The five pillars

What are the five pillars? What does it do?
The five pillars are:

1. Military Defence
2.  Economic Defence
3. Civil Defence
4. Social Defence
5. Psychology Defence

It contributes to keeping Singapore strong on all fronts. Regardless of what threat Singapore faces, Singaporeans can do their part in unity so that Singapore would not fall.

History of Total Defence

It is adapted from countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria, based on the understanding that besides military action aggressors can also defeat a country by:

1. wrecking its economic systems, 
2. tearing its social fabric apart, 
3. targeting Singaporeans' beliefs and commitment to defence, 
4. and its ability to recover from disasters, both natural and man-made.

The two main reasons why Total Defence is adopted are as follows:

1. As a young nation with a small population, we cannot afford to maintain a regular armed forces. Thus, involvement of every Singaporean multiplies our defence capability.
2. Nature of modern warfare has changed. Wars are no longer limited to the battlefield. Instead, potential aggressors can strike in less obvious, non-military ways.

This is where the five pillars come in place to protect a country.

What is Total Defence Day?

It is to commemorate anniversary of the surrender of British to Japanese on February 15, 1942, precursoring 3 years and 8 months of Japanese Occupation, marked annually on February 15 since 1984. Total Defence Day is about the different things we can do every day in every sector of our society to strengthen our resilience as a nation.

Activities, such as quizzes or fire drills, are often held in schools for students reminding them on:

1. The importance of Total Defence
2. Singapore is defensible and is worth defending,
3. and only Singaporeans would have the will to defend Singapore.

At 1205 hours, Important Message Signal will sound through island-wide Public Warning System (PWS) sirens via Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). Simultaneously, 10 local radio stations will sound important message signal, explaining to listeners on appropriate measures taken for three different types of PWS signals. After sounding, schools will read out a Civil Defence message in which students were reminded of the significance of PWS signals and appropriate measures to be taken.