Total Defence 2026 exercise to have app disruptions, rescheduled sounding of Public Warning System
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This year's Total Defence Exercise will see the Public Warning System sound the signal used to alert the population to an important broadcast.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
- Exercise SG Ready 2026 runs Feb 1-15, focusing on readiness for digital connectivity loss and power outages, as announced by Mindef on Jan 15.
- On Feb 1 at 3pm, key platforms like OneNS app will go offline for one hour to simulate disruptions and test user response/continuity plans.
- Public Warning System will sound the "Important Message" signal on Feb 1 (not Feb 15) at 3pm to remind Singaporeans that disruptions can happen anytime.
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SINGAPORE – Platforms like the OneNS app and Workpal, a public service digital workplace app, will go offline for an hour on Feb 1 to help the community prepare for a potential widespread disruption.
This is part of 2026’s Total Defence exercise, which will also see the Public Warning System sound the signal used to alert the population to an important broadcast. This will be done on Feb 1 instead of the usual Feb 15, to remind Singaporeans that disruptions can occur at any time.
Exercise SG Ready 2026, which will run from Feb 1 to 15,
The theme of the exercise is “Are you ready for disruptions?”, and it will focus on Singaporean’s readiness for degraded digital connectivity and prolonged power outages, Mindef said on Jan 15.
Speaking to the media at Our Tampines Hub, Mindef deputy secretary (policy), Brigadier-General Frederick Choo, said events around the world have shown the inevitability of crises happening and that Singapore was not immune.
He said: “This year, we wanted to turn Singapore’s attention to what is very important to all of us, which is our internet connectivity, the digital connectivity.
“It is quite unthinkable for internet services to be cut off. We have many redundancies within Singapore, but nevertheless, we must socialise Singaporeans to the possibility of what happens when your familiar digital services are no longer working, what happens when the internet is temporarily shut off.
“Does it mean that we stop life, stop working? We need to be able to respond.”
Brigadier-General Frederick Choo said events around the world have shown the inevitability of crises happening and that Singapore was not immune.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
At 3pm on Feb 1, participating organisations will simulate a disruption to e-services by putting non-emergency platforms on maintenance mode for one hour.
These include the Safra app, the BudgetMealGoWhere website, which maps out HDB coffee shops offering budget meals, the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants app and website, and the Singapore Institute of Directors website.
BG Choo said the simulated disruption serves to test how users respond and allows app owners to trial their continuity plans during application downtime.
“We hope that, collectively, it will strengthen our responsiveness and our ability to react when something goes wrong,” he added.
During the hour, participating organisations will carry messages to remind users of the need to be ready for such disruptions, with a link to a guide on what to do during a digital connectivity interruption from the Ministry of Digital Development and Information and the IMDA.
The guide will provide practical tips and resources on service resilience for the public and businesses to be better prepared in the event of internet disruptions, minimising the impact on their day-to-day activities.
Also at 3pm on Feb 1, the Public Warning System will sound the “Important Message” signal for 20 seconds on all smartphones with SCDF’s myResponder app or the SGSecure app, if prior permission was given.
This is the first time the siren will be sounded on Feb 1 instead of Feb 15, and the change is a one-off. Mindef said having it on a different day in 2026 serves as a reminder that the exercise is an operational activity and that crises and disruptions can hit at any time.
There will also be a broadcast alert message pop-up on the ERP 2.0 OBU for cars, with intermittent broadcasts starting from 2.45pm.
The alert will announce that the Public Warning System “Important Message” signal has been sounded as part of Exercise SG Ready 2026 and encourage members of the public to tune in to any local radio station to hear this year’s Total Defence message.
The message from Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam will be broadcast on all local radio stations and free-to-air TV channels after the sounding of the Public Warning System.
As part of the exercise, about 1,000 organisations, schools and units from the education, community, business and government sectors will also carry out activities to strengthen their continuity plans for digital and power disruptions.
On Feb 2, companies including the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and Mapletree Management will organise a Total Defence tabletop exercise for participating businesses to strengthen their preparedness for potential operational disruptions.
Quantedge Capital and Amova Asset Management are also organising a sector-focused tabletop exercise, bringing together senior leadership from various fund companies with operations in Singapore to discuss responses to prolonged power disruptions and disrupted digital connectivity.
Mindef is also partnering with SBF to conduct a phishing exercise for small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as large companies, from industry sectors including manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade and construction.
Simulated disruption activities and programmes to commemorate Total Defence will be held from Jan 31 to Feb 15 at various SAFRA clubhouses, giving operationally ready national servicemen, or NSmen, and their families opportunities to learn about readiness for power outages and disrupted digital connectivity.
Meanwhile, the Singapore Red Cross Society will be running psychological first-aid courses on Feb 4, 5, 25 and 26 in support of the event.
