Causes of conflict the same despite evolving nature of warfare

While the nature of warfare has evolved and will continue to transform in the future, the sources of the conflict will not.

Senior Minister of State for Defence Chan Chun Sing made this point during his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 15th Asia Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO) held at The Sentosa Resort & Spa on 6 Aug.

In his speech, Mr Chan highlighted that three main sources of conflict - contest for resources, conflict over race and religion and contest over rights - will "continue to be with us for a very long time to come".

Contesting for resources has always been an evergreen challenge for societies throughout history, and had been one of the major contributing factors to the start of World War II, he said. "This is particularly challenging when countries are growing rapidly because they need tremendous resources to sustain their growth trajectory and momentum. Hence, the security of their sources of resources will be of utmost importance."

Noting that the Asia-Pacific region is developing rapidly, Mr Chan stressed the importance of efficient allocation of resources in the region because if not managed well, conflicts are bound to escalate.

The second source of conflict is the issue of race and religion due to the rich diversity in culture, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, said Mr Chan. He highlighted the importance of putting in place a mechanism for "people to discuss such issues amicably and resolve their differences constructively."

Tensions may also arise from contest over rights, such as sovereign rights and rights to a particular system of governance.

But while the sources of conflict may remain the same, Mr Chan said that the nature of warfare has not. "Today, war is not just about the tangible aspects of the planes, the ships and the guns, but it is also about contest of other spheres, such as the cyber sphere, information sphere and the psychological sphere."

He also highlighted that war was no longer a distinct period of high-intensity conflict but a "prolonged, low-intensity and continuous struggle between two sets of competing ideas or forces".

To overcome these new challenges, the military and the society, as a whole, must learn to adapt, said Mr Chan. "The contest will be won not by who is best trained but perhaps who is best suited to adapt and to last - that is a different way of looking at war, as a contest of adaptation."

He also emphasised the importance of building trust and confidence among the countries to tackle these problems.

"It is incumbent upon us to build upon the foundation (of previous generations' work) and continue to strengthen the trust and build new institutions to resolve the challenges that we are facing now and that we will face in the future."

Over 50 officers from more than 20 countries participated in this year's programme, themed The Future of War. The annual APPSMO is organised by the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.