The Singapore Universities’ National Security Forum 2023 was held on 13 July 2023 at the Singapore Management University (SMU). The forum was jointly organised by RSIS’ National Security Studies Programme (NSSP) and SMU’s Apolitical Society, co-organised by the Singapore University of Social Sciences’ (SUSS) Public Safety and Security Interest Group (PSS IG) and Current Affair’s Interest Group (CAIG). The forum, which aims to function as a platform to educate and engage undergraduates on issues pertaining to Singapore’s national security, saw the attendance of 191 students from 6 of Singapore’s publicly-funded universities.
With the theme “Preparing for Crises and Disruptions”, the forum invited Mr Heng Chee How, Senior Minister of State for Defence; Brigadier-General Mark Tan Ken-Li, Chief of Staff, Digital and Intelligence Staff; and Mr Chua Boon Keat, Head of Channels (Hypermart/ Cheers / Finest), FairPrice Group; to speak on security challenges faced by Singapore in the digital era, and Singapore’s supply chain resilience in the face of disruptions such as COVID-19 and geopolitical conflicts.
The speakers discussed, among other things, how technology has accelerated and amplified the impact of weaponised domains and laid bare different ways nations become vulnerable to attack and subversion. They took part in a panel discussion which examined how Singapore deals with hybrid threats that can disrupt the everyday lives of Singaporeans, with a focus on how each Singaporean has a part to play in how Singapore prepares herself to weather crises and disruptions.
The event also featured a networking segment that featured booths from the Ministry of Defence, the Singapore Army, the Digital and Intelligence Staff, Singapore Food Agency, RSIS, Cyber Youth Singapore, and the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore.
The students were thoroughly engaged by the speakers who shared insights and relevant case studies on digital security and supply chain resilience. They left with a deeper understanding of the role they can play in contributing to Singapore’s national security.
