Commentary: Total Defence Day reminds us Singapore’s sovereignty can’t be taken for granted
Amid a weakening international rules-based order, Singaporeans have a collective responsibility to defend their way of life, says RSIS’ Ong Wei Chong.
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SINGAPORE: In Singapore, Total Defence Day is commemorated on Feb 15 – the day that Singapore fell to the Japanese in 1942. Besides being a date of historical significance, Total Defence Day reminds Singaporeans of our collective responsibility to defend our sovereignty and way of life.
Against the current backdrop of a weakening international rules-based order, Singapore’s territorial integrity cannot be taken for granted. Middle powers and small states should invest in their collective resilience – which has been a fundamental cornerstone of Total Defence for more than 40 years.
In his Budget speech, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said Singapore will strengthen its defence against unmanned aerial threats and cyberattacks. Singapore currently spends about 3 per cent of its gross domestic product on defence, and could spend more to keep up with evolving threats.
Besides hardware and infrastructure, a country’s resilience depends greatly on its people’s readiness. Exercise SG Ready 2026, currently in its third iteration, was launched on Feb 1. During the two-week exercise from Feb 1 to 15, companies and organisations went through scenarios to strengthen their business continuity plans for degraded digital connectivity and prolonged power outages.
The vulnerabilities of Singapore’s critical infrastructure are real. In July 2025, Singapore named a state-linked advanced persistent threat, UNC3886 for the first time.
Collective resilience also includes looking out for one another in times of crisis and disruption. During Exercise SG Ready 2026, Total Defence Champions and the People’s Association’s Community Emergency Response Team volunteers identified and reached out to those in need. This tested volunteer mobilisation processes and fostered a sense of shared responsibility within the community.
LAWS TO COUNTER FOREIGN INTERFERENCE
Singapore has shown a willingness to take legal action against potential malign actors, signalling that coordinated foreign interference in Singapore’s domestic politics will not be tolerated.
In the lead-up to General Election 2025, the Infocomm Media Development Authority issued directions to Meta to block Singapore users’ access to election advertising posts by Malaysian politicians and a former Internal Security Act detainee who is now an Australian citizen.
In 2024, the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (FICA) was invoked to block 95 social media accounts linked to Chinese tycoon Gou Wengui. The accounts made coordinated posts during Singapore’s leadership transition, alleging that Singapore is being controlled by China.
Singapore needs to remain vigilant against malign foreign actors that seek to exploit perceived vulnerabilities and fault lines – particularly against the backdrop of heightened tensions and ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Middle East.
BUILDING PSYCHOLOGICAL DEFENCE
Alongside establishing legal frameworks to address foreign interference, Singapore must strengthen its people’s psychological defence against attempts to undermine social cohesion. Extreme views on external affairs can lead to internal polarisation, erosion of public trust and weaker community ties.
The 2026 US intervention in Venezuela is a useful reminder that a country’s armed forces is only as strong as its will to fight. On paper, Venezuela had a sophisticated integrated air defence network that comprised SU-30 fighters, surface-to-air missiles and anti-stealth radar systems. Yet its much-vaunted air defence system was rapidly immobilised and blinded by US suppression of air defence strikes.
The strength of Singapore’s military deterrent lies not only in its hardware such as those on display at the recent Singapore Airshow, but is also demonstrated by the strong public trust in the Singapore Armed Forces and National Service (NS). The commitment of NSmen in maintaining their operational readiness and support of employers for NS is critical in sustaining military preparedness.
For the past 40-odd years, Total Defence evolved from a framework centred on national defence to a whole-of-nation response that deals with a wide gamut of national security challenges, from pandemics to transnational terrorism, cyber-attacks and hybrid threats. This approach relies on building resilience, maintaining public trust, and enhancing coordination between government agencies, businesses and individuals.
Ong Wei Chong is Senior Associate Fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.
