Exercise SG Ready 2025

Exercise Objective.

The exercise aims to encourage everyone to plan for potential disruptions, prepare to respond effectively, and play our part to keep Singapore strong. As a signature event of SG60, ESR 2025 invites Singaporeans to reflect on the crises and disruptions that we have gone through in the last 60 years, and what we are likely to face going forward. It is an opportunity for Singaporeans to show care for others in times of such crises and disruptions. ESR 2025 will commence on TD Day on 15 February 2025 and run for two weeks until 28 February 2025.

Participating Organisations.

Over 800 organisations, schools and units from educational, community, businesses and government sectors will carry out different disruption or preparedness activities across the two-week exercise period to strengthen their business continuity plans for power disruptions or phishing attacks.

Key Highlights

Nexus, MINDEF has produced an exercise scenario video (scan Figure 1) illustrating how hybrid security threats such as a phishing attack can cause disruptions and affect our daily lives. This video sets the context for the upcoming exercise activities, and members of the public are encouraged to watch it on https://go.gov.sg/sgreadyvideo.

Members of the public can visit SGReadyGoWhere from https://go.gov.sg/sgreadygowhere (or using the QR code in Figure 2) for more details on the locations and dates of the exercise activities. Many free online resources are also made available on the website.

Simulated Power Disruptions.

During the exercise period, many schools, public agencies as well as community and business organisations will simulate power outages:

Switching off Façade Lights to Simulate Power Disruption.

Over 20 prominent buildings will simulate a power disruption caused by a cyberattack on 15 February. These buildings, including the Supreme Court, Singapore Management University, National Heritage Board museums, Central Fire Station, Millenia Tower and St Andrew’s Cathedral will switch off their external facade lights to simulate a blackout (see highlighted buildings in Figure 3 below).

Simulated power outages at Two MRT Stations During Non-Operational Hours.

Key public transport operators in Singapore such as SBS Transit and SMRT will exercise their business continuity plans by simulating power outages at two train stations during non-operational hours. For instance, SMRT will engage 300 community participants in a realistic emergency preparedness exercise on 16 February 2025, from 0100hrs to 0330hrs at City Hall MRT station. During this exercise, participants will be carefully guided by SMRT staff and Transcom to disembark from the train onto the tracks and evacuate through the station’s escape shaft. This exercise, replicating a nationwide power outage scenario due to a cyberattack, ensures that staff and participants are well-prepared for such situations.

Table-Top Exercises for Business and Community Organisations.

Businesses like Mapletree Business City will simulate power disruptions within their premises and organise tabletop exercises (TTX) with their tenants to strengthen their preparedness for potential disruptions. Quantedge Capital will also coordinate a financial sector-focused TTX on 19 February 2025, bringing together large, reputable multinational and local financial institutions to discuss responses to power disruptions and cybersecurity threats.

Lift Rescue Demonstration.

During the TD Day Commemoration Event (TDDCE) on 15 February 2025, SCDF will conduct a lift rescue to demonstrate their ability to respond to a medical emergency in a lift, showing that a power outage is not an obstacle to effective response.

Phishing Exercises.

For the first time, MINDEF is partnering the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) to conduct a phishing exercise for 200 businesses, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This exercise encourages businesses to strengthen their cyber resilience and review their business continuity plans in face of potential cyberattacks and other disruptions.

Cyber Resilience Guide for Boards.

The Singapore Institute of Directors (SID), together with the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), NCS and ISTARI will launch a Cyber Resilience Guide for Boards to help organisations strengthen their cybersecurity in conjunction with Exercise SG Ready. This guide will provide valuable resources and insights for board members to effectively manage and mitigate cyber risks. 

Caring for Others in Times of Crises.

This year’s Exercise SG Ready will also encourage Singaporeans to put Social Defence into action, to show care for our fellow Singaporeans especially in times of major disruptions. In the spirit of SG60, the exercise is an opportunity for people to actively demonstrate care and look out for one another, especially the vulnerable within our society. This strengthens community resilience and fosters a sense of unity in overcoming challenges together.

Community support, particularly for seniors, is important especially in times of crises. Interested individuals may sign up as volunteers with the Agency of Integrated Care (AIC)’s Silver Guardian Programme to be part of a buddy system for identified at-risk seniors, making regular phones calls and house visits to check on their well-being, which is useful in peacetime and especially pertinent during crises. This can be done through https://www.aic.sg/community/be-a-volunteer.

Business and community organisations can also play a valuable role in supporting the community through sustainable corporate volunteerism. Interested groups can reach out directly to the relevant Active Ageing Centres (AAC) to arrange regular volunteering opportunities.

Total Defence Commemoration in MOE Schools.

In line with Exercise SG Ready’s scenario of power disruption and in collaboration with EMA, MOE has developed resources for schools to engage students on resilience in the face of possible power disruptions, as part of the commemoration of Total Defence Day. Schools at the primary, secondary and pre-university levels are also encouraged to participate in Exercise SG Ready, through a simulation of power supply disruptions, or food or water disruptions which result from a prolonged power outage. Complementing the experience for secondary schools and pre-universities that take part in the food disruption exercise are the ready-to-eat meals distributed by Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and SATS.

Strengthen Contingency Plans.

As part of the effort to increase readiness for crises and disruptions, Nexus, MINDEF is rolling out two self-facilitated Exercise SG Ready TTX packages to help organisations and businesses review their contingency plans using the Exercise SG Ready Scenario Video. Organisations that conduct their own TTX using the Exercise SG Ready packages from 15 to 28 February 2025 will be considered as having participated in the exercise. The Registration deadline is 1 February 2025.

Interested organisations can download the 1) cybersecurity package from https://go.gov.sg/esr25cyberttx or using the QR Code as shown in Figure 4; and 2) power disruption package from https://go.gov.sg/esr25powerttx and register their participation using the QR Code as shown in Figure 5.