Thursday, February 29, 2024

"Singapore to spend 3% of GDP on military for next decade as regional & global conflict risk 'non-zero'"

Well yeah. You've got homeboys heading north to wreak a bit of havoc*

From Mothership.sg, February 29:

MINDEF's budget for the upcoming financial year is projected to be S$20.2 billion.

Singapore will keep military spending at about 3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) over the next decade as the risk of regional and global conflicts has gone from being unlikely to being "non-zero", said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen during the Committee of Supply debate on Feb. 28, 2024.

Dreams of global peace have been decimated: Ng Eng Hen

He said that in 2014, he attended the 50th Munich Security Conference, a forum he described as "special" where Henry Kissinger (former US Secretary of State), Helmut Schmidt (former German Chancellor), and former French President Valéry d'Estaing appeared together.

"It was 50 years of peace, and the mood was one of celebration," he said. " I remember President Valéry d'Estaing saying that 'Europe had eliminated the concept of war'."

    "It was just one decade ago. All those dreams have been decimated."

Ng said he can "assure" people that "surprises" and "unintended consequences" are in store, with some of them linked, while others could appear "completely out of the blue".

    "When the ambient temperature of geopolitics rises, sparks and fires will arise from multiple sources.

    So, I have reversed my assessment for today's generation in Singapore and elsewhere.

    The risk of regional and even global conflict even in the next decade has become non-zero.

    I do not make this assessment lightly."....

....MUCH MORE

By comparison, Belgium, home of NATO headquarters might spend 1.13% of GDP on it's obligation this year.

And at ChannelNewsAsia, February 28: "Singapore to buy eight F-35A fighter jets as defence spending inches up"
*"Singapore-registered firm accused of swindling $1.2b from 26,000 people in Japan’s largest scam"—Straits Times 

And who knows what happens when the totalitarians get back in power in New Zealand?