| Agency Name: | Ministry of Defence |
| Motto: | Safeguarding Singapore's Peace |
| Seal: | MINDEF crest.jpeg |
| Preceding1: | Ministry of Interior and Defence |
| Jurisdiction: | Government of Singapore |
| Headquarters: | 303 Gombak Drive, MINDEF Building, Singapore (669645) |
| Employees: | 282 (2024)[1] |
| Budget: | S$23.4 billion (USD$18.3b 2025)[2] |
| Minister1 Name: | Chan Chun Sing |
| Minister1 Pfo: | Minister for Defence |
| Minister2 Name: | Zaqy Mohamad |
| Minister2 Pfo: | Senior Minister of State |
| Minister3 Name: | Desmond Choo |
| Minister3 Pfo: | Minister of State |
| Chief1 Name: | Chan Heng Kee |
| Chief1 Position: | Permanent Secretary (Defence) |
| Chief2 Name: | Melvyn Ong |
| Chief2 Position: | Permanent Secretary (Defence Development) |
| Chief3 Name: | BG Yew Chee Leung |
| Chief3 Position: | Deputy Secretary (Technology)/Future Systems and Technology Architect |
| Chief4 Name: | Elaine Ng |
| Chief4 Position: | Deputy Secretary (Administration) |
| Chief5 Name: | Tan Peng Yam |
| Chief5 Position: | Chief Defence Scientist |
| Chief6 Name: | BG Choo Wei Yee, Frederick |
| Chief6 Position: | Deputy Secretary (Policy) |
| Chief7 Name: | COL Clarence Cai Geren |
| Chief7 Position: | Defence Cyber Chief |
| Child1 Agency: | Defence Science and Technology Agency |
| Agency Id: | T08GA0011B |
The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF; ms|Kementerian Pertahanan; Chinese: 新加坡國防部; ta|தற்காப்பு அமைச்சு) is a ministry under the Government of Singapore responsible for overseeing the national defence of Singapore.
See also: Ministry of Interior and Defence. MINDEF, together with the Ministry of Home Affairs, was created on 11 August 1970 by splitting up the then Ministry of Interior and Defence.
MINDEF's mission is to "enhance Singapore's peace and security through deterrence and diplomacy, and should these fail, to secure a swift and decisive victory over the aggressor."[3]
It has a policy of Total Defence which consists of Military Defence, Civil Defence, Economic Defence, Social Defence, Psychological Defence and Digital Defence involving the people, public and private sectors of the country.
MINDEF has one statutory board, the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA).
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), which consists of the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), and the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS), is a military component of MINDEF.[4]
The Security and Intelligence Division (SID), the foreign intelligence service of Singapore, is autonomous within the ministry.
The Ministry is headed by the Minister for Defence (Minister for Interior and Defence from 1965 to 1970), who is appointed as part of the Cabinet of Singapore.
| Minister | Took office | Left office | Party | Cabinet | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goh Keng Swee MP for Kreta Ayer (1918–2010) | 9 August 1965 | 16 August 1967 | PAP | Lee K. II | |||
| Lim Kim San MP for Cairnhill (1916–2006) | 17 August 1967 | 10 August 1970 | PAP | ||||
| Lee K. III | |||||||
| Goh Keng Swee MP for Kreta Ayer (1918–2010) | 11 August 1970 | 11 February 1979 | PAP | ||||
| Lee K. IV | |||||||
| Lee K. V | |||||||
| Howe Yoon Chong MP for Potong Pasir (1923–2007) | 12 February 1979 | 31 May 1982 | PAP | ||||
| Lee K. VI | |||||||
| Goh Chok Tong MP for Marine Parade (until 1988) and Marine Parade GRC (from 1988) (born 1941) | 1 June 1982 | 30 June 1991 | PAP | ||||
| Lee K. VII | |||||||
| Lee K. VIII | |||||||
| Goh I | |||||||
| Yeo Ning Hong MP for Kampong Glam GRC (born 1943) | 1 July 1991 | 1 July 1994 | PAP | ||||
| Goh II | |||||||
| Lee Boon Yang MP for Jalan Besar GRC (born 1947) | 2 July 1994 | 1 August 1995 | PAP | ||||
| Tony Tan MP for Sembawang GRC (born 1940) | 2 August 1995 | 1 August 2003 | PAP | ||||
| Goh III | |||||||
| Goh IV | |||||||
| Teo Chee Hean MP for Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC (born 1954) | 2 August 2003 | 20 May 2011 | PAP | ||||
| Lee H. I | |||||||
| Lee H. II | |||||||
| Ng Eng Hen MP for Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC (born 1958) | 21 May 2011 | 22 May 2025 | PAP | Lee H. III | |||
| Lee H. IV | |||||||
| Lee H. V | |||||||
| Wong I | |||||||
| Chan Chun Sing MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC (born 1969) | 23 May 2025 | Incumbent | PAP | Wong II | |||