Bridging defence and health: the Singapore Armed Forces Biodefence Framework for public health emergency preparedness

The Singapore Armed Forces Biodefence Framework is a capability-based operational framework that enhances military preparedness and response to emerging infectious diseases and deliberate biological threats. It has seven key elements: Surveillance, Sampling, Detection and Identification, Attribution, Risk Assessment, Risk Mitigation and Therapeutics, and Recovery and Preparedness. Two key features are highlighted: the Biothreat Risk Assessment Tool, evaluating threats based on pathogen impact and military operational vulnerability and the Modular Pandemic Response Plan, enabling flexible pathogen-agnostic responses. The framework complements existing biodefence and public health preparedness frameworks by translating strategic principles into military operational capabilities while aligning with Singapore’s whole-of-government biodefence ecosystem. Its strengths include integrated capability development, structured risk assessment and adaptive response planning. To further enhance its effectiveness, future priorities include strengthening civil-military partnerships to improve information sharing and resource allocation, continuous training and personnel development, establishing a mechanism for regular framework revisions, integration of climate science and advancements in attribution capabilities to maintain resilience against evolving biological threats.