By MP for Aljunied GRC, Pritam Singh
[Delivered in Committee of Supply on 5 March 2015]
In November last year, Minister announced that MINDEF would be joining 33 other countries in the US-led coalition by contributing a KC-135 aerial refueling tanker and an imagery analysis team to the war effort. Minister clarified earlier this year that SAF has sent a needs assessment and survey team and a liaison officer to facilitate planning and coordination between the SAF and coalition forces.
In view of the evolving nature of the threat, I would like to ask Minister whether the Government will seek to contribute to this international effort in areas where Singapore has specific value-add capabilities, for example, religious rehabilitation training, as a more unique contribution, apart from hardware and analytical capabilities that can also be contributed by other allies.
Secondly, I would like to enquire how MINDEF plans to manage the prospect of ‘mission-creep’, leading the SAF to commit more in-theatre resources in the fight against ISIS than is the case currently.
Finally, I would like to find out what the Ministry is doing to work with our immediate ASEAN neighbours to develop an ASEAN response to the ISIS threat, thereby promoting confidence-building and military-to-military cooperation between our neighbours with the attendant benefit of a more united and safer ASEAN in addition to the promotion of greater security integration between ASEAN member states, particularly our closest neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia.