United States (US) Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is in Singapore to attend the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue. Secretary Austin called on Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Shangri-La Hotel this morning.

During the meeting, Dr Ng expressed appreciation for the US' long-standing support for the Singapore Armed Forces' training in the US, including the basing of the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) training detachments there. Dr Ng and Secretary Austin also looked forward to opportunities to enhance bilateral cooperation, particularly through the RSAF's acquisition and operationalisation of the F-35Bs. Dr Ng and Secretary Austin discussed geopolitical developments in the Asia-Pacific region, and agreed on the importance of the US' continued engagement. Secretary Austin conveyed his appreciation for Singapore's consistent support for the US' military presence in our region, including the hosting of rotational deployments. They exchanged views on ways to build a robust, open and inclusive regional architecture, with the US reaffirming their contributions to defence capacity-building through the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus.

The defence establishments of Singapore and the US interact regularly through military-to-military exchanges, training, cross-attendance of courses, and defence technology cooperation. In April this year, the RSAF's Peace Carvin II (F-16 fighter aircraft) and Peace Vanguard (Apache AH-64 helicopters) detachments commemorated their 30th and 20th anniversaries of training in the US respectively. In 2019, both countries renewed the 1990 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Regarding United States Use of Facilities in Singapore, and in August 2021, an MOU on cooperation in cyberspace was also concluded to institutionalise cyber defence cooperation between the two establishments.

Secretary Austin's call underscores the excellent and long-standing bilateral defence relationship and the mutually-beneficial partnership between Singapore and the US. Secretary Austin will speak at a plenary session titled "United States' Leadership in the Indo-Pacific" on 3 June 2023 during the 20th SLD.