World Military Outlook 2022 | Singapore's defense minister talk about his aspirations for the next decade

On December 6, the website of the US "Defense News" weekly published an article entitled "Singapore's Defense Minister: Several Wishes to Be Realized by 2030", written by Singapore's Defense Minister Huang Yonghong, the full text of which is excerpted as follows:

These are some of my aspirations for this decade on security matters. They are:

1. Establish a more coherent global partnership to address biological threats. Overall, our world should have done better to respond to COVID-19. From the lack of coordinated early warning and response measures, to the disruption of global supply chains, the uneven distribution of vaccines, to the inadequacy of the fight against disinformation... The list of issues is still long. We need to act together in these areas.

2. Lay the foundation for addressing climate change. To address the greatest existential threat facing this generation, we need to move from clichés to building foundations that can effectively reduce carbon emissions. This will include the development of international policies to transform existing civilian transport, energy, infrastructure and industrial systems into alternative forms that emit less carbon emissions. The military must also play its part. As part of the Singapore government's efforts, the Ministry of Defence and the Singapore Armed Forces have developed specific plans to reduce the total emissions increase by two-thirds by 2030.

3. Improve U.S.-China relations and make them more effective. To address global issues, the United States and China need each other, while our world needs both China and the United States. We recognize that their basic positions on many issues are still far apart, particularly in terms of political governance and ideology. But the price of intensifying confrontation will be to impoverish us all, and a war with real guns will be catastrophic. Hopefully, skilled and far-sighted politicians will find a common cause that will change the trajectory of the relationship between the two countries and make it more productive.

4. Take stronger action against forced migration and human trafficking. The enormous suffering caused by illegal immigration, forced migration and trafficking in human beings remains unacceptable. It is a torture for our humanity, often suffering the most vulnerable, including women and children. The situation would be exacerbated if climate change exacerbated food and water scarcity, leading to famine and water wars. We must promote and support stronger action to alleviate the suffering of the innocent and exploited.

5. Develop guidelines for emerging technologies. Covid-19 has accelerated digitalization and connectivity trends, but it has also made us more vulnerable to cyberattacks. The need to establish a framework to prevent catastrophic failures of critical infrastructure such as hospital systems, water plants and transport networks has become even more urgent. In emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous technologies, and germ cell genetic manipulation, adequate safeguards and oversight are needed to prevent people from irresponsibly using these technologies and from committing ethical violations. There is a need for international cooperation and guidelines through the United Nations and other multilateral frameworks such as the AI Defense Partnership.

Source: Reference News Network