New statutory board for R&D in defence technology

    Evolving from Mindef's DTG, the new Defence Science and Technology Agency will also acquire defence material and develop infrastructure.

    The Defence Ministry will set up a new statutory board next April to conduct research and development in defence technology.

    The new Defence Science and Technology Agency will also acquire defence material and develop infrastructure.

    It will evolve out of the restructuring of the ministry's Defence Technology Group, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tony Tan told Parliament yesterday during the debate on his ministry's budget.

    He also announced two other major initiatives:

•     Minister of State (Defence) David Lim will head a task force to examine whether the ministry headquarters needs to be restructured to make it
  lean.
      The task force will examine the organisational structure of the ministry headquarters; its relationships with the Singapore Armed Forces, the new Defence Science and Technology Agency and the defence industry; and its decision-making support infrastructure.

•     Career structures and salaries of warrant officers and specialists in the Singapore Armed Forces are being reviewed.
  
      The recommendations, to be implemented from next
  April onwards, would enhance the SAF's ability to
  attract and retain quality men and women at all
  levels, said Dr Tan.
  
      Warrant officers and specialists were the backbone of the SAF, he added.
  

    Nine MPs spoke during the defence budget debate yesterday, raising issues on defence policy and expenditure, defence relations, training safety,
piracy and even national service for women.

    On defence technology, Dr Tan said the new statutory board would implement Mindef's defence technology plans, while the ministry retained control over planning and funding.

    Said Dr Tan: "In short, the fundamental organising principle is that Mindef determines what should be done while the statutory board is free to determine how best to do it."

    Restructuring would give the new agency autonomy in personnel management and flexibility to form strategic alliances with other research institutions and companies.

    He added: "This will alleviate the strain on Singapore's engineering and R & D manpower resource, and help us transcend the limits of growth imposed by our limited manpower."

    Explaining the need for restructuring, Dr Tan said that DTG now provided the whole range of technology functions, from policy formulation to acquisition, maintenance and development.

    While this arrangement had helped the ministry to build up defence capabilities quickly, it might not be nimble enough to meet future challenges.

    He said that it would also be impractical for Mindef to simply continue to expand its engineering talent pool to try to stay ahead in the technology game, as this would distort the deployment of the national engineering resource. "Instead of simply growing larger, we have to do things smarter."

    Restructuring DTG would complete a strategic shift to position Mindef to meet the challenges of defence science and technology. It started two years with the corporatisation of the Defence Science Organisation.

    Mindef will table a Bill to seek Parliament's approval to set up the new agency.

(taken from The Straits Times, 11/3/99)