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POINTER The Journal of the Singapore Armed Forces pointer Features The Prospects for Building Maritime Security Co-operation in the POINTER Indian Ocean Region – Are Fresh Initiatives More Successful than JOURNAL OF THE Past Attempts? by ME6 Chan Chung Wei SINGAPORE ARMED FORCES The Viability of Deterrence Strategies for Non-Nuclear States by LTC Kam Kai Qing Combating the Modern War by ME6 Calvin Seah Ser Thong Miitaries Versus Non-Traditional Security Threats by ME5 Su Juncun Vol. 44 No. 1 The Strategic Signi cance of Air Power for Small States by MAJ Jeffrey Ng Zhaohong Vol. 44 No. 1 [2018] [2018] Stabilisation Operations: Dealing with Asymmetric Con icts within Failed States by MAJ Ho Jin Peng Understanding the Islamic State and the Threat It Poses by CPT Alvin Leow Boon Teck THE JOURNAL OF THE SINGAPORE ARMED FORCES Pointer cover_Vol44No1.indd 1 23/2/18 2:04 PM Editorial Board Advisor BG Chua Boon Keat Chairman COL Simon Lee Wee Chek Deputy Chairman COL(NS) Irvin Lim Members COL(NS) Tan Swee Bock COL(NS) Benedict Ang Kheng Leong COL Victor Huang COL Kevin Goh COL Goh Tiong Cheng MAJ(NS) Charles Phua Chao Rong MS Melissa Ong MS Ho Ying Ting MR Kuldip Singh MR Daryl Lee Chin Siong MS Sonya Chan CWO Ng Siak Ping Professor Pascal Vennesson Assistant Professor Daniel Chua MR Eddie Lim Editorial Team Editor MS Helen Cheng Assistant Editor MR Bille Tan Research Specialists REC David Omar Ting REC Koo Yi Xian PTE Jasmond Oh The opinions and views expressed in this journal do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Ministry of Defence. The Editorial Board reserves the right to edit and publish selected articles according to its editorial requirements. Copyright© 2018 by the Government of the Republic of Singapore. All rights reserved. The articles in this journal are not to be reproduced in part or in whole without the consent of the Ministry of Defence. i_IFC_Pointer V44N1.indd 1 23/2/18 2:10 PM POINTER JOURNAL OF THE SINGAPORE ARMED FORCES ISSN 2017-3956 Vol. 44 No. 1 [2018] contents iii EDITORIAL FEATURES 01 The Prospects for Building Maritime Security Co-operation in the Indian Ocean Region — Are Fresh Initiatives More Successful than Past Attempts? by ME6 Chan Chung Wei 15 The Viability of Deterrence Strategies for Non-Nuclear States by LTC Kam Kai Qing 21 Combating the Modern War by ME6 Calvin Seah Ser Thong 33 Militaries Versus Non-Traditional Security Threats by ME5 Su Juncun 44 The Strategic Signi cance of Air Power for Small States by MAJ Jeffrey Ng Zhaohong 53 Stabilisation Operations: Dealing with Asymmetric Con icts within Failed States by MAJ Ho Jin Peng ii_A. Content V44N1.indd 1 23/2/18 4:42 PM contents 61 Understanding the Islamic State and the Threat It Poses by CPT Alvin Leow Boon Teck BOOK REVIEW 69 Robert M. Neer, Napalm: An American Biography by Oliver Cheok PERSONALITY PROFILE 75 Harold Gregory Moore, Jr by Joe Tan QUOTABLE QUOTES 2016/2017 CHIEF OF DEFENCE FORCE ESSAY COMPETITION PRIZE WINNERS ii_A. Content V44N1.indd 2 23/2/18 4:42 PM editorial iii Editorial Since our independence in 1965, we have understood security co-operation poses for the countries involved how important a safe and secure environment is for as well as the prospects achievable by pushing forward Singapore to thrive, progress and prosper. Indeed, while with this co-operation. Singapore has flourished in the past few decades, we must also recognise the current security threats that LTC Kam Kai Qing’s essay is entitled, ‘The Viability the world faces today. Second Minister for Defence, of Deterrence Strategies for Non-Nuclear States’. LTC Mr One Ye Kung at the dinner reception for the 6th Kam defines deterrence as methods and strategies International Institute of Strategic Studies Fullerton employed by a state to dissuade potential adversarial Forum: The Shangri-La Dialogue Sherpa Meeting on states from initiating an attack against it. He highlights 29th January 18 highlighted four significant security that this can be done either through ‘deterrence by challenges: developments in the Korean Peninsula, punishment’, whereby the aggressor faces the threat the rise of terrorism, the deliberate spread of online of significant military retaliation were it to pursue any falsehoods, and the retreat of globalisation and the military action, or ‘deterrence by denial’, whereby the increase in states’ protectionist tendencies. Mr Ong states’ military capabilities are significant enough to called upon countries to have an ‘expanded toolkit neutralise any hostile attempts by the aggressor. LTC of solutions’ that went beyond effective military Kam also explains that nuclear deterrence is generally defences.1 more effective than conventional deterrence due to the threat of total annihilation. In conclusion however, he While Singapore continues to fight these threats in stresses that non-nuclear states will still find it in their strategic partnerships with its regional neighbours and best interests to pursue some form of conventional like-minded countries, it is also critical for her to be deterrence as war would prove catastrophic for these vigilant, adaptive and responsive, as can be seen in our smaller countries. He also adds that the non-nuclear efforts in the cyber arena where Mr Ong highlights that states employing deterrence strategies should take care “we are stepping up our efforts to train servicemen not to escalate diplomatic tensions or inadvertently in conducting urban battles and building up our cyber highlight their weaknesses in the process. defence capabilities.”2 ME6 Calvin Seah Ser Thong in his essay, ‘Combating The essays published in this issue cover a broad the Modern War’ explores the strength of the modern range of topics covering maritime co-operation in the conventional military forces and discusses whether Indian Ocean as well as the strategic significance of air they are equipped and trained to deal with the power for small states. There is also a discussion about threats of irregular warfare. In the essay, ME6 Seah the viability of deterrence strategies for non-nuclear emphasises that while wars in the past were almost states and militaries versus non-traditional security purely conventional, the nature of modern wars have threats. Other topics include a general discourse on shifted towards hybrid warfare, involving a mixture of understanding the Islamic state and the threat it poses both conventional and irregular strategies. The nature and combating the modern war. Finally, we also feature of the threats that militaries must address now range an analysis on stabilisation operations, dealing with across a spectrum, and are no longer constrained to asymmetric conflicts within failed states. direct military confrontations. Instead, especially The essay, ‘The Prospects for Building Maritime with regards to asymmetric wars with one military’s Co-operation in the Indian Ocean – Are Fresh Initiatives capabilities being far surpassed by another’s, smaller More Successful than Past Attempts?’ is written by ME6 militaries can achieve their strategic victories through Chan Chung Wei. According to ME6 Chan, the Indian employing tactics such as insurgency or small-scale Ocean Region consisting of 56 independent states, ambushes. This, according to ME6 Seah, enables them including the littoral and hinterland states as well as to inflict mass casualties while minimising their own small islands of external territorial states, is a region losses. ME6 Seah advocates that in order to combat such of importance for seaborne trade. However, with 60% hybrid warfare, militaries such as the Singapore Armed of failed states and 40% of conflicts in the world in Forces have and should continue to enhance leadership the region, the economy and social stability of trade competencies, intelligence-gathering capabilities, in the major sea route are threatened by the frequent integration of technology and bonds with the local occurrence of illegal activities such as maritime populace. They should also strengthen international terrorism and piracy. In the essay, ME6 Chan elaborates and interagency alliances as well as consider force on the complex and simple problems that maritime restructuring to deal specifically with hybrid warfare. POINTER, JOURNAL OF THE SINGAPORE ARMED FORCES VOL.44 NO.1 iii_Editorial V44N1.indd 3 23/2/18 3:18 PM editorial iv The essay, ‘Militaries Versus Non-Traditional of a sovereign government no longer function properly. Security Threats’ by ME5 Su Juncun analyses the role Although stabilisation operations cover a wide of the military in dealing with non-traditional threats. spectrum ranging from peace to war, MAJ Ho’s focus In the past, the role of the military was limited to is primarily on stabilisation operations within failed conventional combat. However, in the light of changing states, both during a post-conflict scenario or as a security landscapes and technological climates, the result of political instability. MAJ Ho examines the scope of the military has extended to dealing with critical role that military forces play in stabilisation, non-traditional threats like that of cyber threats and analyses the development of stabilisation doctrine warfare. ME5 Su stresses that cyber warfare is an entirely employed in Afghanistan and Iraq, and discusses how new domain of warfare and while militaries have made important it is to engage in stabilisation operations progress in implementing security infrastructure, much when dealing with failed states in the region or during more has yet to be done. the post conflict phase in war. ME5 Su also looks at another area of concern – In the final essay on ‘Understanding the Islamic that of humanitarian disasters. According to MAJ Ng, State and the Threat It Poses’, CPT Alvin Leow Boon while much disaster relief has already been provided by Teck describes the menace the Islamic State of Iraq militaries in disasters around the world, historically, and Syria (ISIS) presents to the world.