Item category 2: POINTER Monthly Essays

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 ...

In this essay, the author states that despite the increasing focus on irregular conflicts, today’s threat environment is really a hybrid of conventional and irregular warfare. In his opinion, small states need to retain the ability to deter and prevail in conventional conflict as their geostrateg...

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...

In this essay, the author aims to discuss how China will embrace AI and Robotics to enhance its national security and how the security landscape will be affected by this pursuit. The author first identifies China’s national interests and examines how it will use AI and Robotics technologies to en...

In this essay, the author first defines deterrence and explains its concept and its key elements. He then explores the application of conventional deterrence strategies, whether it is through denial, or through punishment, and touch on its limitations. He proceeds to examine the existential natur...

In this essay, the author feels that threat assessments are the foundation of a state's national security policy. To explain how threat assessments become self-fulfilling prophecies, he has organised the essay into five parts. In the first part, the author highlights the features of threat assess...

In this essay, the author first describes the concept of national security and how it is typically achieved before attempting to shed light on the concept of Transparency. Next, viewing Transparency as an instrument, he identifies the mechanisms underpinning its effects and discusses its value an...

This essay investigates to an extent to which the Western armed forces were aided in post-1945 counterinsurgency campaigns by their past experiences in imperial warfare. Focusing on key examples, such as the United Kingdom (UK), it examines how colonial military strategies and doctrines influence...

In this essay, the author examines the viability of deterrence strategies for non-nuclear states. He highlights the importance of deterrence strategies, followed by an examination of the various theories of deterrence such as classical deterrence theory and perfect deterrence theory. The author a...