Ministry of Interior and Defence


The Ministry of Interior and Defence of Singapore was set up in 1965, with Dr. Goh Keng Swee as the first Minister. The Ministry was responsible for both internal and external security, controlling both the Police Force and the Armed Forces.
As the differences between the police and armed forces became more defined, the Ministry was eventually split into the current Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Home Affairs on August 11, 1970.

Ministers

The Ministry was previously headed by the Minister for the Interior and Defence, who was appointed as part of the Cabinet of Singapore.
MinisterTermRef.
Goh Keng Swee9 August 1965 – 16 August 1967
Lim Kim San17 August 1967 – 10 August 1970

Legacy

A legacy of the Ministry can be found in vehicle registration plates bearing "MID", belonging to the present day Singapore Armed Forces.