Muhammad Faizal

Iran latest: US submarine sank Iranian warship in Indian Ocean with torpedo, defence secretary says Earlier, the Sri Lankan navy said around 140 people were missing after an Iranian ship sank near the island. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is giving a news conference at the Pentagon now - watch l...

US sinks Iranian warship with torpedo in Indian Ocean - Hegseth

- If the U.S/Israel war against Iran starts to spread to the exclusive economic zone (waters) of other countries outside Middle East, what could this mean for the maritime security of coastal states?

www.bbc.com/news/live/c6...

Singapore strives to stay non-aligned amid US-China rivalry, new conflicts Foreign minister says the city state must assert its distinctiveness to remain relevant and will not act as a proxy for any major power.

“This major power chess game, where regional countries like Singapore are regarded as geopolitical chess pieces is becoming more heated,” 𝗠𝘂𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗯𝗱𝘂𝗹 𝗥𝗮𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗻, research fellow at the @RSIS_NTU , told This Week in Asia.

www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...?

‘Lay down your weapons': Prayer app used by Iranians hacked following US-Israeli strikes A prayer app used in Iran is believed to have been hacked after it told users to lay down their weapons after strikes by the U.S. and Israel.

“A popular prayer app used in Iran is believed to have been hacked after it began urging users to lay down their weapons on Saturday following airstrikes by the U.S. and Israel.”

#cybersecurity #DigitalDefence #psyops

www.yahoo.com/news/article...

5. Second. In this case, it appears the information ops target Chinese-speaking people in Singapore or with interest in Singapore. #Singapore #digitaldefence

4. First. Geopolitical contest extends to the grey zone as information operations increasingly target people of countries whose leaders and policies are seen as not aligned with the strategic interests of the threat actor or the state sponsor behind it.

3. "This latest campaign analysed by CNA was not aimed solely at Singapore and Mr Wong. US President Donald Trump, various Western leaders and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi were also targeted in other videos posted by the same channels."

2. "Elsewhere, the disinformation operation also focused on Singapore’s foreign relations, with some videos deriding the country as an American puppet or pawn, while others fabricated news of Singapore “betraying” the United States for economic reasons."

Singapore and PM Lawrence Wong targeted in AI-driven disinformation campaign on YouTube A CNA investigation has found hundreds of videos spreading lies about Singapore’s foreign policy, economy and leadership. Multiple accounts involved in the operation, which has been going on for sever...

1. "Hundreds of AI-generated, Chinese-language YouTube videos have been targeting Singapore and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as part of an ongoing disinformation campaign, CNA has found.

www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/la...

US missile deployments in Philippines signal deeper strategic shift in region Analysts said the move bolsters the First Island Chain strategy and deepens Manila’s role in regional defence planning.

𝗠𝘂𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗹, a research fellow at @RSIS_NTU in Singapore, said Manila hoped to leverage US technology deployments to forge credible deterrent against China’s quantitative advantage in maritime forces and increasingly advanced systems.

www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...

Myanmar expels East Timor's representative over war crimes case YANGON: Myanmar's junta said on Sunday (Feb 15) it had ordered the ejection of East Timor's top representative there after a rights group said Dili had opened a legal case against the militar

“East Timor's charge d'affaires had been summoned on Friday and was given a week to leave Myanmar.”
www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/myanmar...

“The Pentagon is pushing top AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, to make their artificial-intelligence tools available on classified networks without many of the standard restrictions that the firms apply to users…”

US used Anthropic’s AI model Claude during the Venezuela raid, WSJ reports The Pentagon is pushing top AI companies to make their AI tools available on classified networks. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

“Anthropic’s artificial-intelligence model Claude was used in the US military’s operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro…”

www.straitstimes.com/world/united...

Xi’s new year greeting reveals PLA Cyberspace Force post in South China Sea Analyst says deployment signals Chinese military’s cyber warfare capabilities ‘are no longer confined to the mainland’.

Xi’s new year greeting reveals PLA Cyberspace Force post in South China Sea
www.scmp.com/news/china/m...

Such tensions are characterized by hybrid threats such as cyber operations and cognitive warfare in the information domain.

CNA938 Rewind - Total Defence Day 2026: Fighting Misinformation and Protecting Social Cohesion This Sunday is Total Defence Day, and we’re zooming in on Psychological Defence—now stretching far beyond “resilience” in an era of misinformation, manipulation, and narratives designed to fracture tr...

In this conversation with CNA938 radio, I elaborated on the importance of Psychological Defence in the present era of geopolitical tensions.

Happy Total Defence Day, Singapore.

www.channelnewsasia.com/listen/cna93...

Trump says US retains right to ‘militarily’ secure Chagos airbase Mr Starmer made a 2025 deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

What could this mean for allies or partners countries in the Indo-pacific that grant access to U.S. forces?

www.straitstimes.com/world/europe...

2. BG (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Alirupendi was in Singapore for defence-related meetings and also attended the Singapore Airshow 2026.

Both sides had a good discussion on regional affairs and possible areas of research cooperation.

Photo: RSIS Outreach

1. 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of bilateral defence relations for Brunei & Singapore. It was an honour for @RSIS_NTU to host a visit by BG (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Alirupendi bin Haji Perudin, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Brunei Darussalam on 5 Feb 2026.

Short reflection on the cyberspace/digital defence dimension of Southeast Asia regional security outlook for 2026.

More perspectives from other regional experts and analysts here: lnkd.in/gMsWy5NU

As Canada and UK hit refresh on China ties, is this the end of Five Eyes? The White House’s ‘America first’ strategy is prompting alliance members to take another look at their relationship with Beijing.

𝗠𝘂𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗹 @RSIS, suggested that “as long as the alliance members continue to share the same perception of China as a strategic threat and the US does not become an actual military threat to its allies, the alliance will continue” although it might be “shaky”.

www.scmp.com/news/china/d...?

No more zoom for French officials: France to use local alternative to US tech The transition is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

De-risking previously involved Chinese tech; now American tech too. Possible impact of lower trust in transatlantic relations on digital security.

www.straitstimes.com/world/europe...

- Indonesia says No to U.S demands that violate its constitution and force indonesia to openly align against China.

Indonesia says no to US demand to buy American drones, but agrees to other terms in trade talks Indonesia and the US are in the final stages of talks on a so-called reciprocal tariff deal, which will see the US lower tariff rates on South-east Asia’s largest economy from the previously threatene...

“But Indonesia has rejected provisions that would violate its Constitution, including demands for it to buy US-made drones for surveillance in waters near the South China Sea, two senior government officials have told ST on condition of anonymity.”

www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia...

- Suddenly, Europeans and Canadians are getting a taste of something long familiar to other parts (global south) of the world - that arbitrary exercise of US power…

As we return to a pre-WW2 order, the middle powers face a challenge With economic stagnation and extremes of inequality comes corrosion of trust in democratic institutions. So Trump may be a symptom, not a cause, of what Carney called a "rupture" with the post-WW2 ord...

Interesting article:

- American unilateralism may not be new. What is new is that this time, it is America's friends and allies that find themselves on the receiving end of American power.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

A noteworthy development at ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) in 2025 was the release of workplan for the ASEAN Cyber Defence Network (ACDN). Not much publicity on this, but here’s a screenshot of the workplan from ADMM website:

#ASEAN #cyberspace #defence #ADMM

2. @RSIS_NTU | S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies was pleased to host this discussion with students from China’s Tsinghua University and Peking University on 21 Jan 2026. Chaired by Prof Sarah Teo with strategic ally yours truly 😬 & other RSIS colleagues.

1. What is the outlook for China-U.S relations & implications to Southeast Asia? How can countries navigate strategic reality where rules are weakened and the U.S exercising raw power and coercive diplomacy on rivals, but more importantly on allies and partners? @RSIS_NTU

US ambassador to Singapore’s much ‘larger gifts’ call to mark July 4 rankles In light of recent US actions, Anjani Sinha’s call could be deemed as the embassy trying to ‘shake down businesses’, an analyst says.

The letter had become an issue not only because of its content but because of the bad press the new ambassador had received, Faizal said.

- more of my comments in this news article.
www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...?

Denmark warns of 'fundamental disagreement' with US over Greenland There was no major breakthrough during the meeting, and President Trump reiterated his interest in acquiring the island shortly afterwards.

“But he said the president's comments about the presence of Russian and Chinese warships around Greenland were "not true".”

- Basically, all major powers use information manipulation (or disinformation) in foreign policy to pressure other states.

www.bbc.com/news/article...