Talking about ensuring Singapore’s fundamental safety and security during the Budget 2019 speech, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat says the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be setting up Home Team Science and Technology Agency by the end of 2019.
The new agency will develop science and technology capabilities to support the Home Team’s operational needs, he says.
As new technologies today make it easier for others to mount attacks on our cyber systems, Mr Heng says Singapore must stay ahead of these threats by continually innovating and building new capabilities to meet our security needs, with both the public and private sectors having major roles to play.
This year, digital defence has been incorporated as the sixth pillar that makes up Singapore’s Total Defence, which Mr Heng says is a responsibility for all.
He says, the Government will continue to invest a significant amount of resources, about 30% of its total expenditure, to support defence, security, and diplomacy efforts. While significant, he says this is expense is indispensable, to protect the sovereignty of Singapore and well-being of Singaporeans.
More details about the creation of the Home Team Science and Technology Agency will be revealed by the MHA later in the Committee of Supply 2019.
