DSO National Laboratories (DSO) celebrates its Golden Jubilee in 2022, marking five decades of scientific and technological research and development (R&D) to sharpen the edge of Singapore's defence and national security. This set of stamps is released to commemorate 50 years of defence science.

Humble Beginnings DSO traces its roots to the Electronics Test Centre (ETC) which was set up in 1972. ETC was the brainchild of then Minister of Defence, Dr Goh Keng Swee, who recognised that the technology edge is necessary for Singapore to overcome its natural constraints. ETC began with three engineers handpicked by Dr Goh to study Electronic Warfare.

Key Contributions DSO has been building capability with the steady investments by the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) over the years. Today, DSO has more than 1,500 research scientists and engineers with deep technical expertise in a wide range of scientific fields and engineering disciplines. DSO delivers advanced technological solutions across the domains of land, sea, air, space and cyberspace to address unique operational needs; and to enable transformation of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to meet evolving security challenges. DSO contributes towards strengthening national resilience by availing its deep technical expertise to Singapore agencies to address national level issues ranging from cybersecurity threats to disease outbreaks. DSO is a Designated Laboratory of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW); and it carries out chemical verification work on biomedical and environmental samples, thus contributing globally to the effort to curb proliferation of chemical weapons.

Future Ready Apart from meeting current needs, DSO invests efforts to get ready for the future. It develops emerging technologies that have potential to be game changers in the long term; and builds up capabilities to get them ready for the future needs of the SAF. DSO sponsors programmes and competitions to excite young Singaporeans about the marvels of science; and to inspire young Singaporeans to pursue their interests in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; and careers in science and engineering for defence or other sectors.

People, Passion, Innovation DSO's achievements are the result of the dedication and commitment of its people; their passion to push the boundary; and their innovation to make a difference to Singapore's defence and security.