10 YEARS OF DEFENCE EDUCATION, RESEARCH

What Singapore lacks in population size and geographic depth, it must make up for through innovative, cutting-edge technology. This mindset was what spurred the set up of the Temasek Defence Systems Institute (TDSI) in 2001.

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen said this at the TDSI 10th anniversary commemoration ceremony at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Shaw Foundation Alumni House on 12 Jul.

Established on 11 Jul 2001 based on a partnership between NUS and the United States Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), TDSI provides customised programmes to train engineers and scientists for the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), DSTA (Defence Science & Technology Agency), DSO National Laboratories and other defence agencies.

Its Master of Defence Technology and Systems (MDTS) Programme, launched in July 2002, is specifically tailored to the needs of MINDEF and aims to equip students with knowledge about systems engineering and key defence technologies.

To date, more than 1,000 have graduated from TDSI's MDTS and other defence-related education programmes. Besides the MDTS programme, TDSI also collaborates with NPS and local defence-related agencies on research projects in areas such as underwater warfare, weapon systems and defence against chemical and biological threats.



According to TDSI Director Professor Yeo Tat Soon, about a third of its 24 completed projects have been put to use in the SAF, and they include the designing of small and lightweight antennae for unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as robots deployed on sea beds to clear minefields.

Dr Ng commented on how TDSI has helped to sharpen the SAF's edge: "Technology is a key enabler for the 3rd Generation SAF. But it is the people behind the technology - in research and development, planning, acquisition, engineering, technology management, logistics or system testing - that provide the leverage for the SAF."

Chief Defence Scientist Professor Quek Tong Boon, who is also Chairman of the TDSI Management Board, added: "The graduates and knowledge from TDSI have expanded the capacity of our defence community to think systems, think long-term, think interdisciplinary and think across organisations, in tandem with the needs of a more networked defence community and networked fighting force."

Systems thinking is the process of understanding how things influence or impact one another within a whole.

The TDSI commemorative celebration also included an exhibition which showcased some of its cutting-edge research projects.

About 300 guests, including representatives from MINDEF, NPS, DSTA, DSO National Laboratories and ST Engineering, attended the commemoration ceremony.