A very good morning to all of you.
1. Thank you for inviting me to join you for the Rededication Ceremony for SAF Day.
2. Today, I just want to make three points. First, COVID. Second, our mission. Third, deterrence.
3. Let me start with COVID. Aymeric has shared with you what the team in NUH has done, but this is just a microcosm of what the SAF and all of you have done for our country. It is a powerful testament of what our people and the SAF are capable of. Throughout COVID, there were many uncertainties, but there are two things we should always remember. The first is our people and the SAF's support throughout the whole entire operation. We were fighting and dealing with uncertainties, yet we never flinched. We didn't have all the plans, but we showed the world that we can adapt and persevere. We did not know how long it would take us to overcome COVID and we did not know what other surprises the virus would continue to present us, as it would continue to evolve. But throughout it all, we showed tenacity and resilience. You are all part of this story.
4. The other thing that should be deep in our hearts from the COVID experience is the tight nexus between the SAF and the rest of Singapore. I will be the first one to say that we would never have been able to achieve all that we could, without support of the public. But neither would we have been able to achieve all that we have achieved, if not for the tight nexus between the SAF and the whole of society. This is the strength of Singapore, and this is the strength of the SAF that even more established militaries with full time regular forces may not have been able to achieve. Thank you all for your service to our country in the fight for COVID.
5. There are many more unsung heroes amongst all of you. Thank you very much.
6. The second thing I want to talk about today is the larger issue of geopolitics and the environment that we are in. For the past 58 years, we've enjoyed peace and security. Our success and survival were very much underpinned by a stable, predictable international rule of law. The conflict in Ukraine and the potential problems between the major powers of the world have all called into question the continued reliability of this international order.
7. We should not make the wrong assumption that the next 50 years will be the same as the last 50 years. In fact, many things will change in the next 50 years, and as SAF we should be prepared for a variety of scenarios. We should not be complacent.
8. Nearer home, things are also evolving very rapidly, ranging from what's happening in neighbouring countries to what's happening in the South China Sea. All these will require us to carefully navigate the geopolitical forces in order to entrench our relevance and ensure our survival.
9. I will share with you this story – and there are many stories. During COVID, everyone was fighting for essential supplies. Yes, we have a network of officers all over the world from EDB to ESG officers, and MFA staff, who were looking for and trying to secure those supplies. Sometimes, when we thought that we had secured those supplies, they were taken away at the last minute because someone else had offered a higher price. And even after we had secured those supplies, the question was whether we could we bring them back safely and securely to Singapore. This reminds us of a few things that perhaps we have always taken for granted, if not for the SAF.
10. Today, when we walk down the aisles of any supermarket, be it NTUC, Sheng Shiong, or Cold Storage, we find goods from many countries. How did they arrive here safely and securely?
11. Today many of us take holidays outside Singapore. Every time you take off and land at Changi Airport, it seems effortless and smooth. But I've always reminded myself that every landing and take-off from Changi Airport should be cheered, because in order for the planes to come in safely, we have to navigate through other countries' airspace and make sure that we keep ourselves safe throughout. Whenever the plane I am on glides into Changi Airport, I always look out to the window on the left and when I see MBS, I know that if the plane turns rogue, the SAF only has two minutes to react. As I take a walk along East Coast park, and I look out to the sea, I know that if anyone wishes us harm, the SAF has seven minutes to react. So, for many of these things that we take for granted, we must remember that we are here not by luck or by chance. We do not leave our safety to luck or chance. We enjoy peace and security because of the SAF, who are committed to making sure that we are secure.
12. My third point – deterrence. What makes deterrence? Why is it that today people still respect us, take us seriously, and do not wish us harm? Once upon a time, when I was Chief of Army, I hosted a foreign dignitary. Within the same day, I brought him to see the best in Sungei Gedong, Tengah, and Changi Naval Base. Throughout it all, he was not impressed with our latest tanks or our vehicles. Neither was he impressed with our F-15s, or the vessels that we have in Changi Naval Base. I was getting discouraged. Maju Camp was our last stop. As we were driving in, he saw many NSmen walking in. He asked me, "Who are they and what are they doing here?" I had to tell him sheepishly, "These are my NSmen, they are coming back for their remedial training because they failed their IPPT." As we left Maju Camp, he was pensive. He told me, "I believe you have a credible force, not because you have the best armoured vehicles, planes or ships. The spirit that I saw in Maju Camp, where even the least fit NSmen are prepared to come in and do their training seriously, the fact that behind the NSmen there are employers who will support them regardless, that is the strongest deterrence."
13. At the heart of it all, it is really what is inside the heart. It is the H-E-A-R-T ware and not the H-A-R-D ware, that makes or breaks the SAF. Your presence today is but a small symbol of your commitment, and when people see the commitment, they know that SAF means business. When they see that commitment, they know that be it COVID or any other potential security or non-security challenge, the SAF will rise to the occasion together with the rest of Singapore.
14. So on that note, once again, I thank you for your service to our people. And may we allow Singapore to enjoy many more years of peace, and for us to continue to defy the odds of history as a small and young nation.
15. Thank you very much and happy SAF Day!