total defence

As a young nation with a small population and a conscript armed forces, we needed to draw on the different strengths and abilities of our community to augment our defence capability. Conflicts between countries are no longer just military in nature. Potential aggressors and threats can appear in less obvious and non-conventional ways (e.g., destroying social cohesion by exploiting differences in race, language, religion, culture, social or economic class; weakening national resilience by using psychological warfare to play on the people’s fears and apprehensions; or waging economic warfare through economic boycotts, trade sanctions or acts of sabotage to bring down the economy).