SINGAPORE - Speaking at a dinner dialogue, Former Minister MentorMr Lee Kuan Yew stressed that without a strong army, there would beno economic future or security for Singaporeans. He was speaking to senior Ministry of Defence officials andSingapore Armed Forces (SAF) officers at the Shangri-La Hotelduring the Temasek Society 30th Anniversary dinner dialogue hostedby Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen. The theme of the dialogue was "Security Challenges for Singapore". During the dialogue, Mr Lee shared his insights on how despitegreat odds, Singapore has built up the SAF to what it is today fromalmost nothing. He also reminded officers that Singapore, being a small state, willalways need a strong defence to ensure its continued survival. Mr Lee said: "From the day we started, I knew that we needed astrong SAF, and I believe that still remains today." "I think the SAF has done better than I hoped. That was because thegeneration that grew up, knew the stakes that were involved," hesaid. Mr Lee highlighted that the 3rd Generation SAF was nowtechnologically advanced, respected and fully capable of meetingSingapore's defence needs. In addition, National Service is nowwidely accepted by Singaporeans. He said that the success of SAF is due to the Government'sreadiness to spend on defence needs over many years, to build astrong and capable SAF as the ultimate guarantor of the country'ssecurity and independence. He added that going forward, Singapore will continue to invest inthe SAF to attract top calibre people with capabilities to handlethe complex and uncertain security challenges that Singapore willencounter in the future. Highlighting the key challenge facing Singapore, Mr Lee spoke aboutthe serious problem of a shrinking demographic, which will impactnot only Singapore's economic future, but also its security. The dinner dialogue was also attended by President Tony Tan KengYam. Temasek Society is a forum for SAF officers and civilians todiscuss strategic and professional military issues. At the end of the dialogue, Dr Ng and Lieutenant General Neo KianHong, presented Mr Lee with an SM1 tank model as a memento. This is as Mr Lee was instrumental in bringing the AMX-13 tank toSingapore, which was subsequently upgraded to the SM1. yamadak@sph.com.sg. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Clear Pvc Bags , PP Non Woven Bags Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Plastic Bread Bags today!
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