Singapore Navy signs modernization agreement amid manpower shortage

MANILA, Philippines — Singapore has hired ST Engineering to upgrade the country’s Formidable-class frigates as part of the Navy’s comprehensive efforts to become more flexible and integrate unmanned technology into its fleet.

The deal, announced by the company on December 14, comes as the Singapore Armed Forces faces limited force size and training space. To try to alleviate the problem, the country has embarked on a number of joint exercises and sent troops to other countries, but ultimate strength remains a challenge.

The company also has a contract to deliver six multi-role combat ships to replace the Navy’s aging missile and corvette fleet. The Navy commissioned ST Engineering for the work in March, using designs from Sweden’s Saab Kockums and Denmark’s Odense Maritime Technologies.

Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen previously told MPs: “The Navy’s new multi-role combat ship will incorporate autonomous technology and will serve as a ‘mothership’ with unmanned platforms that can work together to carry out a variety of missions. It works,” he said.

According to the Department of Defense, the Navy expects its personnel to decline by 30% over the next 20 years, posing challenges to the nation’s security efforts. But the military hopes unmanned platforms will fill the gap.

The Ministry of Defense did not respond to Defense News’ requests for comment by press time, but the defense minister told MPs in February that the maritime services would “move to a future force structure in which approximately half of our vessels will be unmanned.” Stated.

The military is therefore focusing on so-called “pocket plays,” multi-purpose platforms capable of combat and low-intensity operations such as humanitarian assistance, disaster response, counter-terrorism and counter-piracy operations.

“This is what we call scalable naval modular technology,” said Colin Koh, a senior fellow at the Singapore-based think tank Defense Strategic Studies Institute. The institute is part of the S. Rajaratnam Graduate School of International Studies.

“There’s a huge emphasis on automation and reducing manpower needs. That’s why we’re leaning into this whole idea of ​​being bigger with fewer platforms and not needing as many crews at the same time. . [as] It’s a former asset,” he told Defense News.

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Singapore has steadily devoted about 3% of its gross domestic product to military activities in recent years, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. And from 2018 to 2022, the Southeast Asian country increased its defense spending by 10% to nearly $11.7 billion, a Swedish think tank has found.

Singapore’s defense fund is expected to reach $15.8 billion by 2027, according to analysis firm GlobalData.

Indeed, Bernard Lu, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, says the country’s military modernization efforts have always been strategic and backed by stable funding. He said all platforms in a class tend to be provided by the same contractor, whether the supplier is domestic or international, as long as it meets Singapore’s “geopolitical and geopolitical circumstances”. said.

“As long as a supplier can provide capabilities built on specific criteria, [Singapore] If identified as essential and can be implemented cost-effectively, [the country] It’s going to take that special path,” Luu told Defense News.

Since the military announced its modernization plan to take shape by 2040, Singapore has been looking to upgrade its naval fleet by acquiring platforms from international companies and combining commercial and indigenous technologies to modernize its maritime patrol capabilities. I started.

The Singapore government expects a rapid increase in naval platforms over the next five years. Under a contract with Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, four Invincible-class submarines are scheduled to enter active service this year. Additionally, in 2028, when ST Engineering signs a contract to begin delivering multi-purpose combat ships, it is also scheduled to begin accepting maritime patrol vessels from German shipbuilding company Fasmer.

Singapore is developing overseas markets for missiles, torpedoes and submarines, but its navy relies heavily on domestic companies to meet demand. Most of the fleet, including marine patrol vessels, multi-purpose support vessels and platform landing ships, was built by local companies.

ST Engineering, the country’s largest defense company, supplies about 38% of the navy’s equipment and signed several important contracts last year. As part of its six Formidable-class frigate efforts, the company will upgrade its marine and electrical systems.

The company is the 45th largest contractor in the world when ranked by defense revenue, according to Defense News’ Top 100 list. Chua Jin Kiat, head of the company’s international defense business activities, said in an email to Defense News that ST Engineering is focusing on cloud computing, artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies.

And there’s room for expansion: the country’s aerospace and defense market is expected to grow 12% from 2023 to 2028, according to research firm Mordor Intelligence.

Koh said governments and private companies already use higher institutions for defense-related research, and there is potential to expand research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through partnerships with countries such as Japan and South Korea. .

“The defense industry these days is much more than just selling weapons and building fighter jets,” Coe said. “There are actually dual-purpose items for civilian and military use, and that…opens up a lot of opportunities.”