Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said leadership succession is a cardinal strength of the party and that it was time for him to step down to make way for new candidates. - ST
SINGAPORE: Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, who guided Singapore’s military strategy through an increasingly complex security environment, will retire from politics after over two decades in Cabinet.
The five-term MP announced on Friday (April 18) that he will not be contesting the general election.
Speaking at a press conference to announce the PAP’s slate for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC and Marymount SMC, Dr Ng said leadership succession is a cardinal strength of the party and that it was time for him to step down to make way for new candidates.
“I had informed (Prime Minister Lawrence Wong) some months back that it was time for me to continue that virtuous tradition to make room for renewal and regeneration of the PAP slate. I will not be contesting the next general election,” he said, thanking residents in the constituency for their trust over 24 years.
“It’s been an honour and privilege to serve my residents and Singaporeans at large,” Dr Ng, 66, said.
A surgical oncologist by training, Dr Ng entered politics as part of the PAP’s slate in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC at the 2001 General Election. He was appointed Minister of State for Education and Manpower shortly after, and became a full minister in 2004.
Dr Ng’s long association with Singapore’s defence fraternity began in 2005, when he was appointed Second Minister for Defence, while retaining his manpower portfolio. He took over as Defence Minister from Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean in 2011.
Responding to questions about his potential successor as defence minister, Dr Ng on April 18 said PM Wong has confidence that his new team will have the resolve to face the challenges of a new world.
He noted that every government must navigate the tension between renewal and experience, and said it was a strength of the PAP that it continually pushes for leadership renewal. Older politicians must step aside for newer ones to prepare for the future.
“I have the confidence too as to particular portfolios, whether it’s defence or indeed any other ministry. I think within the new team, there is the wherewithal to be able to do it,” Dr Ng said.
“Obviously, some have less experience than others. But there’s only one way to gain experience, and that’s experience.”
Modernising the SAF
As Minister for Defence, he rolled out two long-term blueprints to modernise the Singapore Armed Forces and ensured it stayed a force capable of meeting evolving threats against Singapore.
The SAF 2030 initiative, which Dr Ng unveiled in Parliament in 2014, aimed to turn the Republic’s three services – army, navy, air force – into a highly connected fighting force that could put up a credible defence, even as birth rates fell.
Among the changes the plan ushered in was a more motorised and mobile army with added Terrex infantry fighting vehicles (IFV); Invincible-class submarines custom-built to meet the operational needs in Singapore’s tropical waters; and new Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport that extended the range of the air force’s fighter jets.
In 2024, Dr Ng announced the updated SAF 2040 blueprint. It took on board lessons from ongoing conflicts such as the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, where drones and anti-drone warfare came to prominence.
As such, unmanned and autonomous capabilities were a major part of the plan to ensure the SAF maintains its operational edge in the years to come, even as warfare evolves.
For instance, the army will get new Titan IFVs, which not only have heavier armour and more firepower than the Terrex, but also be equipped with counter unmanned aerial systems (UAS) capabilities.
Meanwhile, the navy will replace its ageing missile corvettes with Multi-Role Combat Vessels, which are mother ships equipped with unmanned platforms, while the air force will have 20 F-35 fighter jets in its fleet by 2030.
Dr Ng also championed soldier training and oversaw the development of Safti City, a next-generation training facility in Lim Chu Kang designed to provide more realistic and integrated urban warfare training, which he announced in 2017.
In March, the SAF officially opened the first phase of this urban training facility, which allows soldiers to train in complex and realistic environments that provide feedback through real-time data analytics.
Dr Ng also presided over a significant reorganisation of the SAF when, in 2022, it established the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) as a full-fledged fourth branch.
The DIS is charged with protecting Singapore’s digital backbone and critical IT infrastructure from cyber attacks and other emerging threats, while keeping the SAF’s technology stack at the cutting edge.
Under his watch, the Ministry of Defence also expanded the concept of Total Defence in 2019 with a sixth pillar, digital defence, to emphasise the need for every Singaporean to be vigilant against cyber threats and disinformation.
It was the first time since Total Defence was introduced in 1984 that the framework – meant to ensure Singapore’s resilience against all forms of threats – was changed, and reflected the growing importance of the digital space to daily life.
Singapore’s chief defence diplomat
Dr Ng used his tenure as defence minister to deepen Singapore’s military-to-military ties with countries near and far, including major powers such as the United States and China.
In 2019, during the first Trump presidency, Singapore and the US updated and renewed a key defence pact which provides for the US security forces to use Singapore’s air and naval bases, and another agreement to establish a fighter jet training detachment in Guam.
In the same year, Dr Ng and then Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe signed an enhanced agreement to expand bilateral defence cooperation, which paved the way for new dialogues, academic exchanges and joint exercises between the two countries.
Dr Ng also played a key role in strengthening defence cooperation with Singapore’s neighbours, including Malaysia and Indonesia.
With Malaysia, Dr Ng worked closely with successive defence ministers to strengthen military cooperation. This included the annual bilateral exercise Semangat Bersatu, as well as joint participation in multilateral frameworks such as the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA), alongside Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Defence ties with Indonesia were also deepened. Among the three landmark pacts that the two countries signed in 2022 was a Defence Cooperation Agreement, which clarified the SAF’s training in Indonesian waters and airspace while respecting Indonesia’s sovereignty over its territory and preserving Singapore’s rights.
A firm believer in the importance of defence diplomacy – he has occasionally quoted Winston Churchill’s axiom that “to jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war” – Dr Ng has been a regular presence at regional and international security forums, and is de facto host representing the Republic at the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) that is held here each year.
At the same time, he is known to speak frankly about global challenges. At the February 2025 Munich Security Conference, he said that Asian perspectives of the US had shifted from a country once perceived as a force of “moral legitimacy” to something akin to “a landlord seeking rent”.
His remarks made headlines around the world, and proved prescient when the US subsequently imposed sweeping tariffs on most of its trading partners.
One of the more high-profile episodes during Dr Ng’s time as defence minister was the 2016 Terrex incident, when nine SAF armoured vehicles were impounded by Hong Kong customs while en route from Taiwan.
In Parliament, Dr Ng described the episode as a breach of international norms, and affirmed Singapore’s commitment to its training arrangements in Taiwan while upholding its “One China” policy.
The SAF’s role in global humanitarian operations was expanded under Dr Ng’s leadership, and included deployments to Aceh after the 2004 tsunami, and an airlift of medical supplies and food to Gaza in 2023.
At home, the SAF also played a significant role in Singapore’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the height of the outbreak, SAF personnel were deployed to assist with contact tracing, operate community care facilities, and support logistics efforts such as the distribution of masks and food packs. Military doctors and medics were also seconded to public hospitals to ease manpower pressures.
Before assuming the defence portfolio, Dr Ng served as Second Minister for Defence from 2005 to 2011. He also held other Cabinet positions, including Minister for Education from 2004 to 2008 and Minister for Manpower from 2008 to 2011.
Dr Ng is among several veteran political office holders expected to step down before the May 3 election. Senior Minister of State for Transport and Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor announced on April 14 that she would not be contesting GE2025.
When asked if the 4G leadership team is ready to take on key portfolios such as defence and foreign affairs, Dr Ng said that no team – including the 3G leaders or Singapore’s founding generation – enters office fully prepared for crises.
He said that leaders enter a period not being entirely sure, citing past challenges such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), the global financial crisis and Covid-19.
But during the Covid-19 pandemic, the 4G were in charge and proved themselves very capable, said Dr Ng.
He added that he was very confident that with the support of the Singaporeans, the 4G will be able to weather storms to come.
On what advice he would give to those entering politics, Dr Ng said they need to pay attention to their residents. There is no shortcut to walking the ground he stressed, as Singaporeans are savvy and are quick to form their own impressions.
Dr Ng was also asked about his own plans, to which he quipped that April 18 was his “Liberation Day”, a reference to the term US President Donald Trump used when he made announcements to trade tariffs on April 2.
Dr Ng said that he had no shortage of “varied interests” and recalled that when he first entered politics 24 years ago, he was still a practising surgeon and had not expected to join the Government.
“It was not a brief interlude. So I don’t think I’ll have a shortage of things to do. And I also have other grassroots activities that I like, that I can do. And I think I’ll be very happy,” he said. - The Straits Times/ANN
