NAVAL DEFENCE TECHNOLOGIES: THINK BIG, THINK FAR, THINK REAL

At the opening ceremony of the first International Naval Engineering Conference at the International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (INEC@IMDEX) Asia 2013, Permanent Secretary for Defence Development Chan Yeng Kit noted that in order to invest in the right technology, defence planners from around the world must think big, think far and think real.

Themed Transforming Naval Capability - Riding the Next Technology Wave, this year's conference was held at Changi Exhibition Centre on 16 May.

In his speech, Mr Chan said: "The potential to bring out game-changing defence capability drives the pursuit of technology by the world's militaries. In response, defence industries also actively seed new technologies and offer a plethora of products and services to meet the varied mission sets of the world s militaries."

To think big, Mr Chan noted, defence planners must be clear about evolving mission demands, and develop a coherent technology roadmap in line with the overall strategy.

Defence planners must think far to develop long-term strategies for new and emerging capabilities.

And in thinking real, they must embrace experimentation as a core strategy in bringing in promising technologies. Mr Chan cited Singapore's Protector Unmanned Surface Vessel and Scan Eagle Unmanned Aerial Vehicle as examples.

He added: "For Singapore, I see force-multiplier technologies such as network-centricity, sense-making, mission modularity and unmanned systems, to be areas with potential for exploitation."

In his keynote address, Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral (RADM) Ng Chee Peng echoed Mr Chan's point on force-multiplier technologies: "This will help strengthen integration and interoperability, provide comprehensive awareness and build up operational flexibility and scalability."

He added that INEC@IMDEX Asia is a platform where navies can discuss and embrace new technological solutions that to explore advancing core capabilities.

Jointly organised by the Republic of Singapore Navy, the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology and Experia Events, the conference saw 250 participants, including senior naval officers, technology managers and key stakeholders, from 20 countries.