We are all familiar with the name Singapore. It is located at the heart of the Strait of Malacca, and its geographical location has always attracted attention.
The Strait of Malacca is an internationally recognised port that connects important seas around the world. In normal times, the Strait of Malacca is a busy scene, with a constant stream of ships, especially those transporting energy supplies such as oil.
In times of war, Malacca's position was even more important. It is an important passage between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, and is an important waterway for transporting strategic goods. It can be said that whoever controls Malacca controls the lifeblood of a country.
Singapore sits on such a treasure land, and I don't know if it's lucky or unlucky. It can take advantage of its geographical location, communicate with various forces, develop tourism, and earn a lot of income. But does Singapore have the ability?
As a small country of only more than 700 square kilometers, surrounded by large countries, it is easy to be regarded as a piece of fish meat that can be picked by others, and it is coveted by other countries.
Moreover, when Singapore had just become independent, it not only had a small land and a small population, but also had poor military armaments, and even the entire air force had only one plane to fly
As the saying goes, it is also a sin for an innocent person to have a jewel, and newly independent Singapore, which has an important strategic location but no self-defense, is likely to be devastated by war because of its resources, as some Middle Eastern countries do.
However, in a few decades, Singapore has gone from being a small and impoverished country that has just become independent to a country that now has a certain status in international affairs, and it has also retained itself under the siege of wolves.
One of the reasons is the "poisonous shrimp theory" put forward by Singapore's first prime minister.
After Singapore's independence, Lee Kuan Yew assumed responsibility for the defense and development of the country as the first prime minister. He knows all too well how weak Singapore is and how critical the situation is.
In this case, he came up with the "poisonous shrimp theory".
To put it simply, this theory compares the world to the sea, and all countries are creatures in the sea. Singapore is surrounded by powerful big fish, and Singapore can only be regarded as a small shrimp.
If it is to avoid the fate of being devoured by the big fish, Singapore will have to change itself. But it's hard for a shrimp to turn into a big fish, so what are they going to do?
Lee Kuan Yew said, then turn yourself into a poisonous shrimp!In this way, those big fish will worry about "poisoning" and will not eat this "poisonous shrimp".
Since then, Singapore's various policies have been practicing this "poisonous shrimp theory".
If you want to protect the country, the most important thing is, of course, national defense. In terms of national defense construction, they have the idea of using "poison" to deter "big fish" and make them dare not act lightly.
So how to make "poison"?
They have a small population, and the size of their armies is certainly not comparable to those large countries. Therefore, they decided to move in the direction of "less but better". But that doesn't mean that Singapore can only mobilize a small number of troops.
They practiced "all the soldiers", and all male citizens were required to serve in the military. After two years of military service, the responsibility of citizens to defend the country is still there, but they become reservists. Although they don't usually go to training, they will go to the front as soon as war breaks out.
Then again, Singapore is so small, how can there be a place to train the army?
In order to ensure the effectiveness of the soldiers' training, they sent them all abroad for training. The United States, France, and Australia all have Singaporean soldiers.
In terms of strategic defense, they also have a good performance. They built fully equipped underground air defense stations all over the country, and when war came, it was here that the people's lives were guaranteed.
In terms of armament development, they do not hesitate to invest. Singapore has money, so it has more money to invest in arms development. They not only support domestic arms research and development, but also often purchase advanced weapons from abroad.
Last year alone, they spent as much as $12 billion on national defense construction. It is precisely because of this emphasis that Singapore's military power has changed from weak and helpless at the beginning to a prominent and impressive now.
Today, Singapore has become a military power in Southeast Asia. Even if you don't dare to say that you have a chance of winning in front of the super big fish, when the big fish eats this small shrimp, you must also think carefully about whether it will be ruined because of this shrimp.
In a region where various forces come and go, Singapore also has an important issue, and that is diplomacy. An important factor in Singapore's diplomacy is the "balance of power."
After all, they were at the center of the convergence of forces, and they must not want to see the day when a big war broke out. Otherwise, even if they don't want to go to war, they will inevitably be drawn into it.
They don't want to favor one country over another, let alone see one country dominate the world, because they don't want to see a new big fish appear.
It is precisely because they adhere to the principle of "balance of power" that they will consciously prevent the rise of a certain country, such as our country.