Committee of Supply - Head J
Ministry of Defence (MINDEF)
Mission Statement
The mission of Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is to enhance Singapore’s peace and security through deterrence and diplomacy, and should these fail, to secure a swift and decisive victory over the aggressor.
To achieve this mission, MINDEF will strengthen the military, manpower and technological edge of the SAF, whilst fostering close relations with friendly countries in the region and beyond through greater dialogue, confidence building, and co-operation.
Desired Outcomes
• A safe and secure environment where Singapore’s territorial integrity and sovereignty are protected and preserved
• Safe and secure access to Singapore’s air and sea lines of communications
• A strong network of defence ties in the region and beyond
• Committed National Servicemen who are dedicated to Total Defence
• An operationally ready and well-equipped SAF that can deal with a broad range of threats to Singapore’s security
• A highly skilled, professional and technologically advanced SAF
A Defence Budget of S$12.56 billion - a record high - has been proposed for FY 2014/15.
The proposed sum represents an increase of 3.2%, or S$391 million, over the S$12.18 billion FY 2013/14 budget for MINDEF.
Of this, S$12.14 billion or 96.6% is for operating expenditure and the balance of S$429 million or 3.4% is for development expenditure.
Singapore watchers would need to know the proposed sum for the Ministry of Home Affairs, summarised here:
Committee of Supply - Head P
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
Mission Statement
To work as a team, in partnership with the community, to make Singapore our safe and secure Best Home.
The total expenditure of MHA in FY2014 is projected to be S$4.21 billion, an increase of $327.25 million or 8.4% over the revised FY2013 expenditure of S$3.88 billion.
Of this, S$3.77 billion or 89.6% is for operating expenditure and S$439.22 million or 10.4% is for development expenditure.
The Police Programme will take up the largest share of MHA’s budget (S$2.14 billion or 50.8% of total expenditure). This is followed by the Immigration and Checkpoint Control Programme (S$573.38 million or 13.6%), the Administration Programme (S$468.78 million or 11.2%), the Treatment of Offenders Programme (S$464.30 million or 11.0%), the Civil Defence Programme (S$383.98 million or 9.1%) and the remaining three Programmes taking up S$179.97 million or 4.3%.
US$1 = S$1.27
The nominal slight increase in the Defence budget merely covers the inflation rate, thus overall defence spending has a 0% real growth which is good in my opinion since it indicates that the govt is keeping to its consistant approache when it comes to defence, rather then suffer a boom and bust cycle.
ReplyDeleteVG (very good).
ReplyDeleteSG,unlike other first n third world country,maintain a steady increase of defense budget,even in recession.
ReplyDeleteThis provides continuity in technology develoment.
side track a little bit. where is MAV 1 and SSW?
lionnoisy
The defence budget is shrouded in secrecy. Only 3.4% for development expenses (i.e. capital spending, new planes etc.)
ReplyDelete'A total sum of $12.07 billion or 99.4% of the operating expenditure goes towards the Armed Forces. This includes payment for the purchase of military equipment, maintenance of equipment and camps, and the salaries and allowances of full-time national servicemen and operationally ready national servicemen. '
ReplyDeletePurchase of aircrafts, etc is buried under operating expenditure
Who in the world came up with such a ridiculous mission for MINDEF and SAF?
ReplyDeleteFirst how can MINDEF and SAF share the same mission? Is SAF in charge of MINDEF? Or the other way round? Or are they co equal entity?
Secondly, how can war fighting machinery "enhance" peace? Peace means no warfare and no aggression. If others want to be aggressive how can MINDEF/SAF "enhance" peace? By not be aggressive?
Here is the US DOD mission statement: "The mission of the Department of Defense is to provide the military forces needed to deter war and to protect the security of our country."
MINDEF/SAF good as they may be at war fighting but with due respect they can't enhance. They can deter or preserve.
Thirdly, promising swift and decisive victory?
Come on, MINDEF/SAF professionalism not withstanding, making such promise is only setting up for failure. Have histories of warfare been forgotten? Remember George Bush's "mission accomplish"? That took ten years to wind down. Was Afganistan a decisive one?
Oh in case David think this is a criticism of the MINDEF/SAF, which is probably likely for ST journalist ex or otherwise, let me repeat this is a criticism of the mission statement not the organisations.
Any astute reader would note that making promises that can't be realistically met only set one up for failure.
Anonymous who posted on February 23, 2014 at 1:47 AM:
ReplyDelete"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." (Abraham Lincoln)
Firstly, there is nothing wrong with both MINDEF and SAF having the same mission. Just because another country has it that way does not mean we have to follow it. If we followed the way of other countries, we would probably need a bigger budget, since the services that make up the armed forces are usually quite independent of each other.
"MINDEF/SAF good as they may be at war fighting but with due respect they can't enhance. They can deter or preserve." According to your paragraphical context and sentence structures, so the SAF is supposed to deter or preserve peace? This does not make much sense.
Thirdly, a mission is not a promise of results. It is the purpose of the organisation, in which case, if the purpose of the SAF is not to do what its mission statement states, pray tell what should it be?
Blubber
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, why have two separate entities having the same mission? Too much money.
Typically, you have a ministry to supervise the armed forces. And the armed forces either responsible for training, equipping and allocating resources to some operational command. The mission statement would suggest both MINDEF and SAF do the warfighting.
As a war fighting machine, it has the capacity either to preserve peace or deter peace. Deter peace by positioning itself aggressively. I don't think anon was suggesting any thing for Mindef/saf. He/she was merely pointing out the true capability of a war fighting machine.
You said a mission statement is not a promise of result but the Mindef/saf statement is more promises than statement of purpose. The mindef statement talks about achieving swift and decisive victory - i.e.promises.
Whereas as annon pointed the dod statement was clear the us ministry purpose was to provide military forces needed to deter war. An elegant concise statement as compared to the Mindef/saf statement which seemed more airy fairy.
Not sure how you can make the leap from writing a concise statement of purpose can lead to a bigger budget. Seemed to me like Mindef/saf statement of promising swift and decisive victory would suggest bigger budget than a simple statement that say providing forces needed to do a job.
@Blubber
ReplyDeletesee this link to know the different roles of MINDEF and SAF
http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/about_us/organisation_structure.html#.UwlUT1hWGUk
The DOD statement of deterring war rings hollow when you consider how many wars have they been through for the last century.
The SAF statement of a swift and decisive victory remains to be proven, but it serves as a focus for the commanders of the SAF in the event that conflict cannot be avoided.
as SUN TZU says, Speed is the essence of war.
[The mission statement would suggest both MINDEF and SAF do the warfighting.]
ReplyDeleteWith respect, I disagree. I set out the relevant phrase: "... enhance Singapore’s peace and security through deterrence and diplomacy...". On my reading, there is one mission, that is secure our peace and security. However, there are two limbs to this mission: deterrence, and diplomacy.
Upon brief reflection, a reasonable person would come to the conclusion that MINDEF's role is diplomacy whereas the SAF's role is deterrence. This is confirmed by the text of the second paragraph, which is consistent with your view that MINDEF should play a supervisory role vis a vis SAF. I will, however, concede that the above captioned phrase was poorly crafted and may lead some into error.
- MNKL
Hmmm here is the statement:
ReplyDelete"The mission of Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is to enhance Singapore’s peace and security through deterrence and diplomacy, and should these fail, to secure a swift and decisive victory over the aggressor."
It says MINDEF and SAF. So how does one reasonably see that MINDEF do diplomacy and SAF do deterrence?
Beside the statement did not make clear deterrence of what? In that one sentence it could be read as deterrence of peace and security.
Also why is MINDEF role to do diplomacy and not Ministry of Foreign Affair? Another duplication of mission?
Singapore is more military-focused than Indonesia. 6 percent of Singapore's GDP?
ReplyDeleteIndonesia currently allocates only 0.8 percent of the GDP or equal to USD$7 billion. Yes, we a lot of things to catch up, such as allocating 20 percent of state budget for education as well as delivering more fund to less developed province. As an example, the East Nusa Tenggara province gets $2 billion.
Hopefully, we could catch up with Singapore, we expect our GDP to reach more than $2 trillion in 2024. Plausible, considering that our GDP grows 250 percent in the last 10 years.
6% is the constitional cap. Singapire is spending about 3%. How much a country can spend on defence is dependant on individual needs. Resources are finite. You spend here; you cant spend there; education, infrastructure, etc. Singapore has lesser responsibilities. Also, a country can stretch every dollar with technology multipliers. See how Israel does it. It is no point talking about how good you will be until you get there. Remember RI had the same dreams in the 1950s. Talk when you are there. Another tsunami, major earthquake, financial crisid, etc your growth is pushed back once more.
ReplyDeleteOh please, looking at GDP alone is not enough. China has had the worlds largest GDP for the longest time but yet she was invaded so many times. How you spend your money and where you spend the money is more important.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2010/08/history-of-world-gdp/
[It says MINDEF and SAF. So how does one reasonably see that MINDEF do diplomacy and SAF do deterrence? Beside the statement did not make clear deterrence of what? In that one sentence it could be read as deterrence of peace and security]
ReplyDeleteExtrinsic (or even intrinsic) knowledge which is assumed. It would be a sorry state of affairs if this has to be spelt out for Singaporeans even after all those years of total defence propaganda.
The statement very clearly says deterrence and diplomacy enhances Singapore's peace and security. Furthermore, the sentence does not end there; it is a comma, not a full stop. It therefore follows that it is deterrence of aggressors, and it is not possible for one to reach a conclusion of deterrence against peace and security otherwise than on a very warped reading of the sentence or poor comprehension of English.
On your point of duplication of missions; there is no duplication between MINDEF and SAF because the SAF is not an executive ministry per se, but merely an arm of MINDEF. Whether there is duplication between MINDEF and MFA, it could be that there are defined jurisdictional boundaries between the 2 Ministries. For example, MINDEF diplomats (PAFF, FMLB, DM etc) may be better suited to receive counterparts (say at the annual Shangri-La dialogue) from other nations such as US Army/USN/USMC/USAF/DOD than MFA, which to my mind at least, has a more socio-economic focus.
-MNKL
@Anon (February 23, 2014 at 9:30 PM)
ReplyDeleteThat's why we have MEF 2024 program. The first phase (2009-2014) is about to be completed and it has added 30 front-line fighters, 16 advanced jet trainers, 3 submarines, 5 guided frigates (including Usman Harun), 103 Leopard 2 tanks, 36 MLRS, 36 SP Howitzer, 16 COIN fighters, 8 AH-64E Apache, 6 C-130, 6 CN-235 MPA and many others, including dozens helicopters, missile boats, APCs, SAM, etc.
Keep in mind that the first phase naturally has the smallest budget.
The second and third phases of MEF 2024 will be much bigger. We are already considering some Kilo submarines, a squadron of Su-35 and some Russian frigates with supersonic anti-ship missiles. These are just some of the procurements for the 2nd phase. More will be announced.
For the 3rd phase, we are waiting for the completion of stealth KFX fighters.
These could be achieved with only modest defense budget of 0.8 percent GDP. $8-10 billion each year in 2nd phase; TNI requires about $4-5 billion for annual operational cost, the rest will be spent on new procurements.
Grammatically-speaking, there is nothing ambiguous or wrong with MINDEF and SAF having the same mission, given that MINDEF executes its mission through the SAF; both work together to achieve the mission. I think some have jumped the gun in splitting diplomacy for MINDEF and deterrence for SAF- the key word is 'enhance'. In this case, SIngapore seeks its peace and security through deterrence and diplomacy, which may be provided by ministries and bodies other than MINDEF and SAF.
ReplyDeleteHaving two missions for the sake of it would superfluous.
As for those who disagree regarding the definition of mission and denounce it as airy fairy or whatever, your opinion on what they should put instead would be most enlightening.
honestly, I'd be disturbed if the purpose of the SAF was anything short of an attempt to achieve a swift and decisive victory. The mission of the SAF is to ensure a slow and protracted loss, anyone?
ReplyDelete@NKRI, it is no point talking about what will be as opposed to what you have now. Talk when you have those goods. You should keep in mind RI has been operating a budget deficit for years. Money does not grow on trees.
ReplyDeleteLol. You call usman.haron's class frigates? And 2nd hand F16s.Apaches need to be approved by Congress. Indonesia is no where near the tech level of tertiary tier countries like australia, singapore, south korea, etc. The vast majority of RIs equipment are antiques. What RI is doing now is replacing them before cease to have proper equipment. Problem is you cannot sustain your budget. You are bleeding. You want to be the Greece of South East Asia?
ReplyDeleteblubberFebruary 24, 2014 at 2:52 AM.
ReplyDeletetime will tells who will win.
no point guess now.
lionnoisy
@Anonymous (February 24, 2014 at 4:15 AM)
ReplyDeleteYes...I understand. Singaporeans are very proud of their advanced techs and love to mock their neighbors armaments. I'm expecting that :)
With an average military budget of $6 billion in 1st phase (2009-2014), what purchase "stopgap" equipments. As an example, all refurbished F-16 will have BVR capability and they are slated for retirement when KFX stealth fighters are operational in 2020's. Other stopgap equipments are Nakhoda Ragam frigates and Leopard 2 tanks.
What we achieve in 1st phase is quite satisfactory, considering the relatively small budget.
In 2nd phase (2015-2019), we will start to get more fresh, new weapons. Like PKR frigates (already being built in Surabaya), submarines and Su-35. More announcements on new procurements will be released after the election.
Things will get much better, because we will have bigger defense budget due to rapid increase of state budget. (More than quadrupled under SBY's administration).
REPLY to NKRI February 23, 2014 at 4:46 PMSingapore is more military-focused than Indonesia. 6 percent of Singapore's GDP?Indonesia currently allocates only 0.8 per...END
ReplyDeletehi,
each country can decide her budget.
2.if NOT for strong SAF,how can LKY told Dr M that sg would send in troop to johor if water supply disturbed?
ID n MY held a joint military ex in Mersing,johor,in 1990s,on the very day of sg NATIONAL DAY.
if Not for strong SAF,what would happen.
David Boey also shared ID held ex in bintan or batam...
the two big brothers occupy land and sea of million miles. i wander why u big brothers playing games
just right at the back of this little red dot.
@NKRi, you are confused. I have already stated that you guys are running budget deficits year after year. What does that mean- Youve got to cut your budget sooner or later. Otherwise, itll be the financial storm all over again. So please, talk when it happens. As for your F16s, I dont know how to put it to you. Other countries are upgrading to near Blk 70 standards with Aesas and the latest electronics. You are getting monkey models.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous (February 24, 2014 at 9:12 AM)
ReplyDeleteI understand that many Singaporeans have burning desire to see Indonesia impoverished and has old military hardware.
Perhaps, you're a bit confused, at $7.5 billion today, Indonesia's defense budget is already very modest, at 0.8 percent GDP. It already hits the rock bottom minimum!
But still a huge improvement over the 2004 budget, at $2 billion, which was also at 0.8 percent GDP.
That's why the extra cash is spent for modernization.
We know that our refurbished F-16 block 32 is less capable than RSAF's F-16 block 52; but it is only slated for "stopgap measures". 24 units for only $750 million. To be used until 2020's before being replaced by KFX.
F-5 Tiger will be replaced soon in 2nd MEF phase, 16 units of Su-35 is the preferred choice.
No no NKRI. You are getting distressed and throwing accusations. My point is that you are operating budget deficits. You are losing money. You cannot continue like this in the long run. If you earn $ 10 per day, you cannpt spend $12. You can borrow but you cannot do that forever. You need to trim your budget or reduce it. So, your predictions are not believable to me at this juncture. On the .8% of gdp, can indonesia raise it much further without affecting developement and budget deficit? You dont want to come back to IMF. On Sg's F16s, you are right that they are advanced late blk 52 models. But we are upgradinh them further with Aesas and other upgrades. In the dsca application, it is also stated that we are getting source codes. Again, please dont talk about items you want to buy and havent bought. You make me laugh.
ReplyDeleteBiarin aja NKRI.
ReplyDeleteDia tuh typically Ah beng ngga tau dunia lain, bagai katak dalam tempurung. Ngga tau dia Singapura berapa debt to GDP nya compare Indonesia. Singapura salah satu yang utangnya paling besar. Indonesia banyak ruang utuk bertumbuh karena masyarakatnya golongan menengah. Penerimaan dari pajak dan BUMN masih banyak ke atasnya. Biarin aja dech dia ngomong sesukanya.... Ngga usah ditanggepin, ntar nangis ngadu ke bokap nykap (KPKB)
Dont confuse mandatory contributions to the central provident fund which is mandatory lah. It helps all singaporeans save.
ReplyDeleteSelamat siang semua,
ReplyDeleteKita mempunyai penonton antarabangsa (melihat bendera bawah...). Silakan komentar dalam Bahasa Inggeris.
T'kasih banyak.
Wasalaam,
David
@Anonymous (February 24, 2014 at 11:32 AM)......biarin aja bro. Kita kasi pencerahan aja, biar nggak sok kaya mereka.... wkwkwkwk
ReplyDelete@Anonymous (February 24, 2014 at 10:48 AM)
Hahahaha.....I'm far from being distressed. We have experienced bad times before, so why feel distressed now. Experiencing a deficit is a normal thing, even Singapore is expected to have deficit this year.
Our military budget was 1.34 percent GDP in 1999, when things were bad.
So why, we have to push defense budget lower than 0.8 percent today? Are things more serious today than in 1999?
I'm sure you really want bad things to happen to Indonesia, but we are in much better condition than in 1999.
Yes..yes yes....your F-16 Block 52+ is the greatest jetfighter in the world... good for you.. :D
Let this Yaya Papaya Ahbeng doing his homework:
ReplyDeleteDoes Singapore member of G 20?
What is Indonesia vs Singapore GDP?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ASEAN_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)
What is Singapore budget expenditures rank?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures
Please see the forecast, for your CPF minimum sum schemes.
http://mycpf.cpf.gov.sg/CPF/my-Cpf/reach-55/Reach55-2.htm
I think it will debug why Singaporean can not withdraw it in the future?
What is singapore Debt to GDP ranking?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_public_debt
Please don't forget interview President Ong who bravely try to do his Part for Singapore
http://www-cgi.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/magazine/2000/0310/nat.singapore.ongiv.html
/// Desired Outcomes
ReplyDelete• A safe and secure environment where Singapore’s territorial integrity and sovereignty are protected and preserved ///
/// Mission Statement
To work as a team, in partnership with the community, to make Singapore our safe and secure Best Home. ///
Combined budget of almost $17 billion.
The desired outcome and mission are seriously compromised by the 2 million foreigners living in our midst.
Safety and security would be much enhanced and cheaper if we were to reduce the number of potential fifth columns.
Hmm. You really need to have a look at how many years of deficit spending Indonesia has underwent since 2000 or even before that. Singapore might go into a slight deficit this year but this is due to the one off pioneer package the government is dishing out to seniors. By and by, Singapore government generates surpluses. Hence, the slight deficit this year is more then covered by the yesteryears surpluses. You really need to use IMF standard of accounting to see the surpluses Singapores government is making - tens of billions. The one presented in the budget is Singapores own varient of calculation of budget surplus. No, we do not mean ill of Indonesia. We will not hesitate to help Indonesia as evidenced by Operation Flying Eagle during the asian tsunami. We were also prepared to loan Indonesia billions of dollars during the financial crisis subject to Indonesia abiding IMF regulations. We want a fair and level playing field. One of respect and acknowledgment of each country's needs and sensitivities. If indonesia intents to step on her neighbours, a dirty mud fight occurs. You dont like it. We dont like it. I know some countries might cower away but not Singapore. I note your desire for peace as war between the countries will probably destroy both. Indonesia will break up due to the massive destruction Singapore can dish out and Singapore will cease to exist as an independant country or a successful country due to huge financial loses.
ReplyDeleteLol @ Anon 1.41pm. Singapore has zero foreign debt and high public debt. Strange? This is because Singapores government makes it citizens through CPF. Singapores government then borrows the money to help build up the nation. In return, Singapores government will pay interest to Singaporeans. Singaporeans can use the money to buy homes, healthcare, retirement, etc. A win-win situation. Malaysia learned from Singapore and set up the EPF. Tell me. How are the millions of Indonesian going to pay for healthcare when they become old? Wikipedia has lots of errors and inaccuracies friend. Singapore has been spending about $10 billion this year and last year in usd dollar terms.
ReplyDeleteLOL @ Anon 3.33 PM
ReplyDeletejust enjoyed your overpriced HDB, expensively Car, COE, ERP etc.
If singapore so good in manage Healthcare and housing price, Ex MND Minister Mah Bow Tan will be your Hero! Hahaha...
http://singaporemind.blogspot.sg/2011/01/singer-has-passed-away.html
Please continued your sweet dream affordable health care in Singapore
ReplyDeletehttp://singaporemind.blogspot.sg/2011/02/papers-put-spin-on-sick-going-to.html
https://www.healthxchange.com.sg/News/Pages/Medisave-can-be-used-in-12-Malaysian-hospitals.aspx
http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/hospitals-facing-severe-bed-crunch-take-unusual-steps-20140108
And where is your CPF money invested by GIC and Temasek Holding?
ReplyDeletehttp://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB125418236117447877
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB124350003544761935
http://www.forbes.com/sites/simonmontlake/2011/08/19/temasek-sells-down-thai-telecom-asset-at-loss/
enjoy Singapore status... cheers..
Aiyah, you Indonesia why you worry for Singapore?
ReplyDeleteCan eat Nasi Padang OK oready mah.
A bit the kaypoh leh.
Singapore sure got problem one. If got no problem is not Singapore mah.
Relak Bruther, please take the rokok one corner.
How to smoke and find one corner bang. Singapore cigarettes 1box 12sgd. At jakarta you can get 10boxes Gudang Garam...
DeleteIndonesia's budget deficit is still acceptable, at about 2.5 percent GDP in 2013 and is expected to be lower in 2014, at around 1.7 percent due the increase of 2014 state budget, which $10 billion higher than in 2013.
ReplyDeleteBut if we look closer, 15 percent of annual state budget is spent to repay debts and that's more and less equal to the amount of deficit.
I don't see this situation as a reason to reduce defense budget that's is already ridiculously low at 0.8 percent GDP. Again we should note that even during the height of economic crisis in 1999, Indonesia's defense budget was 1.34 percent; so why we can't survive with 0.8 percent today?
Is why smoke in Jakarta lagi best, just make sure second hand smoke don't come to Singapore.;)
ReplyDelete...and don't smoke on board Indonesian Naval vessel, nanti bakar.
ReplyDeleteGudang Garam is very the powerful one.
Actually just wondering about the last poll related to "Ah Boys To Men".
ReplyDeleteThink we never got to address who the Enemy is. From the trailer I get the idea it is a masked terrorist group with light infantry on a one way trip with access to jet fighters which look like JF-17 Thunder. (I will never watch this gruel except on youtube.)
I am convinced that JN intended the script hypothesized in your past article, until the actual article appeared, after which he changed the terrorist attack to appearing in a recruit's dream so that it would not show the terrorists as actually getting a foothold on Singapore.
What do you guys think of the field camp training? During my reservist, i had field camp but not urban war training, which i found it weird.
ReplyDelete