Innovation and People are Key to Building MINDEF/SAF’s Resilience and Future Readiness

Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing officiated at the IGNITE Innovation Symposium 2026 (IIS26) at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) this morning. He presented the Minister for Defence Awards (MDA) to twelve recipients. A total of 139 individuals, teams and units from across MINDEF and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) were recognised for their innovations and work improvement efforts, which have led to improvements in efficiency and safety, as well as a robust innovation ecosystem vital to sustaining MINDEF/SAF's edge and future readiness.

During his speech, Mr Chan highlighted the importance of innovation and warned against complacency amidst new emergent and evolving threats. He said, "We must go beyond optimising what we already know. We must work out new scenarios, imagine new threats before they emerge, and develop new concepts of operations that our adversaries have not anticipated. The most dangerous assumption we can make is that tomorrow's challenges will be the same as today or yesterday."

Mr Chan also said, "In the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), we have always believed that the strength of our organisation lies not just in the hardware that we field, but also in the gumption of our people to keep improving. That spirit must never fade," emphasising the importance of our personnel and fostering a culture of innovation.

Reinforcing the need to stay resilient in the face of disruptions, Mr Chan said, "We must surprise the threat and stay ahead of it. That means diversifying our supply chain reliance, building in redundancy, and very importantly, developing multiple concepts of operations - so that we are never held ransom by a single supply chain, a single vendor, or a single way of fighting. Resilience is not an option. Resilience is our strategic imperative in a world where everything is disrupted, from supply chains to geography."

IIS26 aims to recognise the achievements and contributions of units and personnel in innovation, provides a platform for cross sharing of ideas and bolster the spirit of continuous learning and improvement within the organisation. The theme for IIS26, "Innovating Today, Building Resilience for Tomorrow", reflects MINDEF/SAF's commitment to building innovation into the everyday, where its people are empowered to challenge the status quo, harness emerging technologies, and keep reinventing the organisation so that it is ready for the challenges ahead.

Also present at the awards presentation ceremony were Permanent Secretary (Defence) Mr Joseph Leong, Chief of Defence Force Vice Admiral Aaron Beng and Permanent Secretary (Defence Development) Mr Melvyn Ong, as well as senior officials from MINDEF and the SAF.

More Resources

IGNITE Innovation Symposium 2026 Award Winners

Speech by Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing at IGNITE Innovation Symposium on 16 July 2026 at CMPB