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  • About RSIS
      IntroductionBuilding the FoundationsWelcome MessageBoard of GovernorsHonours and Awards for RSIS Staff and StudentsRSIS Endowment FundEndowed ProfessorshipsCareer OpportunitiesGetting to RSIS
      Staff ProfilesExecutive Deputy Chairman’s OfficeDean’s OfficeManagementDistinguished FellowsFaculty and ResearchAssociate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research AnalystsVisiting FellowsAdjunct FellowsAdministrative Staff
  • Research
      Research CentresCentre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)Centre of Excellence for National SecurityInstitute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
      Research ProgrammesNational Security Studies Programme (NSSP)Social Cohesion Research Programme (SCRP)Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
      Other ResearchFuture Issues and Technology ClusterResearch@RSISScience and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
  • Graduate Education
      Graduate Programmes OfficeExchange Partners and ProgrammesHow to ApplyFinancial AssistanceMeet the Admissions Team: Information Sessions and other eventsRSIS Alumni
  • Outreach
      Global NetworksAbout Global NetworksRSIS Alumni
      Executive EducationAbout Executive EducationSRP Executive ProgrammeTerrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC)
      International ProgrammesAbout International ProgrammesAsia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS)International Strategy Forum-Asia (ISF-Asia)
  • Publications
      RSIS PublicationsAnnual ReviewsBooksBulletins and NewslettersRSIS Commentary SeriesCounter Terrorist Trends and AnalysesCommemorative / Event ReportsFuture IssuesIDSS PapersInterreligious RelationsMonographsNTS InsightPolicy ReportsWorking Papers
      External PublicationsAuthored BooksJournal ArticlesEdited BooksChapters in Edited BooksPolicy ReportsWorking PapersOp-Eds
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      Getting to RSIS

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      Block S4, Level B3,
      50 Nanyang Avenue,
      Singapore 639798

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    • Ong Wei Chong
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    Dr Ong Wei Chong

    Senior Associate Fellow
    Deputy Coordinator of MSc (Strategic Studies) Programme
    Education
    BA (University of East Anglia, Norwich); MSc (IDSS, NTU); PhD (University of Exeter)
    : [email protected]
    : +65 6513 2741
    : NSSP
    Singapore’s Total Defence Day Remains Relevant More Than 40 Years On
    RSIS Commentary Series

    Dr Ong Wei Chong

    Senior Associate Fellow
    Deputy Coordinator of MSc (Strategic Studies) Programme
    Education
    BA (University of East Anglia, Norwich); MSc (IDSS, NTU); PhD (University of Exeter)
    : [email protected]
    : +65 6513 2741
    : NSSP

    Following links control the content below

    • Biography
    • Areas of Expertise
    • Professional Activities
    • RSIS Publications
    • External Publications
    • Teaching Modules
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    Biography

    Ong Wei Chong is Senior Associate Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. He has taught at the command and staff college, advanced school and officer cadet school levels at SAFTI Military Institute, Singapore. In national service, Weichong is a Functional Specialist Support Staff Officer (Army) with the Singapore Armed Forces. In addition, he was an Affiliated Researcher with the Department of Leadership and Management, Swedish National Defence College and a Guest Professor at the Ecole Navale, France.

    Weichong completed his doctoral studies with the Centre for the Study of War, State and Society, University of Exeter, UK in 2010 where he was a recipient of research grants from the University of Exeter and the Royal Historical Society. His other grants include a 3-year (2017-2020) Ministry of Education Academic Research Grant (AcRF) Tier 1 grant for a research project on Cold War Insurgency. He is also an alumnus of the Phillip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies Basin Harbor Workshop, SAIS, Johns Hopkins (2013).

    Weichong’s articles, commentaries and op-eds have been published in: The RUSI Journal; Armed Forces and Society; Small Wars & Insurgencies; Defence Studies; The Pacific Review; Asia Policy; The National Interest; The Diplomat; Australian Defence Force Journal; Journal of Southeast Asian Studies; Pointer; Straits Times; Channel NewsAsia; Today; Lianhe Zaobao; Defense News; Canadian Naval Review; and Diplomatie.

     

     

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    Areas of Expertise

    • National Security
    • National Resilience
    • Applied History
    • Military History
    • Strategic Studies
    • Insurgency/Counterinsurgency
    • Hybrid Warfare & Grey Zone Conflict

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    Professional Activities

    • Affiliated Researcher, Department of Leadership and Management, Swedish National Defence College, 2010-2012
    • Guest Professor, Ecole Navale, France, 2013-2014
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    RSIS Publications

      Books

      • Voice of Malayan Revolution: The CPM Radio War against Singapore and Malaysia, 1969-1981

        30 June, 2009

      Working Papers

      • WP136 | War As They Knew It: Revolutionary War and Counterinsurgency in Southeast Asia

        29 August, 2007

      • WP116 | ‘Voice of the Malayan Revolution’: The Communist Party of Malaya’s Struggle for Hearts and Minds in the ‘Second Malayan Emergency’(1969-1975)

        13 October, 2006

      RSIS Commentary Series

      • Singapore’s Total Defence Day Remains Relevant More Than 40 Years On

        17 February, 2025

      • National Resilience in Ukraine's War: Insights for Singapore

        09 September, 2024

      • Understanding the Foundation of Singapore’s National Resilience

        13 March, 2024

      • National Service at 55: Anchoring Singapore’s Core Principles

        08 July, 2022

      • ‘First TikTok War’: Ukraine’s Lessons for Singapore

        29 March, 2022

      • History in Digital Age: Why Military Professionals Need It

        25 May, 2021

      • Singapore’s Military History: Look Beyond World War II

        13 February, 2019

      • CO15260 | Singapore Story 2.0: Strengthening the Core

        30 November, 2015

      • CO14072 | Singaporean Heroes in Uniform: They are amongst us

        17 April, 2014

      • CO14031 | Securing Peace and Security for Singapore: Turning Constraints into Opportunities

        14 February, 2014

      • CO13223 | The Evolution of National Service in the Singapore Story

        05 December, 2013

      • CO13191 | The Second Emergency (1968-1989): A Reassessment of CPM's Armed Revolution

        10 October, 2013

      • CO13181 | The Demise of Chin Peng: End of the Classical Counterinsurgency Era?

        02 October, 2013

      • CO12025 | Fall of Singapore 70 Years On: Continuity and Change in Security Environment

        13 February, 2012

      • CO11060 | The Need for Engagement in Singapore’s Defence Policies

        21 April, 2011

      • CO11035 | Humanitarian Intervention From Above:‘No-fly Zone’ Over Libya?

        04 March, 2011

      • CO11025 | Singapore’s Total Defence: Shaping The Pillars

        21 February, 2011

      • CO10172 | The ‘Wikileaks Effect’: Information Warfare and ‘Battle for the Truth’

        16 December, 2010

      • CO10118 | Alternative Narratives: Why I Wrote It

        17 September, 2010

      • CO10113 | Alternative Narratives: The Danger of Romanticising the Other

        14 September, 2010

      • CO10103 | The Youth Olympic Games: Finessing the SAF’s ‘Whole of Nation’ Expertise

        31 August, 2010

      • CO10087 | Singapore's Citizen Army: Bridging the Civil-Military Praxis

        03 August, 2010

      • CO10057 | Sinking of the Cheonan: Rethinking Littoral Warfare

        31 May, 2010

      • CO10044 | The Singapore Story: More Than a State-imposed Narrative

        29 April, 2010

      • CO10022 | Singapore’s New Ground for Overseas Military Training: The Case for Timor-Leste

        22 February, 2010

      • CO10006 | Singapore’s Defence Spending: A Long-term Approach

        13 January, 2010

      • CO09125 | Relevance of the Singapore Armed Forces: A Journey into Singaporeaness

        14 December, 2009

      • CO09108 | Future Soldier Systems: Promise or Hubris of the Network-centric Infantryman

        05 November, 2009

      • CO09091 | The Inter-National Serviceman of the SAF: Citizen Soldiers in Overseas Missions

        12 October, 2009

      • CO09067 | Reflections on the 40th SAF Day and Beyond

        13 July, 2009

      • CO09050 | Military Defeat of the Tamil Tigers: From Velvet Glove to Iron Fist

        27 May, 2009

      • CO09013 | Israel's Propaganda War in Gaza: Losing the Moral High Ground

        04 February, 2009

      • CO09005 | More than Warfighters: Role of ‘Strategic Corporals’ in the SAF

        12 January, 2009

      • CO08125 | In Defence of Singapore’s Military History

        28 November, 2008

      • CO08095 | Caucasus: Winning the Shooting War, Losing the Media Battle

        05 September, 2008

      • CO08063 | Dealing with Bombs in Rural Exeter: Global Threat, Local Response

        10 June, 2008

      • CO08057 | Steel Sharks: China’s Growing Submarine Fleet

        05 May, 2008

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    External Publications

    Authored Books

    • Malaysia’s Defeat of Armed Communism: The Second Emergency, 1968-1989. London: Routledge, 2014

    Journal Articles

    • “Between safe havens in cross-border insurgency: Malaysia, Thailand and the Second Emergency (1952–89)” in Between safe havens in cross-border insurgency: Malaysia, Thailand and the Second Emergency (1952–89), 2019
    • “PLA Reform, a New Normative Contest, and the Challenge for ASEAN” (with Angela Poh Ming Yan) in Asia Policy, Vol. 14, No. 4, 2019
    • “The rise of hybrid actors in the Asia-Pacific” in The Pacific Review, Vol. 31, No. 6, 2018, pp. 740-761
    • “Book Review of ‘Defect or Defend: Military Responses to Popular Protests in Authoritarian Asia’” in Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 48, No. 2, 2017, pp. 308-310
    • Ong, Wei Chong; Alan Chong. “Waging Small Wars in the New Millennium: Chameleonic Missions and Virtual Aggression—An Introduction”, Armed Forces & Society, 40(1), January 2014.
    • Ong, Wei Chong. “Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Drawing Lessons from the Wars of Others in Post-Mao China and Post-Colonial Singapore”, RUSI Journal, 158(4), August 2013.
    • “Operations Other Than War in a Coalition Environment: Opportunities and Challenges for Modern Armed Forces” (with Manaswini Ramkumar) in Pointer, Vol. 38, No. 3, 2012
    • Ong, Wei Chong. “A View from Singapore – More than Warfighters: the Role of Strategic Corporals”, Australian Defence Force Journal, 107, 2012.
    • Ong, Wei Chong. “Peripheral to Norm? The Expeditionary Role of the Third Generation Singapore Armed Forces”, Defence Studies, 11(3), September 2011.
    • Ong, Wei Chong; Bernard Loo. “Fighting Small Wars in the New Century: Questions and Insights for the SAF”, Pointer, 37(2), 2011.
    • Ong, Wei Chong. “Tempering the Elemental Force of People’s War”, Pointer, 36(1), 2010.
    • Ong, Wei Chong. “Book Review of Malaya's Secret Police 1945-60: The Role of the Special Branch in the Malayan Emergency”, RUSI Journal, 153(5), October, 2008.
    • Ong, Wei Chong. “Book Review of The Asian Military Revolution: From Gunpowder to the Bomb”, RUSI Journal, 154(3), June 2009.
    • Ong, Wei Chong. “Blitzkrieg: Revolution or Evolution?”, RUSI Journal, 152(6), December 2007.

    Edited Books / Special Issues

    • Communist Party of Malaya: A Comprehensive Bibliography. Singapore: National Library Board, 2021

    Chapters in Edited Books

    • “Singapore’s Military History 2.0” in Bernard F W Loo (Ed.), Strategy and Defense Policy for Small States - Problems and Prospects. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Company, 2021, pp. 41-55
    • “Singapore’s Military History 2.0” in Bernard F W Loo (Ed.), Strategy and Defense Policy for Small States - Problems and Prospects. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Company, 2021, pp. 41-55
    • “Singapore’s New Military History: A Military History from a Non-War Fighting Past” in Tristan Moss and Tom Richardson (Eds.), Beyond Combat: Australian Military Activity Away From the Battlefields. Sydney: UNSW Press, 2018, n/a
    • “Strategic Insights from APPSMO: Review of Ministerial Keynote Addresses (1999–2015)” in Ong Keng Yong, Mushahid Ali and Bernard Chin (Eds.), The APPSMO Advantage: Strategic Opportunities: Evolving Defence Diplomacy with the Asia Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers. Singapore: World Scientific, 2016, pp. xxvii-xxxvi
    • “International Missions of the Singapore Armed Forces: How Far Would You Go?” (with Katie Tan) in Barry Desker and Ang Cheng Guan (Eds.), Perspectives on the Security of Singapore: The First 50 Years. Singapore: World Scientific, 2015, pp. 153-172
    • Ong, Wei Chong; Yee Kuang Heng. “The Quest for Relevance in Times of Peace: Operations Other Than War and the Third Generation Singapore Armed Forces” in Chiyuki AOI & Yee Kuang Heng (eds.), Asia-Pacific Nations in International Peace Support and Stability Operations. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.
    • Ong, Wei Chong. “From Reticence to Norm? The Evolving Expeditionary Mindset and Role of the Singapore Armed Forces” in Gerhard Kummel & Henrik Furst (eds.), Core Values and the Expeditionary Mindset: Armed Forces in Metamorphosis. Baden-Baden: NOMOS Verlag, 2011.

    Op-Eds

    • “Mobilisation woes in Ukraine war offer lessons for Singapore’s national service”, The Straits Times, 21 September 2023
    • “Commentary: Wide-scale water rationing a thing of the past? Not if Singaporeans slide towards unsustainable overconsumption”, TODAY, 29 March 2023
    • “Commentary: What Singapore can learn from Russia’s problems in drafting reservist troops”, TODAY, 7 November 2022
    • “Here’s how S’pore can ‘get real’ and be psychologically prepared for possible conflict in region”, TODAY, 1 September 2022
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    Teaching Modules

    • S6014 The Evolution of Strategic Thought

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    Nanyang Technological University
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    50 Nanyang Avenue,
    Singapore 639798

    Click here for direction to RSIS

    Get in Touch

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