SINGAPORE: Government spending on scholarships and tuition grants for international students fell by about 50 per cent over the past 10 years, said Education Minister Ong Ye Kung in Parliament on Monday (Aug 5). 

The amount comes up to around S$130 million a year, or around 1 per cent of the annual education budget of S$13 billion, he added. 

Mr Ong was responding to questions by Non-constituency Member of Parliament Leon Perera on the total average amount of government spending on foreign students per year over the past 10 years. 

He also asked about the percentage of foreign students receiving financial aid in polytechnics, junior colleges and autonomous universities.

While the nominal sum spent on foreign students’ scholarships and student grants was S$130 million a year, Mr Ong said that the cost to the education sector was actually less.

“Imagine if we send back all our international students on scholarships, how much of our education budget do we save? I think it would be much less than S$130 million, because that is the worth of the scholarships to the international students, not the expenditure incurred by the system,” said Mr Ong. 

“Overhead costs such as the buildings, the laboratories, the equipment, the management, manpower, faculty, will still need to be incurred anyway,” he added.

“Instead, if we send back all our international students, what we will lose are the opportunities for Singaporean students to build bonds and bridges with students from other countries and expand their network of friends.

“We will also lose a catchment of people who can contribute to Singapore potentially.”

International students with scholarships are required to work in Singapore for at least three years after their graduate. Many eventually become permanent residents or Singapore citizens and raise their families here, Mr Ong noted.

“Even if they decide to leave Singapore after fulfilling their obligations, they can be part of our valuable global network of fans and friends, who can speak up for Singapore, and forge collaborations with Singapore,” he added.

READ: MOE to announce ‘significant’ move to improve education system: Ong Ye Kung

READ: Inspired by Singapore’s education system, Bangladeshi migrant worker starts polytechnic

Mr Ong stressed that financial aid is for Singapore citizens only, and that the core objective of the education system is to serve Singaporeans. 

“No Singaporean is ever displaced from the Institutes of Higher Learning or IHLs, because of an international student,” he said.

“When all Singaporean students who meet the standards have been admitted, the IHLs then raise the bar by a few notches, and admit a small minority of international students, over and above the local students.”

As for Singaporeans studying abroad, they also benefit from subsidised fees or scholarships from overseas universities, Mr Ong noted.

“So we give some and take some, and our IHLs cannot depart from this international practice norm, and has to be part of this global education network,” he said.

In response to a supplementary question by Mr Perera who pointed out that subsidies from overseas universities may not be government-funded, Mr Ong said that Singapore’s system is different.

“They have state universities, they also have private universities. In our case, all of our autonomous universities are all government run, so therefore the circumstances are different. Ours is a much more public and centralised system,” he said.

He also welcomed academics to study the impact of government spending on foreign students.

“ABOUT HONOUR AND TRUST”

About 4 per cent of international students default on their tuition grant bond obligations, said Mr Ong, adding that the grant amount adds up to about S$5.5 million annually. 

“For this small proportion of defaulters, MOE takes a serious view. It is not just a matter of money, but also honour and trust. We have managed to recover from a few, and we will continue to make suitable recovery efforts,” he told the House in response to questions from Workers’ Party Member of Parliament Png Eng Huat. 

He added that the Government will take measures to prevent defaulters from working or living in Singapore.

When asked about the drop in costs incurred by defaulters, from the S$30 million mentioned in 2016 to S$5.5 million currently, Mr Ong explained that this was due to a backlog of cases in 2016.

In the intervening years, the Education Ministry managed to contact “practically all of them”, he explained. 

“And therefore, we can ascertain now it is a 4 per cent default rate that represents about S$5.5 million a year,” he added.

Mr Ong said authorities have tightened the recovery process over the last few years.

“But fundamental point is still, so long as we believe that we need a proportion – a suitable proportion of international students in our system … we will expect some of them to default and not fulfil their obligations,” he added.

“That is inevitable, but we will try to tighten the selection, make sure we pick the right people and make sure they will continue to fulfil their obligation.”

SINGAPORE: Police have “maintained a strong tempo” of enforcement operations at Orchard Towers, with 18 anti-vice operations conducted there resulting in the arrest of 76 vice workers last year, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs Amrin Amin on Monday (Aug 5).

Additionally, the number of illegal licensed massage parlours at Orchard Towers has decreased over the past three years, Mr Amrin said in response to parliamentary questions posed by Members of Parliament (MPs) Melvin Yong and Christopher de Souza.

These questions come amid an ongoing murder case at Orchard Towers, where seven people have been charged with the alleged murder of 31-year-old Satheesh Noel Gobidass on Jul 2.

READ: 8 arrested in murder case after man collapses at Orchard Towers

READ: Orchard Towers murder: The 7 suspects and the charges they face

Seven illegal massage parlours were detected in 2018 and these have been shuttered, he said. Of these, four were fined and one was issued a stern warning while the other two are still being investigated, he added.

He also said there are currently 29 public entertainment establishments at Orchard Towers, with 23 being nightlife establishments.

However, taking into consideration the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s planning intent, feedback from the community and the prevailing law and order considerations, police have included Orchard Towers in its list of locations where Public Entertainment licenses are unlikely to be granted, Mr Amrin said.

According to the police website, 11 locations including Orchard Towers fall under this category. The others include Boat Quay, Chinatown, Cuppage Plaza, Geylang, Joo Chiat, Blair Plan, Kampong Glam, Little India, Orchard Plaza and Parklane Shopping Mall.

In terms of manpower devoted to the area, Mr Amrin said more resources have been deployed such as Special Operations Command troops.

“This enhanced presence is supplemented with increased deployment in CCTV cameras to deter streetwalking and other illegal activities,” Mr Amrin added.

“Police will continue to keep a close watch on the law and order situation at Orchard Towers and ensure the safety of the public.”

MP Louis Ng asked if these actions address the root of the issue, and will there be an “Orchard Towers part 2” in the future.

To this, Mr Amrin acknowledged that there has to be an outlet for people to entertain themselves.

“I think that is a given, but what’s important is the law and order situation has to be maintained,” he said. 

“If the situation gets out of hand, the police must ensure that whatever entertainment that we enjoy do not cause inconvenience to others and pose law and order situations to the public.”

SINGAPORE: A total of 192 suspected drug offenders were arrested during an islandwide anti-drug enforcement operation, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said on Monday (Aug 5).

Drugs including 499g of Ice, 99g of heroin, 113g of cannabis, 8g of ketamine and 102g of new psychoactive substances were seized.

Five bottles of Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate, a bottle of methadone, five Ecstasy tablets and 56 Erimin-5 tablets were also confiscated.

The seized drugs have an estimated street value of S$65,000, said CNB.

READ: Father and son among 109 drug offenders arrested in islandwide raids

READ: 24 arrested, nearly 2kg of ‘mushroom’ seized in drug raids

The enforcement operation, from Jul 22 to Aug 2, was supported by the Singapore Police Force and covered areas such as Bedok, Choa Chu Kang, Hougang, Punggol, Sembawang, Tampines, Telok Blangah and Yishun.

On Aug 1, four suspected drug offenders, including a Singaporean male, were arrested in separate locations near Orchard Towers and the International building.

“A 21-year-old Malaysian male was also arrested at the junction of Shenton Way and Maxwell Road,” CNB said.

A total of S$31,390 in cash was also seized from the suspects.

READ: About 1.2kg of psychoactive ‘mushrooms’ seized, 2 suspects arrested: CNB

READ: Six Singaporeans arrested, drugs worth S$100,000 seized in raids: CNB

On the same day, officers had spotted the Malaysian man getting onto his motorcycle to make a “hasty exit” from a carpark near Orchard Towers. Prior to this, he had disposed of a plastic bag in the carpark.

The plastic bag, which was recovered by officers at the scene, was found to contain about 336g of Ice worth more than S$33,000.

That amount of Ice can feed the addiction of about 192 abusers for a week, CNB said.

Investigations into the drug activities of all the arrested suspects are ongoing.

SINGAPORE: As a headhunter, I got a call out of the blue one day from a dream candidate.

Lisa* told me she was looking for a more junior role compared to her current job. It’s a rare call – the first request I’d received since becoming a headhunter in 2012 from someone looking for a “demotion”. 

Six months ago, Lisa took up a promotion and became a Regional Human Resources Director. 

But she spent so much time outside of the country, it was starting to deprive her of precious family moments with her young kids. 

Over the phone, she shared that she wouldn’t mind a pay cut as long as her new job didn’t involve so many business trips, especially long-haul travels.  

READ: No time to be a family – except on vacation, a commentary

To some, a voluntary demotion may sound baffling. After all, why would someone give up a higher paying role? 

But as a parent, who is also writing this on a business trip in India away from my family, I can relate to Lisa’s desperation. 

While Lisa could have thought through the potential implications and heavier duties before saying yes to the promotion, surely all of us could understand that the high paying job and the power that comes with it may have made it hard for her to say no.

Cost of living has been top of mind for many Singaporeans so a hefty pay increment is incredibly attractive. 

READ: Consumers feel the pinch of rising interest rates, a commentary

But Lisa should have known that with great power (and a fat pay cheque), comes great responsibility. 

MORE MONEY, MORE STRESS

A study that surveyed 1,000 LinkedIn members found that people with higher income generally felt stressed. Nearly 70 per cent of those earning more than US$200,000 (S$271,300) faced higher levels of stress at work, and didn’t necessarily experience higher job satisfaction.

While the study focused only on workers in the United States, stress isn’t a stranger to Singapore. A whopping 92 per cent of working Singaporeans reported feeling stressed, according to the 2019 Cigna 360 Well-Being Survey. 

If the average Singaporean already feels this way, what more for someone who’s advanced some way into a more senior role? 

It doesn’t help that we’re now living in a social media age where people are constantly boasting about their achievements online. One feels huge peer pressure to climb up the career ladder even when they don’t really want to.

Wouldn’t it be nice to just enjoy the simple, sturdy comforts of life, and have time to breathe every now and then, whether you’re single or married, instead of constantly striving for career progression?

LISTEN: The Pulses: Less sex, greater stress and the other effects of a poor work-life balance

PONDER ABOUT THE PROMOTION BEFORE TAKING IT 

Taking a promotion, or just any new job, is like choosing a life partner. 

While you probably won’t marry the first person that you bumped into, the dating process, and getting to know your potential future in-laws play a huge part in your decision. These take time, and even so, you might not simply say yes when the marriage question pops. 

Similarly, when asked to take on a new job, don’t let the dopamine hit from the good news make the decision for you. 

Put on your logical hat and ask yourself the following questions: Would I have applied for this position if I am not with the company? Is the new position aligned with my career objectives? 

And is the offered promotion a step closer to your long game or could it put the brakes on your outside-of-work life?

If the new position is something that excites you enough that you would apply for even if it did not come with a salary increase, chances are, it is the right fit for you.

Taking a promotion can bring you a short-term windfall. Sometimes more dollars and cents may be enough to take a job. The promotion may also be a career advancement. 

But you may end up climbing the wrong ladder which may not give you the same kind of job satisfaction if you were in a role you were truly passionate about. 

It’s worth asking too how your predecessor fared before taking the promotion.

Did the role help them further their career in a desired direction? Or did most of them leave the role abruptly for some other pastures? 

And why did they leave? Whether due to outdated practices, work that was producing little value-add or an overbearing senior team member, get to the bottom of this mystery before making a decision.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE 

Ask yourself if you can still balance your personal and professional life when you take on the new position. Consider the trade-offs that come with the price of the promotion, outline your priorities and consider any roadblocks the new position may present.

READ: Let’s review our assumptions about work-life balance, a commentary

READ: The journey up your career Everest is full of challenges. Here’s how to conquer it, a commentary

That includes knowing how frequent you might have to travel in your new position. 

As a father to four young kids, any form of intense travelling would be hard for me to take on. Relocation, longer hours or staggering stress levels? I say no thank you.

Finally, ponder over how if your relationship with your colleague and co-workers could be affected if you take on the new role. When colleagues become direct-reports, navigating these old friendships will be tricky. 

PURSUE MEANING

I’m not saying one should shun promotions. But the new role that you take should align to what you find meaningful. 

As mentioned earlier, it’s easy to be lured with a higher salary that comes with a promotion, but know that having more cash does not necessarily equate to greater happiness. 

Like Lisa, you might be begging for a way out after six months. 

So pursue meaning, instead of money. The number of bankers turned Greenpeace warrior, chef, and yogi is already a huge tell-tale sign that meaning trumps money. 

READ: Forget about finding your passion, when the job offered doesn’t match your dreams, a commentary

And regardless of whether it’s a promotion or a new job role, put yourself in the centre of any decision. Ultimately, your promotion has to benefit you, not just the company.

*The name used in this commentary is a pseudonym. 

Adrian Tan is helping companies drive productivity with PeopleStrong, a comprehensive HR solution on the cloud with mobile simplicity. The co-creator of Singapore HR Tech market map, he also writes regularly on HR Tech at adriantan.com.sg. 

SINGAPORE: As long as Singapore’s opposition “remains disparate” and “as a motley bunch”, it will not win the confidence of voters, said Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) Chee Soon Juan on Sunday (Aug 4). 

Dr Chee was speaking to media after a walkabout at Yuhua Village Market and Food Centre with SDP Central Executive Committee members Paul Tambyah, Damanhuri Abas and Bryan Lim, as well as other members. 

“We have differences, obviously, among various different parties but those differences are miniscule when you compare it to the common stand – the common goal that we must have in providing Singaporeans, the voters, with an alternative that they can have confidence in,” said Dr Chee.

He said the party is looking to work with the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), headed by former presidential candidate Tan Cheng Bock. 

At its official launch on Saturday, the PSP had revealed the issues it would be looking at, including the lowering of the voting age to 18 and ensuring job security for Singaporeans. 

Dr Chee said the SDP is looking at expanding the number of seats it will contest in, but that would depend on the redrawing of electoral boundaries.

READ: SDP to contest five constituencies at next General Election

SDP has said that it intends to contest in five constituencies – the same electoral divisions it contested in 2015. These are the two Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs) – Holland-Bukit Timah and Marsiling-Yew Tee and the single-seat wards (SMCs) of Bukit Batok, Yuhua and Bukit Panjang.

It added it would also need to “work things out with other opposition parties”.

“We will be definitely be looking to work with Dr Tan’s party, hopefully with WP (Workers Party) and other parties as well, and bringing everybody together so that we can present a more comprehensive message,” said Dr Chee.

As for the party’s strategy headed into the next General Election, the SDP said it was important to reach out to the younger generation and would do so through social media and getting its youth wing more involved.

READ: Creating jobs, lower voting age among issues Progress Singapore Party aims to champion at next General Election

Party chairman Paul Tambyah added that the younger members have been involved in the party’s communication efforts, including videos it has posted on its Facebook and YouTube pages discussing key issues.

“These things have gone, kind of minor viral, and we’re hoping to use these platforms to reach out to more young people, because the other ones are affected by the unaffordability of HDB flats, the difficulty in getting jobs and some of the real issues which are facing Singaporeans. These are particularly acute for young people today in Singapore.”

At Sunday’s event, SDP also announced that it was planning a pre-election rally for sometime in September or October this year.

In the last General Election, SDP fielded 11 candidates and secured 31.23 per cent of valid votes in the wards it contested, but failed to gain a seat.

SINGAPORE: My first glimpse of the lion puppet for this year’s National Day Parade (NDP) is through the window of a Grab vehicle.

It peeks out from behind the stands as I passed, a giant glimmering creature looking like it was cobbled together from thousands of reflective strips of a Corrective Work Order vest.

Up close, it looks deceptively light. Although it’s six metres tall, eight metres wide and weighs 1,000 kg, I can’t help but see it as nothing but a blown-up piece of origami.

It was only when members of the NDP organising committee pulled me aside to give me a safety briefing when I realised that I might have underestimated the prop.

You need boots, they told me, after looking at my well-worn Converse sneakers. You don’t want the edge of the structure to run over your foot – and crush it, was the implicit meaning.

Once appropriately suited up, I was introduced to Jensen Lim, the 20-year-old crew member who will be my guide for the day. Although he was nervous to be on camera, he spoke with a confidence from having practised with the prop for months on end.

“We’ll do a demonstration first,” he says, signalling the other eight crew members into position – one for each leg, one to operate the head, and four others to push the entire structure up the Padang stage.

As part of my task, I had to move the left leg in rhythm with the right leg. One goes up while the other comes back down, Jensen explained, with another crew member demonstrating.

Then it’s my turn to try.

I gripped the twin handles and pushed. I can feel all my muscles straining as I struggled to even lift the upper half of the leg, much less coordinate the lower part of the leg to make the prop look like it’s walking.

I can feel the amusement of the nine crew members as they watched me flail helplessly.

I am only given a few more tries before it’s time for us to walk the puppet. Several uncoordinated leg movements in, my arms gave up.

READ: NDP show to feature six-metre tall lion puppet in laser spectacle

READ: What it’s like to ride in the Mobile Column at NDP

THE TRAINING

Unlike me, Jensen and the eight other crew members worked with each other in smooth coordination like seasoned puppeteers. Although they’re missing one sick member, each movement was confident and purposeful.

This comes from training three times a week for the past few months.

“I will take about half an hour for the legs to warm up (during each training). They will get to coordinate with each other, see how they can improve from last week, how it can make more real.

“After that, we will practice the pushing. So the pushing must be on time… After that, all together we will do both movements together to ensure there is no gaps,” says Jensen as he explained the training process.

But the practice does not stop at the Padang stage. According to Jensen, the crew also watched lion documentaries separately, to better mimic a real lion’s movements.

While they may seem natural on stage now, Jensen said it took plenty of effort to get where they’re at now.

“The first week we tried… I would say we failed two out of three practices. Because one, we couldn’t coordinate between the legs and the movement, because the lion rocks as you control the legs.

“So there are points where the lion’s legs touch the floor (and) scrape the bottom of the metal frame,” he said.

READ: NDP 2019 declared an ‘enhanced security special event’: Police

READ: From Sungei Gedong to Nicoll Highway, prepping armoured vehicles for the NDP stage

In fact, the first time the crew tried to push the lion up the slope to the stage, they got stuck halfway due to a lack of momentum and had to carefully roll it back down.

In addition, performing is something new to Jensen. Originally part of the NDP show support, he ended up working with the lion after he volunteered to help out with the big props.

“It’s a different experience altogether. I think me and my guys, we have never tried anything similar to this. So I think it was a new experience that we could try altogether as a team,” he said.

“I feel like it’s one of the learning experiences, and I think my guys really enjoy having a bit of spotlight in a way, and participate in NDP, all in all. We don’t participate in NDP every year.”

THE PERFORMANCES

Jensen and his crew have already put in seven performances in front of a crowd: three combined rehearsals, three National Education shows, and one preview show.

But he still feels nervous each time, he said.

With just one preview left to go, the spectre of the performing on National Day itself looms large. While nervous, Jensen seemed ready for it.

“I think you can say we are both nervous and excited. Nervous is that… are we going to avoid the same mistakes, are we going to get the right timing, are the legs going to be proper on the actual day.

“But… the excitement is every week because – the guys, we are just generally very happy when we get to see the smiles on the audiences’ face. Like when we come out and everybody (has) all the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’,” he said.

So far, each audience they performed seemed very satisfied with the crew’s performance and the lion puppet itself.

“Everyone is just shocked at the sheer size of the lion… The image of the lion – the shimmering image of the lion (looks) very futuristic. From what I hear, everyone is very amazed that it looks a bit like a projector image instead of a real puppet,” he said.

READ: NDP 2019: Fireworks to be set off at Singapore River for the first time

READ: NDP 2019 theme song combines familiar tunes We Will Get There, Our Singapore

STRENGTHENED FRIENDSHIPS

At the end of our interview, I asked Jensen if he had any pointers after watching me struggle with the lion.

Just practice, is all he said.

“When we first started out, we were probably the same as when you first started out… Everyone was messy, there was no coordination between the legs – it looked like it was hopping on one knee.

“But as time goes by, when the guys get more practice… everything just seems to work better.”

He adds that the high morale between the team was what kept them going, despite the blazing hot sun during their afternoon rehearsals.

“The most rewarding part will be the friendship strengthened within my ten guys,” he says. “(It’s already) an honourable experience altogether, but the plus point would be the ten of us – we got much closer because of the time spent together.”

And it is time well-spent. Even as I let the Padang, tired from my brief stint as a lion puppeteer, I can still see the crew rolling back the lion, ready for another round of rehearsals in anticipation of National Day itself.

KUALA LUMPUR: The issue of rogue drone operators has entered the minds of Singaporeans in the past few months, after unidentified drones disrupted operations at Changi Airport on two occasions in June, resulting in delays and diversions to more than 60 flights.

While there have been no arrests so far in this case, investigations are continuing. Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen has emphasised the incursions at Changi Airport are receiving “top-level attention”.

On a more global scale, amid tensions in the Persian Gulf over the Trump administration’s pulling out of the nuclear deal with Iran and the Middle Eastern country’s persisting disputes with US allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over a host of issues, an American navy ship claimed to have used an anti-drone system to crash an Iranian drone.

READ: Tensions over Iran are creeping towards dangerous levels, a commentary

These incidents at Changi and the Persian Gulf follow the closure of London’s Gatwick Airport for more than 30 hours over three days in December last year due to drone sightings, which created travel chaos for about 140,000 passengers in the midst of the Christmas peak period.

TIGHTER RESTRICTIONS IN SINGAPORE

Coming back to Singapore, the Government has tightened requirements around drone usage. Newly introduced legislation will require all drones operating in Singapore to be registered by the end of this year, while pilots of “large or capable drones” will have to be licensed.

In addition, a proposed central flight management system will allow the monitoring of drones islandwide, let authorities check if they are operating under valid permits, and alert operators who breach regulations.

While such legislation and regulatory efforts are laudable, unfortunately, they will not be effective against rogue drone operators or those operating drones with deliberately malicious objectives and have no intention of registering with authorities.

An effective framework to swiftly investigate and prosecute those who violate the rules will be needed.

Moreover, although two men were charged with flying drones within 5km of Paya Lebar Airbase without the required permits, it was clear the effort and time needed to trace errant drone operators would be onerous if the perpetrators were not caught red-handed or if there was a lack of witnesses, photographs or video evidence of the misdeed.

There is also the issue that prosecutions after the fact do not mitigate the damage wrought by the actual act.

For example, the Gatwick airport disruptions was estimated to cost 50 million pounds (S$85.1 million), with the airlines affected bearing the brunt of it given the additional fuel costs from delayed aircraft and compensation to affected customers.

READ: Police arrest man and woman over Gatwick drone disruption

The costs to the airport was miniscule by comparison, estimated at just £1.4m (S$2.38 million) although the airport has since spent a further £4m (S$6.81 million) on counter-drone systems.

THE EMERGING CHALLENGE

The use of privately-operated drones has taken off in the past few years, as the price point of commercially available drones has dropped to affordable levels and lowered the barrier to entry for consumers.

Drones have found use in work as varied as aerial survey to delivering much-needed medicines to remote areas. A growing hobbyist drone community has emerged alongside these real-world uses.

However, these developments have created wicked regulatory and other challenges, arising from the fact that a privately-owned drone is, nevertheless, still an aircraft using national airspace.

READ: The Big Read — Rise of the drones — capable of good and evil, they pose a regulatory dilemma

No matter how small the drone is or how limited its operating altitudes are, it can still pose a huge threat to the manned private and commercial air traffic operating in the same area. 

A drone colliding with a commercial airliner while it is taking off or landing can cause severe complications to the flight, even if it doesn’t result in a dangerous disaster.

Going beyond a rogue drone causing a few delayed or diverted planes, the relative ease and ability to purchase a drone relatively anonymously online also reveals a dark side of this technology. 

In the hands of private operators, a drone able to carry small payloads onboard can be easily weaponised to carry explosives.

That is not to mention the possibility of spying on sensitive, restricted or private places by drones with camera payloads to map out blueprints of key installations and high-value targets. It is not far-fetched to imagine someone with malign intentions could easily strap something much more threatening to life and limb instead of a GoPro camera.

This has already been demonstrated on the battlefields of the Middle East and Ukraine, with the Islamic State successfully carrying out attacks on their enemies on the Iraqi and Syrian battlefields through the nefarious use of commercial drones as far back as 2016 and 2017, based on propaganda videos released at the time by the terror group.

The videos show the notorious organisation, which has since lost almost of its caliphate in Iraq and Syria but still retains pockets of support worldwide, using drones to carry improvised bombs and grenades to attack troops and vehicles of its enemies, successfully wreaking tremendous havoc and disrupting peace.

NEW COUNTER-DRONE SOLUTIONS

In short, the very real danger posed by a drone in the hands of a malign actor cannot be understated.

As an aviation hub, an attack on a fully fuelled airliner at Singapore’s Changi airport could conceivably lead to serious damage and casualties.

There have been several ideas that have been floated on how to bring down drones. 

London’s Gatwick Airport has acquired counter-drone systems in the wake of the December 2018 disruptions, and it has been widely reported that other airports are keen to do so as well.

READ: Britain expands airport drone no-fly zones

Unlike militaries, which have the option of using missiles to shoot down drones, civil law enforcement agencies cannot do so due to the risk of civilian casualties. 

Options which range from a drone fired net to a Dutch police trial with training eagles to knock down drones have been mooted. Perhaps predictably, the latter has been abandoned due to a lack of success, impracticality and inability to be scalable.

Instead, the market is increasingly settling on electronic measures to detect and engage errant drones. These work by either jamming the electronic signal between the operator and the drone, causing control of the latter to be lost, or systems that sends signals to seize control of the drone from the operator.

But many rely on the operator visually acquiring the drone and aiming his device at it before activating it, with the key challenge of spotting one with the naked eye when the drone is flying at an altitude of a few hundred feet or in adverse conditions such as harsh sunlight.

More advanced systems have introduced radars dedicated to tracking smaller, slower objects like drones and optical cameras that assist the operator in acquiring and tracking targets, along with an electronic signal jammer to counter the drone.

Such a system was reportedly used by the US Navy to knock down the Iranian drone in July, which the US Navy said had come as close as about 910m to the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer in the Strait of Hormuz. Known as the Light Marine Air Defense Integrated System (LMADIS), this is a highly mobile anti-drone solution that rides on a pair of all-terrain buggies.

Attaching the systems to vehicles has the added advantage of mobility, which is a crucial requirement for defending large landmasses like airports, airbases and military camps to improve response times given the threat from drones can materialise from any direction at any time.

All being said, there are still questions about the effectiveness of such systems given that the counter-drone technology is still very much in its infancy.

It was also reported that the US Navy had actually engaged a second Iranian drone with the LMADIS during the Strait of Hormuz incident, although it added it could not give a definitive answer about the success of this engagement.

It also must be noted that such counter-drone systems also inflict an asymmetrical cost on the buyer, with government agencies needing to pay millions of dollars to buy such systems to counter drones which cost mere hundreds of dollars.

However, as the recent experiences of Gatwick and Changi Airports have shown, this asymmetrical cost is something Singapore authorities may have to accept, given that the cost of doing nothing is potentially higher.

Mike Yeo is the Asia reporter for US-based defence publication Defense News.