Chinook helicopters crossed the Singaporean skies, flanked by Apache gunships, while German-made Leopard battle tanks paraded on the streets below and US-made F-16 fighter jets put on an air show.

Last week’s exhibition, part of Singapore’s annual National Day celebration, offered a vivid display of the military assets of a country that according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute had the world’s third-highest military spending per capita in 2023. It ranked fifth in 2021.

This year’s parade, the first under new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, takes place as rising geopolitical tensions and emerging cyber threats are pushing the city state to boost defence spending and rethink its traditional stance of preparation and deterrence.