Russia-Ukraine war: Singapore to set up digital military force to tackle cyberattacks

Name: Ukraine invasion: Mothers, babies shelter in basement of children's hospital in Kyiv
Uploaded: 2022-03-03T05:18:58.000Z
Duration: 2 min 34 s
Description: Ukraine invasion: Mothers, babies shelter in basement of children's hospital in Kyiv

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said the new unit will be established by the last quarter of the year to integrate Singapore’s capabilities in the digital domain

The move came as hackers with a wide range of allegiances have taken up cyber arms after Russian invaded Ukraine

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Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen. File photo: AFP

Bloomberg

Published: 1:18pm, 3 Mar 2022Updated: 12:52pm, 9 Mar 2022

Singapore will set up a new wing of its armed forces dedicated to digital security with a minister saying the Russia-Ukraine war, which has included cyberattacks, shows the need to build the city state’s own defences against external threats.

Addressing parliament on Wednesday, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said the Singapore Armed Forces would establish a so-called “fourth service,” meant to integrate and expand the republic’s capabilities in the digital domain.

“As good and as ambitious as the next generation SAF is, there are some gaps and capabilities, which recent events and developments warned us against,” he said. “And I’m talking primarily about threats in the digital domain.”

The new military cyber service will be set up by the last quarter of the year and should help Singapore “deal effectively with digital threats from external aggressors that we expect will grow in numbers, sophistication and organisation,” Ng said. This may require, “a few brigades, perhaps even a division size force.”

The move comes as hackers with a wide range of allegiances have taken up digital arms in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The unfolding events in Ukraine have resonated with Singapore, which has said in the past that it is vulnerable to cyberattacks, fake news and hostile information campaigns because it is a small but open financial hub.

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Ukraine invasion: Mothers, babies shelter in basement of children's hospital in Kyiv

Last year, the government passed a controversial foreign interference bill aimed at preventing foreign entities or individuals from influencing politics in Singapore.