Item category 2: POINTER Monthly Essays

This article delves into British grand strategy in the aftermath of the First World War. The author discusses the challenges London faced when implementing its “peace-with-security” strategy, and concludes that Britain successfully shaped the post-war world order but faced various challenges.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s victory over the Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) during the Chinese Civil War marked one of the largest reversals in military history. While a multitude of factors have been cited as contributing to this outcome, this article will investigate the significance of p...

Using Carl von Clausewitz’s “trinity” as a framework for analysis, this article compares the performances of Generals Arthur Percival and Douglas MacArthur as commanders during the Malayan and Philippine campaigns in World War II respectively. Both campaigns ultimately ended in defeat by the Japa...

In the mid-20th century, the governments of Malaya and South Vietnam initiated population-resettlement programmes as part of their overall efforts to fight the ongoing communist insurgencies in their countries. The British colonials housed hundreds of thousands of Chinese squatters in “New Villag...

Despite its failure, the Gallipoli campaign offers an excellent case study in the application of maritime strategy. Was it a good strategy badly executed, or was it simply a bad maritime strategy? It was, as this essay will argue, a bad strategy which was poorly executed. Even if it had been exec...

Unlike traditional warfare, with its defined enemies and objectives, grey zone conflicts are characterised by uncertainty, blurred boundaries, and the absence of clear adversaries. Such ambiguity can result in feelings of vulnerability, distrust, and paranoia among servicemen as they struggle to ...

Grey zone conflicts target the human psychology – actors understand and capitalise on the psychological dynamics of ambiguity and manipulation to sow discord, erode trust, and exploit vulnerabilities to achieve a strategic advantage. Our service personnel are prime targets for such operations of ...

This article offers readers a comprehensive introduction to the healthcare ecosystem of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The myriad lines of effort undertaken throughout the entire spectrum of operations ensure: 1) force health optimisation and protection, so that all SAF service personnel are o...

Mpox, a highly contagious disease that spreads from animals to humans, presents unique challenges for militaries due to its rapid transmission and potential to disrupt operations. In response to the global mpox outbreaks in 2022 and 2024, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) developed a phased approa...

“Operational art” – the grey area between strategy and tactics – has been a much-debated concept since it entered the Western military lexicon more than four decades ago. If the concept is indeed crucial on the battlefield and central to the profession of arms for military commanders, we ought to...