Singapore and US Reaffirm Excellent and Long-standing Bilateral Defence Relations

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen (centre left) was received by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (centre right) before being greeted by an honour cordon at the Pentagon.

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen met US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III at the Pentagon on 3 November 2021 (Singapore time).

During the meeting, Dr Ng and Secretary Austin reaffirmed the excellent bilateral defence relationship and the mutually-beneficial partnership between Singapore and the US. Dr Ng expressed appreciation for the US' long-standing support for the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) training in the US. Secretary Austin expressed the US' appreciation for the SAF's deployment of personnel and a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft in support of US evacuation operations in Afghanistan, where the SAF transported more than 2,000 evacuees relocated in Qatar to Germany. Both sides discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between both defence establishments. Dr Ng and Secretary Austin also discussed geopolitical developments and regional security issues, and agreed on the importance of the US' continued engagement in the Asia-Pacific region.

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 2019, both countries renewed the 1990 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Regarding United States Use of Facilities in Singapore and signed an MOU concerning the establishment of an RSAF Fighter Training Detachment at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Earlier this year, both sides announced the US Department of Defense's selection, in consultation with the Singapore Ministry of Defence, of Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas, as the preferred location to host the RSAF's future F-35B fighter aircraft, as well as its F-16 fighter training detachment which will be relocated from Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. In August 2021, an MOU concerning cooperation in cyberspace was also concluded to institutionalise cyber defence cooperation between the two establishments.

Dr Ng is in the US from 2 to 4 November (Singapore time) and will be speaking at the 12th Aspen Security Forum (ASF) on 4 November (Singapore time). He will also meet Brookings Institution President John Allen on 4 November (Singapore time) before the ASF.

Dr Ng (right) and Secretary Austin (left) in the Pentagon.

Dr Ng (most left) and Secretary Austin (most right) in a discussion in the Pentagon.