Damien Cheong was formerly Coordinator, National Security Studies Programme (NSSP), S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Prior to that, he was Research Fellow and Coordinator of the Homeland Defence Programme at the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS) at RSIS from 2011–2017. He has researched and written on various topics related to national security, strategic communications, and political violence. His current interest is on emerging technologies in relation to national security challenges.

• Homeland Defence
• Strategic Communication
• Security Studies
• Political Violence and Middle East Politics

• Member of the Films Consultative Panel (2014-2015)

Books

• Cybersecurity: Some Critical Insights and Perspectives

  01 November, 2014

Policy Reports

• Foreign Interference in Domestic Politics: A National Security Perspective

  09 April, 2020

RSIS Commentary Series

• Prospects for an Israel-Hamas Ceasefire

  19 August, 2024

• Combatting Mobile Phone Scams

  22 January, 2024

• CO17164 | Single-Actor Attacks: Complexities, Challenges and Responses

  08 September, 2017

• CO16148 | SG Secure: Fathers As Potential Advocates

  16 June, 2016

• CO16051 | Enhancing Aviation Security: Using Smart Security and TOPSIS

  02 March, 2016

• CO14242 | Western Muslim Converts and Violent Extremism: Issues and Strategies

  04 December, 2014

• CO14199 | Returning ISIS Fighters: What Should Be Done With Them?

  14 October, 2014

• CO14024 | Enhancing Cybersecurity: Improving Technical and Analytical Expertise

  05 February, 2014

• CO13134 | Singapore-US Cooperation on Counterterrorism and National Security

  19 July, 2013

• CO13115 | Intelligence-Gathering in the Digital Age: Building Trust in PRISM?

  24 June, 2013

• CO13022 | Hamas and a Two-state Solution: Move toward Moderation?

  06 February, 2013

• CO12218 | Israel-Gaza Conflict 2012: Prospects for Broader Resolution

  04 December, 2012

• CO12198 | Cyberattacks in the Gulf: Lessons for Active Defence

  23 October, 2012

• CO12177 | Global Protests against Anti-Islam Video: Impact on Security in Southeast Asia

  20 September, 2012

• CO12163 | Malaysia’s Internet Blackout: Politicisation of Online Activism?

  29 August, 2012

• CO12149 | Developing an ICoC and the Role of the Media Literacy Council: The Middle Ground Perspective

  13 August, 2012

• CO12017 | Targeted Assassinations: Implications for National Security

  20 January, 2012

• CO11149 | The Israel-Hamas Prisoner Exchange 2011

  14 October, 2011

Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses

• Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses (CTTA) - Volume 11 Issue 04

  17 April, 2019

Journal Articles

• “Strategic Communication and Violent Extremism: The Importance of State Action” in Journal of Asian Security & International Affairs , Vol. 5, Issue 2, 2018, pp. 129-148
• Vasu, Norman and Cheong, Damein D. "Narratives and Governance: The Eroding Corporatist Narrative of Governance in Singapore" in Journal of Comparative Asian Development, Vol. 13 No. 1, (April 2014): 105 - 130.
• Vasu, Norman and Damien D. Cheong. 'Narratives and Governance: The Eroding Corporatist Narrative of Governance in Singapore.' Journal of Comparative Asian Development, Vol. 13, No. 1 (2014): 105-130.
• Vasu, Norman and Cheong, Damein D. "Immigration and the National Narrative: Rethinking Corporatism in Singapore", Copenhagen Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 31, No.1, 2013, 5 – 28.
• Vasu, Norman and Damien D. Cheong. 'Immigration and the National Narrative: Rethinking Corporatism in Singapore.' The Copenhagen Journal of Asian Studies, Volume Vol. 31, No. 1 (2013): 6-28.
• Cheong, Damien D. "Fatah’s al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades: Armed Struggle as a Response to a Crisis of Legitimacy", Melbourne Journal of Politics, Vol. 35, (2012): 39 – 59.
• Cheong, Damien D. "Economics and Political Survival: The Experience of the Palestinian leadership under Yasser Arafat, 1994-2004", Melbourne Journal of Politics, Vol. 34, (2009-2010): 7 – 44.

Edited Books / Special Issues

• Strategic Currents: New and Emerging Technologies Strategic and Security Implications for Southeast Asia (with Bernard Loo Fook Weng), Eds. Singapore: World Scientific, 2026
• Strategic Currents: “Triggered” and “Mobilised” (with Bernard Loo Fook Weng), Eds. Singapore: World Scientific, 2025
• Violent Extremism: What Was Learnt, Where We Are and What’s Next (with Ong Keng Yong), Eds. Singapore: World Scientific, 2025
• Learning from Violent Extremist Attacks: Behavioural Sciences Insights for Practitioners and Policymakers (with Majeed Khader, Loo Seng Neo, Jethro Tan, and Jeffery Chin ), Eds. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 2018
• Fostering Innovation For Future Security Challenges (with Muhammad Faizal Bin Abdul Rahman, Benjamin Ang, and Norman Vasu), Eds. Singapore: Interpol, 2017

Chapters in Edited Books

• “Crisis Management and Communication during a Pandemic: Some Thoughts” (with Stephanie Neubronner) in Majeed Khader, Denise Dillon, Xingyu Ken Chen, Loo Seng Neo and Jeffery Chin (Eds.), How to Prepare for the Next Pandemic: Behavioural Sciences Insights for Practitioners and Policymakers. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 2021, pp. 169 - 180
• “Risk and Crisis Management during a Major Terror Attack: Singapore’s Approach” in Majeed Khader, Neo Loo Seng, Jethro Tan, Damien D Cheong & Jeffery Chin (Eds.), Learning from Violent Extremist Attacks: Behavioural Sciences Insights for Practitioners and Policymakers. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 2019, pp 515-529
• “Striking the Right Balance in Relations to Target Hardening” in Majeed Khader, Neo Loo Seng, Jethro Tan, Damien D Cheong & Jeffery Chin (Eds.), Learning from Violent Extremist Attacks: Behavioural Sciences Insights for Practitioners and Policymakers. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing, 2019, pp. 499-514
• Cheong, Damien D. "Countering Online Violent Extremism: State Action as Strategic Communication." In Combating Violent Extremism and Radicalization in the Digital Era, edited by Majeed Khader, Loo Seng Neo, Gabriel Ong, Eunice Tan Mingyi, Jeffery Chin, 283-306, Singapore: IGI Global, 2016. Accessed June 2, 2016. http://www.igi-global.com/chapter/countering-online-violent-extremism/150581
  
• “Norman Vasu and Damien D Cheong, ‘Singapore in 2015: SG50’, in Malcolm Cook and Daljit Singh (eds.), Southeast Asian Affairs 2016, (Singapore: ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, 2016).” (with Norman Vasu) in Malcolm Cook and Daljit Singh (eds.), Southeast Asian Affairs 2016. Singapore: ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, 2016, 2016, 397 pages
• Cheong, Damien D. "Security" in Stable States: Rethinking Social Cohesion and Good Governance, ed. Peter Webinger and Alexander Schahbasi, (Vienna, Austria: Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior, 2014), 92 - 96.
• Cheong, Damien D."The Instrumental Use of Jihad: Explaining the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Suicide Attacks during 2005 – 2006", in Political Islam and Human Security, eds., Fethi Mansouri and Shahram Akbarzadeh, (Newcastle, U.K.: Cambridge Scholars Press, 2006), 221 – 239.

Working Papers

• Cheong, Damien D. "Social Media, Regime Security and the 2011 Singapore General Elections", Asian Conflicts Reports, Issue 20, November-December 2011.
• Cheong, Damien D. "Hong Kong Triads in the 1990s: Resilience through Entrepreneurship", Centre of East Asian Studies Occasional Paper 6. Victoria: Monash University, 2006.

Op-Eds

• Cheong, Damien D. "Stopping comms during a terror attack could be a game-changer", TODAY, 2 April 2018.
  http://www.todayonline.com/commentary/stopping-comms-during-terror-attack-could-be-game-changer
• Cheong, Damien and Ramakrishna, Kumar: "Making a CASE for enhancing security of infrastructure", TODAY Weekend, 13 October 2017
• Ramakrishna, Kumar and Cheong, Damien "Why reporting every security incident matters," TODAY Commentary, 27 April 2017.
• Cheong, Damien D. "Being neighbourly in the post-Mubarak Mid East", On Line Opinion, February 21, 2011, http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=11642.
• Cheong, Damien D. "Mohammed El Baradei is no shoo-in as Egyptian leader", On Line Opinion, February 10, 2011, http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=11600