Erosion of major-power deterrence could spur adventurism, make world more dangerous: Chan Chun Sing

“In Singapore, we never make the assumption that somebody will come and save our skin if anything goes wrong,” he said.

“We believe that if we want to be the masters of our destiny, we have to take responsibility for it, and that’s why we consistently invest in our defence, and will continue to do so – not just in terms of budget, but in terms of the allocation of manpower, talent, and time from our entire population.”

More broadly, however, he said the greatest danger in international security is not simply a question of military might.

“The biggest danger in the world of security is not just about capabilities. It’s about intentions, and whether people read the intentions correctly,” he said.

“Sometimes nothing might have changed, but because perception has changed, and people think that A or B has become less effective, then people change their calculations, and that becomes dangerous.”

He added: “When the world is in flux and people are not clear about each other’s intention, it is a dangerous world, or people miscalculate each other’s intention and/or capabilities, it is a dangerous world.”