Ong Ye Kung: Psychological defence most important prong of peacetime defence

Terrorism and "fake news" are among the security threats the world faces today.
Increasingly, enemies are non-state players, the conflicts unconventional and the weapons non-military.

Responding to security challenges today will require an expanded toolkit of solutions that goes beyond effective military defences, Second Defence Minister Ong Ye Kung said.

Security challenges include developments in the Korean Peninsula, terrorism, online falsehoods and the retreat of globalisation, Mr Ong said.

TERRORISM

Mr Ong cautioned that terror groups will operate across national borders with “increasing coordination and sophistication”, and continue to spread extremist ideas online.

“Groups have been using more sophisticated technology like encrypted communication platforms and cryptocurrencies to evade detection,” Mr Ong added.

DELIBERATE ONLINE FALSEHOODS

Online falsehoods are increasingly undermining our social fabric and national unity to a greater degree.

"Propaganda has never been this powerful, and automated. The only difference is that it is now used, including by foreign players, against national institutions,"

"The techniques used are sophisticated, to give the illusion of public interest, legitimacy and support for the falsehoods and influencing public opinion," he said.

Countries are recognising that there is a need to come up with legislation and safeguards in the short term to combat "fake news”.

France, for instance, is looking to grant judges emergency powers to remove or block content deemed to be ‘”fake news” during sensitive periods such as elections.

Germany's Network Enforcement Act puts a legal obligation on large social networks to take down illegal content, such as hate speech.

"Today, media as we know has been hijacked by something much more unpredictable and volatile. The fundamental condition for democracy has been weakened.

“Society will fight back, to restore our democratic institutions. This will be done through regulation, a likely drastic reconfiguration of the media industry, and an evolution of societies to become more discerning of what’s real and what’s false and malicious,” said Mr Ong.

“This is not conventional warfare, but a battle within all our societies. But it has important implications for global stability, as dysfunctional domestic politics created by misinformation and falsehoods, means messy external relations too.”

PSYCHOLOGICAL DEFENCE

"Psychological defence becomes, we think, the most important prong of peacetime defence.

"It is about the ability of people to trust each other, have faith in societal and government institutions, provided they are not corrupt, and resilient to forces aimed at sowing discord and creating fissures in society," said Mr Ong.

ASEAN AND GLOBAL PEACE AND STABILITY

“ASEAN’s contribution is not in trying to be a regional power, but by maintaining its neutrality and centrality, to keep the regional security architecture open and inclusive, and providing a natural platform for major powers to engage each other,” said Mr Ong.

** Mr Ong was speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue Sherpa Meeting, which sets the agenda for June’s Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual security forum bringing together defence ministers and military chiefs from Asia Pacific countries.