Singapore is boosting deployment of uncrewed systems and reorganizing Armed Forces personnel as demographic shifts shrink the pool of potential military recruits.
Over the past decade, the ratio of working‐age adults to retirees has fallen from 6-to-1 to less than 4-to-1, according to the Manpower Ministry.
Singapore’s Defence Ministry is spearheading initiatives to mitigate the effects of an aging population on force strength and effectiveness. Defence Minister Dr. Ng Eng Hen has called the decline in the number of service members the “greatest internal challenge” facing the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). For instance, the Defence Ministry said the Navy anticipated a 30% decrease in personnel by 2044, according to Defense News, a United States-based publication. Ng highlighted efforts to overcome that challenge, such as increased automation and assigning conscripts and national reservists, known as “NSmen,” to roles aligned with their civilian skills to enhance effectiveness.
Such technological advances and personnel optimization are bolstering the SAF, Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman, a research fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), told FORUM.
“Singapore needs sufficient manpower in its Armed Forces to project a credible [deterrent] against any external military threats in the physical and cyberspace domains,” he said.
To optimize troop utilization, Faizal said, duties historically assigned to career service personnel increasingly are given to national service conscripts, who are typically age 18 to 24, or to NSmen, who tend to be older and often have specialized skills. The need for operational readiness “makes it necessary for conscripts and NSmen to have the skills and knowledge to operate effectively alongside career Soldiers on the battlefield,” he said.
Meanwhile, significant investments in uncrewed platforms for the Army and Navy are also designed to compensate for decreasing troop numbers, Thomas Lim and Ian Li wrote in a March 2024 analysis published by the RSIS. These include deployment of uncrewed surface vessels (USV) by the Navy’s Maritime Security Command (MARSEC) and “micro” uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) by the Army. The MARSEC USVs began operational patrols in January 2025, according to the Defence Ministry.
“Given that the SAF intends to operate with a one-third reduction in total manpower by 2030, the MARSEC USV deployment best encapsulates the idea of using technology as a force multiplier, potentially being able to replace manned roles out at sea and performing similar functions with longer operational durability while keeping the operator out of harm’s way,” Lim and Li wrote.
They noted that the micro-UAVs are intended to strengthen basic infantry operations and support troop movements. The drones were showcased for the first time during exercise Forging Sabre 2023, enabling the SAF to test the systems in realistic mission scenarios.
Faizal said rising geopolitical tensions and conflicts make deterrence crucial, especially for smaller nations such as Singapore, which rely on stability and international law.
“Unmanned systems help offset manpower constraints and adapt to evolving warfare, including unmanned combat seen in global conflicts,” he said.
