Eight F-35A fighter jets on RSAF's radar amid defence budget increase to $20b

The Ministry of Defence's (Mindef) projected expenditure of around $20.2 billion this financial year represents a 2.5 per cent increase from 2023.

This increase would also be higher compared to 2022, but "that was because we were gradually resuming projects and activities disrupted by the pandemic," said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Wednesday (Feb 28). 

The Defence Ministry has the largest estimated expenditure among the ministries for the 2024 financial year, according to the Ministry of Finance.

Mindef does not give detailed cost figures for the acquisition of planes, submarines and Army platforms as these can provide an indication of capabilities.

But speaking at the debate of his ministry's budget, Dr Ng added that defence expenditure as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has fallen in the past decade - from five per cent in 1998 to 2.8 per cent this year.

"This is because Singapore's GDP has grown faster than defence spending," he said. "It's a good outcome."

Dr Ng said that the decrease in defence budget as a percentage of GDP in the past decade was not because the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has cut back on what is necessary to defend Singapore.

"It has come down because various Defence Ministers, including myself have reiterated that sustained defence spending is the most efficient and effective means of building a strong military over the long term," he explained, while describing how the world has become a "dangerous place". 

He added that Singapore is reaping dividends with this approach and will continue to do so by investing "wisely".

"Steady long-term defence spending enables platforms and capabilities to mature over the necessary timeline to produce results to enhance synergy and reap efficiencies," Dr Ng said.

Acquiring eight F-35A fighter jets

In his speech today, Dr Ng announced that the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will acquire eight F-35A fighter jets, growing its incoming fleet of the fifth-generation fighters to 20.

In 2019, Singapore announced the acquisition of an initial four F-35Bs, which are on track for delivery by 2026. And in last year's Mindef budget debate, Dr Ng announced another eight more F-35Bs "after an extensive evaluation".

The acquisition of the F-35A fighter jets - designed for greater endurance and have the ability to ability higher-capacity payloads - will complement the F-35s' short take off and vertical landing capability, Dr Ng said.

"Which provides greater operational flexibility in land-scarce Singapore," he said, adding that the fifth-generation F-35 jets will replace the F-16s in RSAF's fleet from mid-2030.

Dr Ng said that Mindef has capitalised on a "window of opportunity" with the F-35A purchase to accelerate Singapore's F-35 programme due to its "more competitive" price.

"Mindef and SAF may have to prioritise other projects, but we have done our calculations internally and this cause of action is the right and better one," he added.

Investments in SAF's training infrastructure

Dr Ng also announced several investments in SAF's training infrastructure, with phase 1 of Safti City to open progressively this year.

With an estimated gross floor area of 107,000 sq m, Mindef said that the state-of-the art military training facility in Western Singapore will feature a "realistic and challenging" urban training environment for SAF troops.

These include buildings to resemble a bus interchange and an MRT station and urban rubble for disaster relief training.

Dr Ng also shared that the expansion of the Shoalwater Bay Training area - where the SAF conducts Exercise Wallaby - in Queensland, Australia is nearly completed.

Inaugurated in 1990, Exercise Wallaby is the SAF's largest annual overseas unilateral exercise.

About 4,300 personnel and some 450 platforms from the army, navy and air force conducted cross-service drills over an area about four times the size of Singapore in last year's edition.

Dr Ng said that the expanded training area will allow the SAF to increase the scale of the exercise by close to 50 per cent, and increase the training duration from six to nine weeks.

Besides advanced training facilities such as combined arms air and land ranges, as well as an urban operations live-firing facility, the expanded Shoalwater Bay Training Area will also include improved administrative and medical facilities.

"In the steady state, the SAF will have a combined training area 10 times the size of Singapore." he added. "This will allow us to deploy up to 14,000 personnel and 2,400 vehicles and equipment annually."

'Risk of global conflict in next decade become non-zero'

Anyone who has been following the news would not need any convincing that the world is in a more dangerous place, Dr Ng told parliament today.

He attributed the Russia-Ukraine War, Israel-Hamas conflict, a "de facto trade war" between the US and China as contributors to the rising temperatures of geopolitics.

"When the ambient temperature of geopolitics rises, sparks and fires can arise from multiple sources. So, I have reversed my assessment for today's generation in Singapore and elsewhere," Dr Ng said. "The risk of regional and even global conflict even in the next decade has become non-zero. I do not make this assessment lightly."

Thanking members of the House for supporting the Defence Ministry's budget every year, Dr Ng acknowledged that the "precious dollars" could have benefited other causes.

"But we know that without even security, there can be no progress," he said, pointing out that Singapore was ranked the sixth most peaceful country in the world.

"I do not know and do not want to find out what our ranking would have been if we had not put in the necessary investments to build a strong SAF. That experiment would be too costly." Dr Ng added.

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chingshijie@asiaone.com