Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen met with his counterpart United States (US) Secretary of Defense James Mattis at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. earlier this morning.

The Joint Statement released by Dr Ng and Secretary Mattis after the meeting underscored the excellent and long-standing bilateral defence relationship between Singapore and the US. It also noted the good progress made in cooperative initiatives under the ambit of the 1990 Memorandum of Understanding, the 2005 Strategic Framework Agreement, and the 2015 enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA), including the successful rotational deployments of littoral combat ships and P-8 Poseidon aircraft. 

During their meeting, Dr Ng and Secretary Mattis noted the strong military-to-military ties between the Singapore Armed Forces and the United States Armed Forces, and discussed the importance of practical cooperation to counter threats relating to maritime security, terrorism and natural disasters. In that regard, they reaffirmed the significance of the 2015 enhanced DCA, which established bilateral cooperation in non-conventional security areas, including cyber security, biosecurity and HADR.

Dr Ng and Secretary Mattis also reaffirmed the importance of a strong and continued US presence in the Asia-Pacific in ensuring regional peace and stability. They expressed support for multilateral platforms such as the Shangri-La Dialogue, which Secretary Mattis said he was looking forward to attending in June 2017, and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus, in promoting dialogue and practical cooperation among regional countries.