches Inaugural Total Defence Exercise to Enhance Singapore's Readiness and Resilience for Crises and Disruptions
Singapore's inaugural Total Defence Exercise, Exercise SG Ready, was officially launched by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Mr Lawrence Wong via a video message at the Total Defence Day Commemoration Event (TDDCE) held at South Beach Tower this morning. In his Total Defence Day message, DPM Wong urged all Singaporeans to renew and strengthen their commitment towards Total Defence
Read MoreSpeech by Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, at the Total Defence Day 2024 Commemoration Event at South Beach Tower Courtyard on 15 Feb 2024
I will focus on two reflections as we mark Total Defence Day this year, on its 40th Anniversary. First, the date 15 February was chosen intentionally to underscore the cost to us Singaporeans if our Total Defence is inadequate. It is considerable and life changing for the worst
Read MoreDeputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Mr Lawrence Wong's Total Defence Day Message at the Total Defence Day Commemoration Event on 15 February 2024
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Total Defence. Total Defence has kept Singapore safe and guided us through many challenges – terrorism, financial crises, and most recently, a pandemic. We overcame these challenges and emerged stronger, because we worked together, stayed united, and each one of us played our part. That is the essence of Total Defence.
Read MoreSpeech by Senior Minister of State for Defence, Mr Zaqy Mohamad, at The Committee of Supply Debates 2024
Mr Chairman, Minister for Defence Dr Ng and Senior Minister of State Mr Heng have updated the House on our efforts to ensure that the SAF remains effective and ready to defend Singapore. To complement a strong SAF, Singapore needs a united and resilient population. I will address how we are building commitment to Singapore, and strengthening resilience through Total Defence.
Read MoreIncreased Support for Youths to Put Total Defence into Action
The new Total Defence Tower Defence Game, an online strategy game, was previewed at the NUS High School today. Conceptualised and devised by a dynamic group of youths from NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, it is the fourth ground-up initiative to be implemented under the Total Defence Sandbox (TD Sandbox).
Read MoreOpening Address by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Trade and Industry at the Total Defence Day Commemoration Event on 15 February 2023
Friends, residents, grassroots and our Total Defence representatives, welcome to Chua Chu Kang.
Read MorePilot Total Defence Community Table-Top Exercise Held to Increase Readiness for Disruptions
The annual Total Defence Day Commemoration Event (TDDCE) was held at the Chua Chu Kang Community Club. Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Gan Kim Yong, attended the event as the Guest-of-Honour. He was joined by Senior Minister of State for Defence, Mr Zaqy Mohamad. This year’s TDDCE reinforces the continued relevance of Total Defence in response to evolving threats faced by Singapore. It also highlighted that everyone has a part to play to keep Singapore strong by putting Total Defence into action.
Read MoreGround-Up Initiatives by Youths Take the Lead for Total Defence 2023
Ahead of Total Defence Day 2023 on 15 February, four ground-up initiatives to strengthen Total Defence by youths were unveiled today. These initiatives were amongst 77 others that were submitted to the Total Defence Sandbox (TD Sandbox) since it was launched in February 2022.
Read MoreMinister Edwin Tong: Total Defence is Critical in Keeping Singapore Resilient in the Face of Evolving Challenges
The Total Defence Day Commemoration Event (TDDCE) was held this morning at The Float @ Marina Bay. Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law, Mr Edwin Tong, was the Guest-of-Honour. As part of Total Defence Day commemoration, 60 recruits from Basic Military Training Centre received their Singapore Assault Rifle - 21st Century (SAR 21) in a Weapon Presentation Ceremony against the backdrop of Singapore's city skyline, signifying their transition from civilians to soldiers, and marking their readiness to defend Singapore. The TDDCE this year also marks the 80th Anniversary of the Fall of Singapore when Singapore fell to the Japanese in 1942 during World War II. The TDDCE was streamed live on the We Are Total Defence Facebook page.
Read MoreSenior Minister of State for Defence Mr Heng Chee How Hosts Dialogue with Youths and Introduces Total Defence Sandbox
Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Heng Chee How hosted a virtual session of the Total Defence Conversation with Youths today. In his opening address, SMS Heng introduced the Total Defence Sandbox (TD Sandbox) – a new platform that enables the public to share ideas on strengthening Total Defence and have their ideas brought to life through implementation in the community.
Read MoreRefreshed Total Defence Badge Programme for Uniformed Groups as Part of Total Defence Day 2022
Total Defence – comprising the six pillars of Military, Civil, Economic, Social, Psychological and Digital Defence – continues to help Singapore and Singaporeans navigate the evolving security challenges and safeguard our nation's security and sovereignty. Commemorated on 15 February every year, Total Defence Day reminds Singaporeans on the need for everyone to play their part in defending Singapore and our way of life.
Read MoreSenior Minister of State Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Everyone has a Part to Play for Total Defence
Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Zaqy Mohamad was the Guest-of-Honour at the 2021 Total Defence Day Commemoration Event held at the Singapore Discovery Centre (SDC) today. The event, organised annually by the Ministry of Defence, was also streamed live on the We are Total Defence Facebook page. In his opening remarks, Mr Zaqy described how Total Defence has guided Singapore's fight against COVID-19, and how our collective efforts have enabled the nation to navigate through the pandemic.
Read MoreSpeech by Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Industry at the Total Defence Day Commemoration Event
In 1965, The Float @ Marina Bay in front of us did not exist. The reservoir upon which this platform is floating on did not exist. The constantly evolving and unfolding skyline on the shores of this reservoir that you see in front of us also did not exist. Singapore has come a long way since independence. In the last 54 years, we have built a home that we can be immensely proud of.
Read MoreYouths Display Understanding of Total Defence through N.E.mation!
Senior Minister of State for Trade & Industry and Education Mr Chee Hong Tat officiated at the N.E.mation! 2019 awards presentation ceremony at the School of the Arts, Singapore this afternoon, where he presented prizes to the winning teams from the Student and the Youth Categories.
Read MoreTotal Defence Strengthened with Addition of Digital Defence as the Sixth Pillar
The Ministry of Communications and Information, and the Ministry of Defence today launched "Digital Defence" as Singapore's sixth pillar of Total Defence. The launch was officiated by Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-Charge of Cybersecurity Mr S Iswaran, who called on Singaporeans to take steps to be secure, alert and responsible online, and come together as a nation to keep Singapore safe, in both the real and virtual worlds as the nation advances towards a digital future. The Total Defence Day Commemoration Event was also attended by Senior Minister of State for Defence Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman and Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Ms Sim Ann at the Fort Canning Green.
Read MoreSingapore Maritime Community Commemorates Total Defence Day 2019 at the Inaugural Maritime Nation Forum
Minister for Trade and Industry Mr Chan Chun Sing, along with some 100 participants at the inaugural Maritime Nation Forum, commemorated Total Defence (TD) Day on its eve this afternoon at the Singapore Maritime Gallery. TD Day is commemorated annually on 15 February to mark the day Singapore fell to the Japanese during World War II in 1942. After the TD Day commemoration segment, Mr Chan held a dialogue session with the participants discussing the challenges that Singapore faces as a maritime nation. Participants at the Maritime Nation Forum included professionals from Singapore's maritime industry and security sectors, students from post-secondary education institutions, and members of the INSPIRIT community from the National Youth Council. Also present at the event were the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) Head Naval Operations Rear-Admiral Ken Cheong, President of the Association of Singapore Marine Industries Mr Abu Bakar Bin Mohd Nor, and Assistant Chief Executive (Development) Miss Tan Beng Tee.
Read MoreN.E.mation!12 Returns!
N.E.mation! is an annual inter-school digital animation competition organised by Nexus, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF)'s Central National Education Office, for students from secondary schools and pre-university centres to express their thoughts on Total Defence. The competition has been very well received since its launch in 2007, reaching more than 16,000 participants over the last 10 years. With the help of industry professionals, students with no experience in animation were trained to produce broadcast-quality clips for many platforms, including free-to-air television. Some of these clips have won awards at international animation festivals.
Read MoreTotal Defence Day 2018 Speech by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen
This weekend Singaporeans will celebrate the Chinese New Year. All over Singapore, families will gather to feast and wish one another good fortune and health. In 1942, the Chinese New Year was also in February, 15th February to be exact. But on that day, there were no celebrations. Instead people feared for their lives when Singapore fell to Japanese invaders. Hope was lost as the future seemed ominous and uncertain.
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