From Official Wire:
Singapore’s defence spending will amount to US$11.4bn or 6% of GDP in 2009. As a percentage of GDP, this amounts to one of the biggest defence budgets in recent history.
Singapore has consistently had one of the largest defence budgets in the Asia Pacific region. Given its small population base, Singapore has focused on maintaining its expenditure on sophisticated and superior weaponry. Singapore has consistently spent over 4% of GDP on its defence budget. However, the principal recent development affecting the future of Singapore’s defence spending is the recent rapid deterioration in economic conditions.
Singapore was the first Asian economy to slip into recession in the current global downturn, and will move deeper into recession in 2009.
According to advance estimates by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), Singapore’s GDP registered a dismal seasonally-adjusted annualised contraction of 12.5% quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) in Q408 (its worst performance since at least 1980), due to a sharp fall in the services sector. On a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis, GDP contracted by 2.6%, implying that full-year growth for 2008 slowed to just 1.4% from 7.7% in 2007. The manufacturing sector contracted by 9.0% y-o-y in Q408, due largely to falling demand for electronic products in developed markets and a plunge in output for precision engineering.
Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean has announced that defence spending will amount to US$11.4bn or 6% of GDP in 2009. As a percentage of GDP, this amounts to one of the biggest defence budgets in recent history. The Defence Minister stressed the importance of maintaining military spending, noting that threats do not diminish but, rather, often emerge during testing economic times, owing to increased social and political frictions. He noted several factors that had enabled Singapore to build up its defence capability over time: careful spending, sourcing and upgrading second-hand equipment, an ongoing maintenance regime, and investment into research and development.
In February 2009, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) announced that they will participate in a US-led task force in the Gulf of Aden designed to target pirates operating in the Gulf and adjacent waterways.
Singapore will supply a landing ship tank, two helicopters and two-hundred personnel. Joining an international flotilla comprising some forty-five warships from Europe, China and Malaysia, the SAF deployment will help to escort vessels traversing the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, Red Sea and the Gulf.
Singapore Defence and Security Report Q2 2009
Picture from: Singapore’s defence spending ranked 4th worldwide. Why?
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Our neighbours aren’t our only security threats.
aiyoyo
dinner discussion with friends :
protect this, protect that (from external)
how about internal?
if were to protect internal, is it commoners to pay even more?
sad story..
aiyoyo
I always believe one thing. Believe it or not. SAF is a psycho place that psycho u to think they are right.
Once u r out of it, u think again. Once u started thinking, you will know who to shoot when something when wrong.
Is your called. People pay you peanuts to die for them. You want.
Not for us.
Hi I have a dream too. That the country is invaded by martians. But they could not conquer this land. You know why? Every HDB building has a platoon (about 27). When attacked , the platoon leader unlockedThe the arms room and armed the 27 residents who were trained for this purpose. The martians could not get near. The 10000 HDB buildings is a big fortress ..impregnable. Then I was about to dream how the landed property residents defend themselves..I woke up.
Aiyo, Singpore sure run into problem one lah. So many TOC supporter and they don’t like to wear green but pink instead. How to defend the country? Wahaha……..
I have already decided who to vote when the next election comes. Don’t link me with the PAP because I’m working in a private sector. You don’t have to give personal attacks too because as I have said earlier it diminishes the credibility of what you write.
Don’t take peace for granted because when its taken away from you, it will be very hard to get it back. We have a lot of examples in this world to see.
Without a strong defense, it’s so easy to take things away from us. Genocide, hard labor, torture are things that will happen definitely if we are occupied so where are you going to hide then. Strong defense is a must. To be exaggerated, I suggest buying a small aircraft carrier since our Changi Naval Base can park these huge carriers. But then again, I may not be exaggerated.
Never take peace for granted.
22) mice is nice on July 8th, 2009 12.39 am
I am impressed by singaporeans TRUST in their leadership. They trust all will be accounted , i mean the spending the budget like where it goes etc.
Hats off to highly educated singaporeans who can think.
54) Ghim Moh resident on July 8th, 2009 9.04 pm
I think no one is saying that a strong defence is not needed.
Any country would need defence.
You should not confuse people this with things like the size of the budget.
” Don’t link me with the PAP because I’m working in a private sector. ”
Erm, can GLC not be in the Private sector? I hope I have corrected you.
55) Karim Labus Es Cherbass on July 8th, 2009 9.26 pm
Erm, can GLC not be in the Private sector? I hope I have corrected you.
I’m not in Government Linked Companies either. I’m not trying to blend the words i write. Private sector means pure private sector. My company is not based in Singapore.
to A Tan #42
exactly my point.
we only need to last till un/us intervention. in any case, it is open secret that our military sets its sight on engaging only a short, decisive war. doesn’t it occur to you that our defence budget is way way too high in proportion to countries that routinely embark on long time warfare???
we sure need defence. but we don’t need to OVERspend, not when our citizens have more pressing bread-and-butter issues.
btw, hehehe, the examples you brought up cannot be used in singapore context. singapore got gold meh? got terrorists, yeah, but we’re dying to flush them out too. got racial strife meh? got disputes over control of land meh?
please, please we not stupid.
It is pointless to spend billions on defense when our soldiers don’t feel like defending this country!!! Why defend a place whose govt treats foreigners and PRs better than citizens???
Our government spends billions on hardware and live ammunition but our Singaporean males prefer to fire blanks to protest the stressful and inequitable lives, resulting in low birth rate.
I think noboby is going to say that a country should not have a credible defense force, within reasonable costs. The reason SGP got the Leopard 2 is, I believe, cos’ a 120mm gun is proven to be necessary in combating the later generations Soviet T-72 and T-80, which our neighbors have acquired. E.g. see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PT-91.
Likewise for F-16s and F-15s; our neighbours have/are acquiring thingys like Su-30, MiG-29 and F-18. All these thingys cost money, whether 4% or 6% GDP.
A point to highlight is that over the years, the SAF have shifted more and more to being a “tech-based” army. This of course cost more money. This was also forced upon us by our declining birth rates, with subsequent “down-sizing” of fighting formations. If the FT/FWs are really contributing to SGP, then there should be no need for such down-sizing, as indeed like a minister said last week that he is “heartening” that new citizens are serving in the high 100′s in NS.
It is also arguable whether tech can really replace manpower in the field. As example, when MSK escaped, a colleague mentioned we are wasting manpower MANUALLY combing the jungle (for 3 weeks?); we should just ring the area and deploy our UAVs to “look” for 1 man. Of course, we failed miserably both tech-wise and 4-6% GDP-wise army. Wonder how much of GDP his improvised flotation device cost? Must have come with a “dazzler” system in order to defeat the night goggles used by our causeway patrols.
We seem to think money solves everything. Ultimately, best & costly weapons don’t win wars. We employed some of the best soldiers (ie. Gurhkas) to guard MSK. This shows that mercenaries (whether FTs or soldiers) will be unpredictable. You need commited personnel behind the hitech toys. In this aspect, I agree with the many here that the indiscriminate import of FT/FW really cheapen those that had served NS, so that there is a demoralizing effect.
Aside:
@14) Ghim Moh resident on July 7th, 2009 10.55 pm
I hope OCS teaches how to use a compass! Recon PC don’t even know N from S, in my experiences. If leading, guarantee Bn will be lost by morning.
@31) A Tan on July 8th, 2009 10.50 am
Don’t think so big, lah! Our hi-tech missile gunboat (RSS Courageous) can’t even avoid a large, slow container ship in well defined sea lanes. The captain of ship must be a white horse. No disrespect to the 4 servicewomen who died. Tidy own house first…
maybe our bullets are made of solid silver to guard against werewolves, torpedoes have sheild like those alien movies (Independance Day)? lol… :P
aiys, spend so much money, but strangely so many deaths in this year alone. maybe the money is to compensate?
sorry to so-&-so family, we c***-up…. got war, die, people can understand. nowar also die? dun send your son do NS, if only son then ask for exemption manz….
hi Theforgottongeneration,
on July 9th, 2009 12.32 am
well insightful, well said!! ;)
rwkc at #35:
Singapore’s GDP in 2008 was $ 257 bn, so an expenditure of $11.4 bn works out to 4.4% of GDP.
The GDP this year is likely to drop by up to 20%. If this happens, the figure will go up by 1 percent.
1 in 3 residing in Singapore are foreigners. This figure is set to increase in the near future. They have successfully replaced Singaporeans and sending money back to their motherland. Local properties and companies can also be bought and sold for profit. Why would any country kill this cash cow by invading?
Our fear of being invaded was more realistic in the past when Singapore is a country.
that’s a big. 6%. in indonesia just 1% from GDP/year. that’s a paranoid.
give us the peace. say not to war.
Anyone knows what is the %GDP allocated to TH + GIC for their investments? Loss of $60b (TH only) written off so lightly, while personally seeing old people collecting old cans for recycle. Of course, they could be the FTs of yester-years, or smart people living their retirement in JB – sell cans in SGP, live expenses in Johore.
I think people like Ghim moh resident are trying to say that there is a reason to spend on defence and so whatever the amount is justified.
I think this can mislead people to ignore, what i feel is, the main point of this article – how is it accounted? With due respect I trust it is nicely accounted. But the concern raised by this article, i feel, is how is it accounted and with no ill intentions.
mr ghim moh, over to you.
i forgot to add that I support having a defence budget. The only concern is as stated.
we need a big defence budget and many many nsmen (to endure ns for 2.5 years or more) to support the country’s economic growth and keep talented foreigners coming to take up jobs which our fussy citizens wont do, which in turn keep labour cost low for low end jobs by high labour cost for high end jobs, and rich FT helps maintain the high proprty prices by buying up high and so do not rock our property investments.
excellent polcy and a very far sighted garmen.
What ST didn’t report on: http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14254
In fact,SG like sitting at the top in defence spending,say 10% of GDP.
1.We pay less but get more.
In absolute term,Australia aka Oz spends 2.5 times of SG money.But their deployable platforms and personnels is much less than SG.
—-Submarines,SG 4 v Oz one deployable in short notice,2 in longer notice,and 3 in much longer.
—-AEW—SG 4 vs Oz zero
—-air tankers—SG 6 v Oz zero.
—-Surface combat ships—SG more than 20 vs Oz 10.
—-Total no. of launchers of missiles and torpedo—-almost the same.SG is more in some ………………
re–73) Talk is Cheap on July 9th, 2009 10.46 am .
may i ask why SG was involved?
40#
don’t talk cock please. :) Although the Chinese population in Msia, Indo and Ph are more than Singaporean Chinese, they are still considered very minority when compared to their native race. Why do they need to fear of the minority race? The fact is that, they fear of Singapore taking away their supremacy in the region when we use sheer economical attractiveness to overtake their population size and land area.
Another point to note – they are jealous of Singapore and want this little red dot to be destroyed sooner but no later.
No wonder MP got burn. I think more to come.
This time the situations just frustrated all middle income Singaporean.
When all start to burn I will see how they can run.
Phew.
Lionnoisy,
Read up on the RAN’s orbat before you do any comparison. Your numbers are wrong.
re 78.i mean ships in operations ,ie ships can sail and defend oz.
not on the paper Orbat.
2.even we just consider on the paper orbat.i think SG is more than Oz
in platforms,as well as launchers of missiles(AA and anti–surface)and torpedo.
3.BTW,do u know only one sub can sail currently?
Speak to the people on the ground, and they will tell you your facts are not as accurate as you might think.
As for naval platforms, we have less than the RAN (don’t forget to include their riverine and coastal patrol units)
re–80. no. of surface combatants is one factor.But many oz naval ships currently
resting in docks for get–well or upgrade programme.
2.can u believe only one can sail?
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25514125-5006301,00.html
3.read how Oz DOD answer.
http://www.defence.gov.au/on_the_record/index.htm
29.05.2009.Letter To the Editor – ‘Adelaide Advertiser’ 21 May 09, ‘Herald Sun’ 22 May 09
It’s called rotational availability.. subs need regular dock maintenance.
re 82___-i think two third of naval platforms in immediate operational mode is a norm.
one out of 6.is it too low?Wat do u think
say during a freak election, and you are mobilized by the gov (aka PAP) and you are ordered to open fire. Now, will you shoot and kill your own father, brother, school friends, colleagues?
Citizen soldiers, at least we are still physically holding the M16/SAR21, manning the tanks and the guns. Can PAP order the citizen soldiers to shoot at our own citizens? PAP can. But conscience of every soldier hopefully will overcome such an order if the day comes.
I think that’s where the Gurkhas comes in.
To do away with NS (conscription) and create a cadre of an all professional force will be another story altogether. Now these professional soldiers are not citizen soldiers, they MAY fire…
for every citizen to endure NS may not be a bad thing from a greater scheme of things, at least, we are physically holding the weapons (and hopefully the bullets as well). Just need to remind everyone of us whom don the no.4 uniform that we are all singaporeans, we don’t take orders from PAP to shoot at our own singaporeans!
But an all professional force coupled with an authocratic regime will be a potent force to contend with.
S’pore spent so much on defence……why then Mas Selamat was to escape & gone all the to Johor without got arrested by the SAF with their “sophisticated technology”?
S’pore high spending in defence is just like American…….”Attack, destroy and go home”…….”Quick start, quick end “.
S’pore govt (PAP) believe high technology will win the battle.
But if the enemy uses Guerilla Warfare tactics, S’pore will LOSE BIG. Just how the American lost the Vietnam war & struggling in Iraq, Afghanistan. S’pore SAF will be drain psychology & physically. With including obese, act blur, pinky SAF soldiers, how to fight??
Externally SAF look strong but internally it’s otherwise…….There why s’pore govt needs the Americans & provides the air-base, sea-base to them.
Anyway how much SAF spend, the people will never have the say.
But how you spend, you have a SAY. Spent & save wisely, you need $$$$ since inflation & GST are going UP.
Have you guys not realised yet—considering the number of foreigners,PR etc within the country–this country HAS already been invaded.
Natural born citizens get to do NS.
FTs get NS—National Scholarships and job priority.
Gong Li, Jet Li and a few other Lees get to live in nice bungalows, NS serving live in HDB—Hole [pigeon] Disguised as Building
Seriously, whose lifestyle are we defending?
The CHINDIANISATION of this country has happened without a single bullet being fired.
This must be the only country in history that treats its citizens worse than FT.
Hence one of the highest migration rate in the world..
re 85.USA spents billions to catch Osama…then how?
Triple Threat #76 wrote:
“The fact is that, they fear of Singapore taking away their supremacy in the region when we use sheer economical attractiveness to overtake their population size and land area.
Another point to note – they are jealous of Singapore and want this little red dot to be destroyed sooner but no later.”
I have 2 words for you, Sir: DREAM ON!
These neighbours are probably laughing at SG’s desperation – welcoming any T. D & H to squeeze their own citizens, opening casinos, and flogging off their land and properties to rich foreigners.
70) Wong Sifu on July 9th, 2009 9.49 am
If you look at my previous comments, I didn’t say whatever amount is justified. Again, don’t twist what I have wrote or think what I wrote has other meanings.
We need to trust people.
70) Wong Sifu on July 9th, 2009 9.49 am
To add further, is this article “Singapore to have one of the highest defence budget in the world in 2009” talking about accountability in the first place?
This article is a report on Singapore Defence Budget spending, its economy and what the SAF is engaging in recently.
hi Ghim Moh Resident,
post #90 on July 9th, 2009 8.37 pm
////I didn’t say whatever amount is justified.////
then kindly clarify what you mean by your staement below?
////Good move by the SAF, we should continue to spend on defense like the Israelis.////
post #14, on July 7th, 2009 10.48 pm
or am i missing something?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
do we have terrorists firing rockets onto our land like Israel? do we conduct military operations into our neighbour’s territory to flush out terrorists? besides our country has not seen a real war post independance.
there is a vast difference between us & Israel, why not compare ourselves to Switzerland? lol…
90) Ghim Moh resident on July 9th, 2009 8.37 pm
“We need to trust people.”
Oh, what a enlightening statement of wisdom!
TRUST. Give me a T! Give me a R! gimme a U! gimme a S! gimme a T!
You are saying this like grumbling at singaporeans that they have not trusted enough?
Mind you, singaporeans have trusted them for the last 50 years. Dun push it.
Invasion already here in Singapore !!! Our country is Invaded by hordes of Foreign Trash !!
And who open the gates ?? It was the traitor PAP !!!
88#
face the reality, thank you.
89#
but we are also laughing at them, for their sheer backwardness. Who is laughing at who, depends on which angle you are looking at.
I watch on BBC a few years ago that Singapore’s Armed Forces is larger than the combined Armed Forces of the whole South East Asia neighbours. Do we really need such a huge force for defence?
Someone mentioned Confrantasi. Goodness that happened soooo long ago in the 60s. Someone mentioned what if someone like Dr M is in charge of KL; Goodness Dr M was the PM of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003, duh? Were we attacked? We are the largest armed forces in the region, We are living in peace in this regionand since our doctrine is Defence, we should be able to do with less defence spending. Scale it down by say 25% or S$2.85 Billions ( I guess still the biggest armed forces around)? Inject the savings in benefits for the aging population and health. Maybe then, we do not have to keep shifting the goal posts for CPF withdrawals.
96# Triple Threat
what 88# Rafflesian wrote is true …. my overseas friends are wondering which gahman except Singapore open the floodgates to foreign trash and thus inflicting hardship on her own citizens !
face the reality, thank you.
my opinion is that the budget is too high. in light of the current economic realities our people are facing, its off the roof!
S’pore weakness is its dependence on other country for food, water &, well, almost everything. just increase price or set embargo (like banning sale of sand) & S’pore suffer. so easy to bully S’pore, no need the military option.
our country economy so weak now, dunno soldiers (non regulars) got enough to eat anot, let alone fight a war…
@92) mice is nice on July 9th, 2009 9.14 pm
Agree that there is a vast diff. between Israel and SGP. For start, the Israeli took land for their nation that others didn’t want to give up; SGP on the other hand was kicked out of Malaya. Communism is now dead, there is also ASEAN, so who is really a true potential aggressor? More scare tactics to feed us?
Just because the Israelis helped set up NS, it doesn’t mean we are facing the same situation, mentality or even ability as them. Currently, we are just like ….OK, maybe Switzerland …. where having a standing army is norm for any nation. NS may have HAD a political aim of giving the citizens a sense of protecting the fruits of one’s labour, of fighting for something called Home, but with the influx (or tsuinami?) of FT/FWs, it has become a hard sell to true singaporeans.
96# Triple Threat,
What Rafflesian said is true.
A china colleague told me also that he has seen many singaporeans now retrenched and starting their own company as last resort. Even foreigners see the picture.
R u living in DENIAL?