Singapore: Covid-19 pandemic reaffirmed Total Defence as vital and necessary; 14 imported cases on Feb 14

Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen said that Total Defence saved lives and jobs when it was put into action during the pandemic in 2020. - The Straits Times/ANN

SINGAPORE, Feb 14 (The Straits Times/ANN): Total Defence was commemorated more as a concept and exhortation when the going was good and smooth for many years, Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen has said.

But the Covid-19 pandemic has reaffirmed it as a "living concept", vital and necessary to the country's collective well-being, and central to its ability to overcome grave challenges, he added.