SS Notes 2:

Deterrence and Diplomacy

Deterrence

Factors: Citizen armed force, Multi-agency coordination on security, Military

cooperation with other countries, 3rd gen. SAF, Defense industry, and Total
Defense.

Format: xxx factor is an important factor of deterrence. xxxxxxxx. Thus, xxx

factor is an important factor of deterrence.

CAF: The citizen armed force was created with the introduction of National
Service in 1967. This enlisted able-bodied men into the army. This has increased
Singapore’s defense capabilities, which is a form of deterrence. For example in
1965 there were about 1000 soldiers in the military but in 2005 there were
355,000. Thus, a citizen armed force is an important factor of deterrence.

Multi-agency coordination: Multi-agency coordination on security increases the

efficiency of Singapore’s security agencies as information and resources are
shared among these agencies. Singapore’s national security is therefore
enhanced and strengthened. For example, the NSCS was set up to coordinate
the work of the various government agencies such as the Ministry of Defense
and the Ministry of Home Affairs. Thus, multi-agency coordination on security is
an important factor of deterrence.

Military cooperation: Singapore conducts training exercises in various countries

and has defense arrangements with multiple countries. These alliance
agreements serve to deter would-be aggressors. For example, Singapore is
involved in the Five Power Defense Arrangements. Thus, military cooperation
with other countries is an important factor of deterrence.

3rd gen. SAF: The 3rd Gen. SAF is enhanced by state-of-the-art info-
communications technologies. This maximizes its defensive capabilities and
equips soldiers to fight decisively in war and respond flexibly in peacetime. For
example, the new SAR 21 gun has been introduced as replacement for the M16.
The SAR 21 is much more effective than its predecessor. Thus, the 3rd gen. SAF is
an important factor of deterrence.

Defence industry: The defense industry was started in 1967 when CIS was
established to produce small arms ammunition. The DSTA was also formed in
2000 to develop new weapon systems for the SAF’s use. The defense industry
improves the capability and effectiveness of the SAF. For example, the Bionix
tank was manufactured in Singapore. Thus, the defense industry is an important
factor of deterrence.

Total defense: Total defense was introduced in 1984 to involve everyone in the
defense of the country. It has 5 aspects: Military, Civil, Economic, Social and
Psychological Defense. Potential aggressors will think twice about attacking
Singapore if they know they face the entire nation and not just the armed forces.
For example, civil defense efforts saved 17 lives when Hotel New World collapsed
suddenly on 15 March 1986. Thus, total defense is an important factor of
deterrence.

Basis of Comparison:

Total defense>all other factors: Total defense addresses a wider range of

problems than “name other factor”. While “name other factor” only addresses
the militaristic aspect of deterrence, total defense adopts a more holistic
approach and thus produces a more effective way of dealing with various
threats. Thus, total defense is more important than “name other factor”. While
“name other factor” defends against militaristic threats, total defense
counteracts all threats including attacks from transnational terrorists. Also, total
defense is more flexible in combating threats.

While “name other factor” defends against militaristic threats, total defense
counteracts all threats including attacks from transnational terrorists. Also, total
defense is more flexible in combating threats.

Factors can be grouped into 3 sub-groups: Technology (3rd gen and defense
industry), People (CAF) and Intelligence (Co-op and Co-ord).

Technology>People: “Factor” is more important than a citizen armed force when

we look at efficiency. With the proper technology, fewer soldiers are required for
combat which reduces the strain on Singapore’s manpower. Even with a citizen
armed force, they are, by their nature, less trained than an invading professional
army. In addition, during wartime, a citizen armed force can never be fully
utilized due to manpower constraints. Therefore, “factor” is required to level the
playing field. Thus, “factor” is more important than a citizen armed force.

Defense industry>3rd gen SAF: Defense industry is more important than 3rd gen
SAF as advances made on home soil will make other countries fear Singapore
even more than simply acquiring weapons from foreign sources as other
countries will not know the extent of Singapore’s development. Also, the defense
industry is able to develop technology that suits Singapore’s specific needs.
Acquiring weapons overseas might not be able to suit our conditions particularly
well. Thus the defense industry is more important than the 3rd gen SAF.

Technology>Intelligence: “Factor” is the primary reason for Singapore’s national

security. “Other factor”, while beneficial to national security, still hinges on the
army’s ability to deal with threats. Also, no amount of training/intelligence will
help if the armed forces are poorly equipped to fight, especially with warfare
becoming more dependent on technology. Singapore cannot solely depend on
other countries to defend it. Thus, the 3rd gen SAF is more important than
military cooperation with other countries.

People>Intelligence: Even if multiple agencies were to combine to form an

efficient intelligence network, the system still hinges on the armed forces ability
to deal with the threat. Without a properly equipped army, Singapore would still
not have the ability to defend itself and deter threats. Thus the citizen armed
force is more important than multi-agency coordination on security.

Cooperation>Coordination: Military cooperation is more important than multi-

agency coordination as in the event of a threat, other countries can help.
Potential aggressors will reconsider if they are up against 5 countries instead of
just 1. Even if the country is able to pick up intelligence on potential aggressors,
it might still not be able to defend against the threat or be able to deter these
aggressors. Military cooperation also reduces the risk of invasion from the
participating countries. This effectively serves as a preemptive to deter threats
from these countries by fostering good relations rather than picking up
intelligence only when they are about to attack. Thus, military cooperation is
more important than multi-agency coordination

Diplomacy:

Factors: Bilateral relations, Regional relations and International relations.

Format: xxx factor is an important factor of diplomacy.

Bilateral relations: Singapore has been actively involved in expanding bilateral

relationships with many countries since its independence. This has benefitted
Singapore in many ways. For example, countries like Japan and Germany have
established trading relationships with Singapore. These partnerships allowed
Singapore to acquire advanced technological skills from these developed
countries. Thus, bilateral relations are an important factor of diplomacy.

Regional relations: Countries also establish regional relations by forming an

association of countries in a region. Singapore is a part of ASEAN, which consists
of ten member nations. This has allowed Singapore to achieve better relations
with its neighbors such as Malaysia and Indonesia. This has also allowed
Singapore to achieve better economic growth. For example, the AFTA was
launched in 1992 to remove all import taxes among SEA countries. Thus,
regional relations are an important factor of diplomacy.

International relations: International relations involve ties among many countries

and groupings throughout the world. Singapore is a part of the UN, an
international organization. This has benefitted Singapore in many ways. For
example when Singapore became a member an economic expert from the UN,
Dr. Albert Winsemius was sent to help Singapore in its industrial planning from
its independence to the late 1970s. Singapore has also been involved in the UN’s
peacekeeping efforts since 1989. Thus, international relations are an important
factor of diplomacy.

Basis of comparison:

Factors can be grouped into 2 sub-groups: Organizations (Regional and

international relations) and Bilateral.
Organizations>Bilateral: “Factor” is more important as Singapore has more
countries to benefit from rather than bilateral ties, where you only benefit from
one country. This allows Singapore to benefit from the expertise of different
countries. In addition, “factor” is more secure than bilateral ties as if one country
renegades from its agreement, the other countries can step in to perform the
necessary course of action.

Regional>International : Regional relations are more important than

international relations as the countries involved are a lot closer to Singapore.
Thus, any threat against Singapore can be seen as a threat to the entire region
and these countries will thus be more willing to help Singapore than some
country half-way around the world. In addition, countries in ASEAN can help
Singapore and the time taken to send that aid is much shorter than for other
countries. Thus, regional relations are more important than international
relations.

Diplomacy vs. Deterrence:

Diplomacy: Diplomacy is an important factor in maintaining peace and security.

Through diplomacy, countries provided opportunities to pursue mutual interests
while promoting political, economic and cultural ties among the countries. For
example, Singapore is involved in bilateral ties with countries like Japan and
Germany, both of which have been very useful to Singapore. Also, Singapore is
involved in sending aid in the form of humanitarian aid to Aceh as well as
participation in UN peacekeeping missions. This fosters good relations between
Singapore and these other countries, maintaining peace through the fostering of
good will. Thus, diplomacy is an important factor in maintaining peace and
security.

Deterrence: Deterrence is an important factor in maintaining peace and security.

Deterrence is an important measure taken by Singapore to prevent and protect
itself from threats. Singapore’s main way of doing this is through total defense.
With everyone involved in defending the country, Singapore’s security is that
much more effective and factors such as joint military exercises and innovations
in technology augment Singapore’s ability to defend itself. Thus, deterrence is an
important factor in maintaining peace and security.

BOC:

Diplomacy>Deterrence: Diplomacy is more important than deterrence as overly

flaunting your military strength can cause a country to be perceived as a threat.
This is obviously not desirable for a country as others might band together to
bring it down. Also, over-reliance on deterrence can spark off an arms race,
leading to heightened tensions and suspicion. This can cause a region to become
even more unstable and increases the chances of being attacked. Thus,
diplomacy is more important than deterrence.