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The islandwide Total Defence exercise that made its debut in 2024 will be held again in Feb 2025, but will ask Singaporeans a different question: how prepared are you for a major power outage? The second edition of Exercise SG Ready will emphasise energy security, based on a scenario where a successful phishing attack cripples the IT system of a powerplant here, and causes power to go out for homes, businesses and cold chain logistics. The exercise will, for the first time, also incorporate a nationwide phishing exercise for businesses. This will be run together with the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), said Nexus, the government agency responsible for Total Defence and National Education.
To be co-led by Mindef and the Energy Market Authority, the exercise will run from Feb 15 to Feb 28 and be a key part of events to mark Singapore’s 60 years of independence, said Nexus’ director of community engagement Senior Lieutenant-Colonel (SLTC) Psalm Lew. The aim of the exercise is to simulate a sustained power disruption that lasts longer than the life of a backup generator before it needs to be refuelled, which is typically four hours, he said. Doing so will encourage businesses and organisations to review their business contingency plans in the event of such a crisis, and to enhance their resilience as needed, said SLTC Lew.
StarHub’s Giga probed for e-SIM security lapse For instance, firms will need to know what happens to their electronic locks in the event of such a power outage - whether all doors will stay sealed, or become ajar. In either case, they would then have to consider what employees need to do for their safety, and to secure confidential documents, he noted. “What we really want is to increase readiness, and people will be more ready (to deal with a crisis) when they have at least thought about it and have a plan,” he told the Straits Times.
At the same time, the phishing exercise will be an opportunity to improve resilience against cyberattacks for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which may not have the cybersecurity resources of their larger counterparts, he added. The focus on countering phishing attacks comes as Singapore Police Force (SPF) data shows that such attacks are on the rise again, after having receded a little in 2023 compared to a year before. At least $14.
2 million was lost to phishing scams in 2023 across 5,938 reported cases. However, the first half of 2024 saw at least $13.3 million lost in 3,447 reported cases.
While the first Exercise SG Ready was held as part of Total Defence 40th anniversary events (TD40), SLTC Lew said its success was partly the reason why a second run is being planned. Total Defence Day is commemorated every Feb 15, which was when British forces in Singapore surrendered to the Japanese in 1942 during World War II. The first Total Defence Day was held in 1984.
The inaugural exercise in Feb 2024, which simulated cyber and drone attacks and saw emergency food supplies provided to some schools, was well received by the public. Surveys of its participants showed that 95 per cent of respondents hoped to participate in similar crisis preparedness exercises in the future, said SLTC Lew. Table-top exercises that brought together individuals from different age groups and walks of life to discuss the impact of potential issues affecting Singapore and to develop drawer plans was also given the thumbs-up - more than 80 per cent of participants surveyed said it was effective and helped strengthen their organisations’ contingency plans.
More than half of the 800 or so participating organisations in the 2024 run also made use of the exercise to test their contingency plans, he added. SLTC Lew said Nexus will draw lessons from the first exercise to shape future exercises and Total Defence-related activities, so that they remain resonant with Singaporeans. “We aim to make Total Defence more relevant and relatable to the general public by focusing on current issues.
This helps Singaporeans stay aware and better understand challenges like hybrid threats, disinformation, terrorism, supply chain disruptions, cyberattacks, and food security,” he said..
