Credibility of SAF has given investors confidence in Singapore: Chan Chun Sing

SINGAPORE – The Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF) track record in keeping Singapore safe has enabled the Republic to keep bringing in business and investments, said Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing.

This is because people know that when Singapore says their investments here will be protected, it is not just empty talk, Mr Chan said at an SAF Day rededication ceremony at Capital Tower on July 1.

Rather than a slogan, it is a promise “of continued hard work to say that we are able to manage the emerging geostrategic challenges, the security challenges”.

“But more importantly, it is a commitment by Mindef and SAF to say that we will keep our eyes on the ball and make sure that we are not just dealing with today’s challenges or yesterday’s challenges, but we are constantly asking ourselves how to anticipate the new challenges... and how do we rise to the occasion,” he said.

At a fireside chat alongside Singapore Business Federation (SBF) chief executive officer Kok Ping Soon and Mr Ervin Yeo, CapitaLand Investment’s group chief strategy officer and CEO of commercial management, Mr Chan said people have a quiet confidence in the city-state, not just in its security, but also that it will not change its rules overnight.

This is a credit to the generations of SAF servicemen and women who have constantly looked over the horizon to anticipate future threats, and to take the necessary steps even before the threats emerge, he added.

While the world is fragmenting and there are different forces pulling it in different directions, he said there are also opportunities for Singapore to work with new partners that continue to believe in the need for a global rules-based order.

As people look for ways to diversify their risks, there will be opportunities for Singapore if it can keep itself as a safe haven and a peaceful oasis.

This requires the Republic to keep its society united, for the people and the Government to stay focused on the key issues of the day, and to be proactive in addressing challenges.

Mr Chan said that even if the world is turned upside down, the important thing is to make sure that Singapore is not at the bottom of the heap when things return to normal.

This is as companies are looking for a relatively safer place to invest, and so long as Singapore can be that place, it has the chance to win investments and create jobs that command better wages, he added.

“In truth, it is always like that. It is not just what we do absolutely, but it is also what we do relatively that is important for us to earn our keep and maintain our relevance,” he said.

Mr Chan also cited the example of the competition over vaccine plants, noting that some countries used the size of their domestic market as a selling point.

Singapore clearly cannot use the same strategy, but instead its strength lies in giving firms preferential access to many other markets, and its record of doing what it says.

“We promised people that even in the toughest of times, you will have access to the international market, and that we will make sure that we keep our ports, our airports, our connectivity open,” he said.

“The global market will definitely be bigger than any local or regional market, no matter how big your country is.”

The SAF Day rededication ceremonies in 2025 were, for the first time, held concurrently at five locations. They had traditionally been organised by civilian partner organisations across four places.

A total of 409 operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen) from 339 companies and organisations, and their employers, took part in the ceremonies.

In his SAF Day message, Mr Chan said the SAF stands ready across the air, land, sea and digital space, and that it is sharpening its capabilities against existing and emerging threats, from unmanned warfare to cyber attacks.

The SAF will also continue to contribute to upholding the global security order, as it has done by participating in peacekeeping, counter-piracy and humanitarian disaster relief operations, he added.

At the same event, SBF chairman Teo Siong Seng said the commitment to national service by Singaporeans and businesses is all the more important given geopolitical tensions and conflicts.

“For a small island state like us to continue thriving, for our businesses to do well domestically and internationally, we must be able to keep our country safe and secure,” he said.

This point was echoed by Manpower Minister Tan See Leng at another ceremony at Suntec City, organised by the Singapore Manufacturing Federation.

“We can only succeed – as individuals, as companies and as a country – because the men and women of the SAF stand ready to defend us,” said Dr Tan, who is also Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science & Technology.

He thanked businesses that have supported their NSmen, such as through flexible work arrangements, and urged more to do the same.

“Pro-NS policies are not just patriotic – they are good business ethics. They reflect leadership, resilience and responsibility.”

In the afternoon, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Mr Chan attended the SAF Day Parade at Safti Military Institute, alongside 2,000 NSmen, full-time national servicemen and regulars.

Mr Tharman presented the State Colours to this year’s Best Combat Unit, 1st Commando Battalion, and Mr Chan presented awards to the 2025 winners of SAF’s Best Unit Competition.