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26 Nov 2024
Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen presented the Defence Technology Prize (DTP) to two individuals and four teams at an award ceremony held on 26 November 2024. For his outstanding achievements in maintaining a secure and digital space for Singapore, Director (Technology Development and Collaboration) Ong Khoon Kiat from DSTA’s Information Programme Centre was awarded the Individual (Engineering) Award. The DTP is the most prestigious award presented annually by MINDEF to recognise contributions that have helped the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) maintain its sharp edge in defence capabilities.
Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the award ceremony.
Speaking at the award ceremony, Dr Ng said, “To get ahead of the curve, or even to keep up with it, requires militaries to evolve new innovative structures… As we have done in the past six decades, we just need to stay abreast, and we do it through our determination, effort and ingenuity, so that we can position Singapore with the best possible defence against today’s threats and tomorrow’s challenges.”
Khoon Kiat (middle) receiving the award from Dr Ng (left) and Chief Defence Scientist, Mr Tan Peng Yam (right).
Since joining DSTA in 2010, Khoon Kiat has played a key role in developing systems for MINDEF and the SAF to detect online terrorism threats seeking to undermine our nation’s interests. These systems enable analysts to understand threat actors through fusing various sources of data, and also employ the use of AI models to analyse harmful content such as misinformation, terrorism propaganda and fake content.
Khoon Kiat (sixth from left) celebrating his win with fellow DSTA colleagues and counterparts from MINDEF.
“My team of software developers and I also collaborate extensively with industry leaders and research institutes around the globe to bring in new tech to complement in-house developed capabilities,” Khoon Kiat shares, “Apart from delivering capabilities, I’ve also learnt that one of the best ways to combat threats in the online space is through education.” In 2020, Khoon Kiat’s team started a workshop at DSTA’s annual learning festival, BrainHack, teaching youths how to employ tech to detect AI-generated misinformation online.
Heartiest congratulations to all award recipients!