Transcript of soundbite by Mr K Shanmugam, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, at Police Coast Guard (Brani) on weaponised unmanned systems

Question: Sir, today you viewed the SPF’s display of technological capabilities for its operations. Can you share more on its use of Weaponised Unmanned Systems?

Minister: SPF showed me significant improvements from the last time they saw on land, sea and air. Essentially, a lot of unmanned systems operating with our officers, tactical forces, specially trained. SPF as well as other Home Team Departments have, for example, been using drones for some time.

Now, the Police are trialling unmanned drones which are equipped with weapons for specialist operations. And during the trials, there will be a police officer who will operate the system. He will decide when to target, when to engage a target. For some time now, I have asked SPF, other Home Team Departments to really push down this road aggressively, and essentially this technology can protect our officers. So it is a quantum upgrade from how policing was done some years ago.


Question: What are some scenarios in which, you know, the systems like the ones you just mentioned may be used?

Minister: Okay, let’s say there is an armed person behind a barricade. Today, our officers have to get through the obstacles and then engage that person. You can imagine there is a significant risk to our officers depending on how many of those armed persons there are and what kind of arms they have. What they are trialling now, a drone can go in, and the drone can help to clear the obstacles. It can even take out the armed subjects, where that is possible and where we assess that to be necessary. Let me give you another example.

You know, Singapore is a significant maritime centre. We have long been preparing training for hostage taking and other situations involving ships, hostile vessels.

Today, SPF showed me a very impressive demonstration – the jet manpack that our operators will use for boarding. It is an unmanned system – essentially, the person flies, like what you see in the movies. He flies from the launch place onto the vessel that’s a target, carrying his weapons. A number of officers have been trained in this. After he lands, he provides cover fire while the others are coming through, say, the assault boats. It will help, it gives you speed, it gives you tactical advantage. It gives cover to our officers who are coming on the boats, and it keeps down potential aggressors who may otherwise be shooting at our officers who are coming on the boats. Essentially, officers flying through the air from wherever they are launched, when there are limitations on the distance, but there is enough distance. We are trialling these systems. We will carefully study the situations where we can use this.


Question: What specific operational gap is this system intending to address and what accelerated this move?

Minister: Let me put it this way: let’s say there’s a vessel that needs to be boarded and there are aggressors with armed weapons on the ship – today, you will have to get divers to go in underwater, and you will have to use boats. Divers will go in, and then they will manage and balance, and put up a ladder and climb up. Boats, when they come in, obviously the attackers and the ships can shoot at them.

If you add a significant update – let’s say, the divers have some systems which help to put up the ladder much faster without them having to use too much of their strength, using autonomous systems. And let’s say at the same time, from a kilometre or two kilometres away, someone or a group of officers are flying through the air and landing within a matter of minutes onto the deck.

So, you have an attack through the air, you have officers who are diving through the sea and quickly getting up the vessel, and at the same time, on the surface of the sea, you have boats coming in. So, it’s a significant change, because technology is changing, and much of the weaponry can also now be using lasers and so on for accuracy. And at the same time, from some distance, with the aid of technology, you can give cover fire as well. So, a lot of tactical changes. They showed me, for example, through the air, jet manpack – you’ve seen, it’s like straight out of a movie. People flying through the air; officers with weapons. Step by step, you continuously keep upgrading and always try and keep ahead of people who want to do you harm.


Question: In light of events in key waterways around the world, how much more urgent would you say it is to adopt such innovations of our forces?

Minister: There are two parts – there is the Navy. The Navy does its job, and they have very advanced systems as well. We look after our coast and internal. We protect, do police work within our coast and that’s why – Police Coast Guard. So, the systems I have been talking to you about are relevant for police work.


Question: Are there particular growing threats that make these technologies timely?

Minister: You see that people who want to do you harm. You see it around the world. The kind of technologies they use, and the threat of terrorism, attacks, and so on, have been there, and I would say, are increasing.

But we were on this trajectory, for some years now. The Home Team Transformation, the whole of the Home Team – Coast Guard, the Land Divisions, our specialist tactical forces, across the Police, CNB, Prisons, everyone, partly because of manpower shortages, but partly because of technology. We need to access and get on top of technology. They have been transforming themselves with very, very significant adaption of technology in everything they do.

Thank you.