In the face of threats, trust is vital: Ong Ye Kung

Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung speaking at the 6th IISS Fullerton Forum: The Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) Sherpa Meeting, on Jan 29, 2018. ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG

As the world faces threats like terrorism, online falsehoods and the retreat of globalisation, the most crucial form of peacetime defence is psychological, Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung has said.

"It is about the ability of people to trust each other, have faith in societal and government institutions, provided they are not corrupt, and be resilient to forces aimed at sowing discord and creating fissures in society," he said yesterday. Mr Ong was giving a special address at the sixth International Institute for Strategic Studies Fullerton Forum: The Shangri-La Dialogue Sherpa Meeting, which ends today.

In his 20-minute speech addressing defence officials, senior military officers and academics from around the world, he outlined four challenges and discussed possible domestic and regional responses.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 30, 2018, with the headline In the face of threats, trust is vital: Ong Ye Kung. Subscribe