ABSTRACT
Given the compression of the incubation period and level of intersection between remote-operated and autonomous systems, it is unlikely that these organisational structures will have radically shifted in the period between unmanned combat air vehicle proliferation and the current autonomous weapon systems incubation period. As a result, the ruling political party has been able to consistently allocate significant resources to military modernisation even in periods of extended interstate peace and slowing economic growth. There is little evidence to suggest that there would be a significant departure from this norm in case of autonomous weapons and the Next-Gen Singaporean armed forces. The Singapore case study further supported the position that a distinct understanding of middle power offset would be required to account for association of South-East Asian nations state adoption of increasingly autonomous platforms. While Singapore has identified the operational value of increasingly autonomous systems and can draw upon a significantly more advanced domestic arms production capacity and security innovation apparatus.
