The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) is set to boost its conventional capabilities with the addition of three new Gulfstream G550 maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA) to replace the ageing Fokker 50s.When operational, they will work alongside the four new Boeing P-8A maritime patrol aircraft which will likely be put into service in the early 2030s.The acquisition was announced by Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing at Mindef's Committee of Supply debate on Friday (Feb 27).Chan, who is also Coordinating Minister for Public Services, told the House that the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) must continue to possess robust conventional capabilities to defend the country against a spectrum of threats. 

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will review its medical classification system to make it more «precise», Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said in Parliament on Friday (Feb 27).The move will allow full-time national servicemen (NSF) to be deployed to vocations that they were previously not eligible for, he added during his ministry’s budget debate.The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) uses a medical classification system since 1967 to classify soldiers into Physical Employment Standard (PES) grades A to F. It also takes into account existing medical conditions or past injuries.Those under PES A and B1 are suited for all combat vocations, such as guards and infantry, while non-combat-fit national servicemen (NSmen) who are C2 and C9 are eligible for some roles like supply and transport.But Chan noted that many new roles in the SAF no longer depend solely on the traditional notions of physical or operational fitness.«Combat categorisation in the past tended to stream our servicemen based on what people could not do. But we can unlock our people’s potential if we shift towards focusing on what they can do.»

Operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen) working in cybersecurity industry can soon spend their in-camp training protecting selected critical infrastructure in Singapore against cyber threats.Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad said on Friday (Feb 27) that from June, Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will reassign NSmen with such expertise to the Digital and Intelligence Service through the Enhanced Expertise Deployment Scheme.The NSmen, along with regulars and full-time national servicemen (NSF), will join sectorial cyber defence teams under the Defence Cyber Command, which Zaqy said is a «more coordinated, proactive approach against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats».«These teams will strengthen our capabilities, bring new ideas and approaches, and complement our existing forces,» he said.«We will deploy them to support the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore in defending Singapore's critical information infrastructure — covering vital sectors such as telecommunications, power and transport.»

[allAfrica]

À quelques semaines du premier tour, les candidats à la mairie de Punaauia débattent sur le plateau de Polynésie la 1ère ce jeudi 26 février. L’émission est à suivre en direct à la télévision et en Facebook Live.

Khawaja Asif stressed that the Pakistani military knows its opponent well

Nikolay Azarov added that the entire Kiev administration is a puppet regime

Andrey Ordash said there is no discussion in the Polish public space about forcibly transferring Ukrainian men to Kiev for mobilization

The European Commission denies blocking the defense loan under the EU’s SAFE militarization program

According to Anna Skorokhod, a member of the Verkhovna Rada, it is a social issue, because when people see so many bodies being returned, they become even more negative about mobilization

The Federal Aviation Administration has halted flights around Fort Hancock, Texas, following the reported downing of a border patrol drone Read Full Article at RT.com

[Nile Post] The Supreme Court of Uganda has confirmed President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as the duly elected President of Uganda after granting an application to withdraw a petition challenging his victory in the January 15, 2026 general elections.

[allAfrica]

This is how democracies unravel. Long after the Gorton and Denton by-election has been forgotten, the campaign and the precedent it set will continue to disfigure our politics.

The 52-year-old, who is serving life in prison for the murder of two 10-year-old girls in 2002, was attacked while working in the waste management workshop at HMP Frankland.

The former secretary of state said she was asked 'literally the same question over and over again' about Epstein despite telling lawmakers she had never met pedophile.

Democracy Volunteers, who sent accredited observers across the Greater Manchester seat on Thursday, expressed fears about major breaches of electoral law.

No10 is bracing for a fresh onslaught from Keir Starmer's critics following the worst possible result for Labour in Gorton & Denton.

[New Times] AFC/M23 has reiterated its commitment to the ceasefire, even as it accuses the Congolese government coalition of repeatedly violating agreements during Qatar-mediated peace talks.

[New Times] The National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) has successfully completed a five-month Proof of Concept (PoC) phase for a potential Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), a digital version of the Rwandan franc known as the e-Franc Rwandais (e-FRW), according to a report released on February 26.

[New Times] March 18 has been set as the date when Rwandan and UK lawyers will face off in arbitration proceedings over the Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP), a bilateral treaty concluded in 2024. Rwanda accuses the United Kingdom of failing to honour its commitments under the agreement.

The Federal Aviation Administration has halted flights around Fort Hancock, Texas, following the reported downing of a border patrol drone Read Full Article at RT.com

Poland has no limits on the time spent in pretrial detention before the verdict is pronounced, Russia’s Charge d'Affaires in Poland Andrey Ordash said

Five of them were destroyed over the Moscow Region

Zack Polanski's party said 'things are feeling positive' in the early hours of Friday, while a deflated Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell appeared to concede defeat.

Hungary’s Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Peter Szijjarto believes that Kiev wants to create an emergency situation in Hungary in the run-up to the elections

The resolution warns that delivering new strikes on Iran «without a full understanding of all the attendant risks to US service members and to escalation, is reckless»

Andrey Ordash noted that most of US servicemen deployed on the rotational basis

US Vice President JD Vance said he does not know what Donald Trump will decide to do about Iran

The Finnish transport infrastructure agency said that this is being done in accordance with routine practices of winter navigation

The Federal Reserve is asking a court to throw out subpoenas issued as part of the Justice Department’s inquiry into Fed Chair Jerome H. Powell.