Total Defence Day 2022 Quiz

What was the historical event that led to Singapore commemorating Total Defence Day?

• The Little India riots

• The 1964 racial riots

• The British surrender of Singapore to the Japanese in 1942

• The Financial crisis of 2008

Annually, Total Defence Day falls on ___________.

• 14 Feb

•  15 Feb

• 21 Feb

• 21 Jul

Answer explanation

Total Defence Day is commemorated on 15 February annually, the day colonial Singapore surrendered to Japan in 1942 during World War II.

Which year did schools start commemorating Total Defence?

• 1942

• 1979

• 1984

• 1997

Answer explanation

Total Defence Day was added to the list of dates for schools to commemorate on 17 May 1997, and first nationally marked on 15 February 1998 with the Singapore Civil Defence Force sounding the Important Message Signal through the island-wide Public Warning System sirens and local radio stations for a minute. The date was chosen to mark the British surrender of Singapore to Japan during World War II. At its inception, the siren was sounded at 12:05 pm Singapore Standard Time; this was changed to 6:20 pm in 2015 to mark the actual time of the surrender in 1942.

Schools conduct emergency preparedness drills, food and electricity rationing, and may organise tours to government exhibitions. The defence minister also delivers an address on the day prior, along with other ministers.

A memorial service had been held annually at the War Memorial Park since 1967 to recognise civilians who lost their lives during the Japanese occupation.

How many pillars are there in Total Defence?

• 4

• 5

• 6

• 7

What was the new pillar added to Total Defence in 2019?

• Digital Defence

• Psychological Defence

• Civil Defence

• Economic Defence

Answer explanation

Total Defence is Singapore's whole-of-society national defence concept, based on the premise that every aspect of society contributes to the collective defence of the state. The strategy was first introduced in 1984 and adopted from the national defence strategies of Sweden and Switzerland. It initially consisted of five key tenets; military, civil, economic, social, and psychological, with the sixth, digital, being introduced in 2019. The strategy was amplified by the government slogan: There's A Part For Everyone, with a corresponding national song named after it when first introduced.

What is the tagline for Total Defence?

• Building Our Singapore of Tomorrow

• Together, A Stronger Singapore

• Together We Keep Singapore Strong

• Together, Our Singapore Spirit

Answer explanation

"Together We Keep Singapore Strong" has been the theme of the Total Defence campaign since 2016.

The addition of the 6^th pillar mandated that the Total Defence logo be redesigned to incorporate the sixth element. A new competition was launched on 17 September 2019, where 10 designs were chosen by the organisers and put up for a public vote. Which of the following is the new Total Defence logo?

• 1

• 2

• 4

• 7

Answer explanation

The current Total Defence logo is as shown. The winner was Samantha Alexa Teng, a teacher at Queensway Secondary School, who was awarded her prize on 15 Feb 2020.