Social, psychological defence to counter IS: Minister
SINGAPORE — The military prowess of the Islamic State (IS) is “less of a worry” than the ideology that the terrorist group is spreading through the media, Senior Minister of State (Defence) Ong Ye Kung said, and that has made the war against terror a lasting global conflict.
The group’s actions — releasing videos of beheadings and executions — are mainly psychological assaults instead of military advances, and that is why social and psychological defence remain important, he added.
Speaking at a forum for more than 60 military officers in the Asia-Pacific yesterday, Mr Ong discussed the changing nature of hybrid warfare — comprising military and unconventional tools — due to the rise of globalisation and technology.
IS has demonstrated how a “non-state actor” could make use of unconventional information campaigns to complement its military advances, Mr Ong said. “(It) combines destabilising violence with a sustained Internet propaganda campaign. It has a global reach that is comparable to that of a multinational corporation; in an alternate setting, the group would make for a formidable media conglomerate.”
He likened the terror group’s use of media to psychological warfare, inciting fear and distrust within societies. “Each attack is calculated not just to cause death, but more importantly, to deepen the distrust (among) communities within the same society,” Mr Ong said, adding that the distrust created made it easier for the terrorists to win over extremists.
Mr Ong, who is also Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills), reiterated the need for a comprehensive defence to address hybrid warfare. While military might is important to deter would-be aggressors, he stressed that social defence was equally important in a diverse society such as Singapore.
“We are not ideologically multiculturalist, leaving every community alone to be what they are and isolated from the rest — that is a recipe for disaster … nor is Singapore ideologically nationalist, denying every community their traditional identity and just insisting we’re all Singaporean,” he said. “We tread somewhere in between — every community keep your identity and tradition, and contribute towards national identity.”
Mr Ong emphasised the need for psychological defence: Imbuing confidence in the nation’s ability to “repel external enemies and heal internal wounds”.
An example of resilience on this front was how Singaporeans came together during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) epidemic in 2003. “Throughout that period, Singaporeans cooperated with each other, demonstrated great consideration and compassion, and snubbed out the virus. It was a population working together shoulder-to-shoulder, side-by-side,” he said. VALERIE KOH
