Keeping Singapore safe and secure

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

- ASEAN will remain the cornerstone of MFA's foreign policy

- Actively contribute to ASEAN's regional integration efforts towards an ASEAN Community by 2015

- Maintain good relations and build on bilateral cooperation with Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei

- Build on links with key partners, including the United States, China, Japan, Australia, India and the European Union; identify emerging opportunities in new markets

- Actively participate in international organisations like the United Nations, its agencies, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Arctic Council

- Meet increasing demand for consular services for overseas Singaporeans with more technology

Ministry of Defence

- Upgrade F-16s, acquire A-330 Multi-role Tanker Transport aircraft, two Type-218SG submarines and two more Sikorsky S-70B naval helicopters over the next five years; deploy Spyder and Aster-30 surface-to-air missile systems to put in place a multi-layered air defence; acquire more Terrex Infrantry Fighting Vehicles

- Recruit 1,300 more regulars and expand the proportion of officers and specialists from 30 per cent to 40 per cent, as per the Committee to Strengthen National Service's recommendations

- Reduce the time national servicemen spend waiting before enlisting by enlisting nine in 10 within four months after their post-secondary studies, and the rest within six months

- Better recognise national servicemen through housing, medical and education awards, and provide them insurance coverage for life and personal accidents

- Establish an SAF Volunteer Corps to encourage women, new citizens and first-generation permanent residents to contribute to national defence

- Give national servicemen more time and flexibility to meet their physical training and test requirements, and offer more convenient venues for fitness training

- Restructure the Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence, and establish a scheme to recognise employers and businesses which have gone the extra mile to support their national servicemen employees

- Host a Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre

Ministry of Home Affairs

- Expand the community policing system to all neighbourhood police centres by next year, and establish a new police division headquarters and two new neighbourhood police centres; revamp neighbourhood police posts to provide round-the-clock electronic services to the public

- Review and update fire safety requirements for new building materials, MRT stations and high-rise buildings; build new fire stations, including a new marine fire station at Tanah Merah

- Implement the Conditional Remission System and Mandatory Aftercare Scheme by the Singapore Prison Service to facilitate the reintegration of ex-inmates into society

- Introduce laws to decisively deal with crime syndicates, regulate remote gambling and support the Private Member's Bill to prevent human trafficking

- Install police cameras in all HDB blocks by 2016; Singapore Police Force to start using body-worn cameras; Singapore Civil Defence Force to acquire unmanned fire-fighting machines; Immigration and Checkpoints Authority to introduce new biometric passports

- Install more community-based automated external defibrillators; train volunteers and develop mobile apps to alert and deploy first responders from the community to improve emergency medical response within the community

National Security Coordination Secretariat

- Identify, analyse and monitor emerging issues such as cyber threats, extreme weather hazards and food security using the Risk Assessment and Horizon Scanning Programme

- Identify potential vulnerabilities in Singapore's national security, especially in critical sectors such as transport and health care, by working with DSO National Laboratories

- Protect Singapore's information infrastructure through the National Cyber Security R&D Programme

This article was first published on May 23, 2014.
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