Prime Minister's Office (National Security Coordination Secretariat)
Prime Minister's OfficeSpeakers
Summary
This statement concerns the National Security Coordination Secretariat’s (NSCS) comprehensive strategy to address Singapore’s evolving threat landscape, including terrorism, cyber-attacks, and social vulnerabilities. Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean explained that the NSCS identifies vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure interdependencies while collaborating with multiple agencies to develop robust cyber security solutions. He highlighted the importance of social resilience and the "Let's Stand Together" campaign in fostering civic responsibility and counteracting the potential for social media to spread disinformation during crises. The NSCS continues to study factors like social trust and family resilience to ensure the nation can effectively bounce back from any security incident. Ultimately, the government concludes that national security depends on proactive planning and a united society prepared to tackle both new and emerging threats.
Transcript
The Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security (Mr Teo Chee Hean): Singapore faces an increasingly challenging threat landscape. While we have built up our social resilience and strengthened our security forces, our national security can be undermined in many ways, including a terrorist attack, a virus, whether medical or cyber, food contamination and social fissures. Online self-radicalisation and spread of terrorist methods enable copy-cat attacks.
The role of the National Security Coordination Secretariat (NSCS) is to look ahead at possible threats and work with relevant Government agencies and stakeholders to develop plans to ensure that we are well-prepared to tackle new and emerging threats. Everyone has a part to play to keep Singapore and Singaporeans safe.
NSCS works with schools, businesses and people from all walks of life to raise public awareness of security issues and prepare them for potential threats and risks. Now in its third year, the "Let's Stand Together" campaign has grown in following. Members of the public engage actively in both online and offline activities to offer views and suggestions. Many support greater civic consciousness and social responsibility to ensure Singapore's national security. NSCS will use the feedback and suggestions to shape the next phase of the "Let's Stand Together" campaign.
NSCS also studies the linkages between various critical infrastructures across sectors, such as energy, water, health, infocomm, banking and finance and transport. The intent is to identify and address potential vulnerabilities and danger areas that may arise due to the interdependencies, so that if a problem occurs in one part of the system, the impact on other parts, or other systems, can be limited and minimised.
Social resilience is a key ingredient of national security. NSCS has been working with Government agencies and community groups from the social sector, to develop a stronger understanding of the factors that affect social resilience, such as attitudes towards crises and emergencies, social capital and social trust, in a time of changing demographics and family resilience. Social media is a new factor which allows the rapid spread of information and directions to quickly manage a situation and restore confidence and order, but it can also spread rumours and disinformation which complicates the task of restoring order and exacerbates the situation. In the event of a crisis, it is not just the security agencies that will be called to respond. Our society as a whole will also be tested. We must ensure that we can bounce back from any incident and emerge stronger and more united.
Singaporeans are already among the most networked and connected in the world. As we strive to become more integrated as a Smart Nation, we will become even more interconnected. NSCS works with MHA, MINDEF, IDA, EDB and NRF to engender research and develop practical solutions for cyber security and InfoComm Technology (ICT) challenges, to keep Singaporeans safe in the cyber world.
While we can never be certain of where the next security threat may emerge, we need to prepare ourselves and develop robust plans that can be adapted for different threat scenarios. Standing together, we stand a better chance of ensuring our national security.