Former United States (US) Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs, Office of the Under Secretary of the Air Force, Headquarters US Air Force Ms Heidi Grant was conferred the Singapore Defence Fellowship (SDF) by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at an investiture held at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) this morning. The SDF recognises the contributions of defence policy and administrative officials who have furthered bilateral defence ties and deepened technology cooperation with Singapore.

As the Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs in the United States Department of the Air Force from September 2010 to January 2019, and Director of the United States Defense Technology Security Administration from January 2019 to August 2020, and also as the Director of the United States Defense Security Cooperation Agency from August 2020 to November 2021, Ms Grant played an instrumental role over the years in supporting Singapore's access to defence technologies from the US, allowing the Singapore Armed Forces to strengthen its operational capabilities and professional development. Ms Grant's strong support for Singapore has expanded bilateral defence cooperation in key areas such as Singapore's acquisition of the Joint Strike Fighter jets, and enabled greater research cooperation through professional exchanges. These have yielded significant benefits for MINDEF and the US Department of Defense.

On receiving the award, Ms Grant said, "I am so honoured to receive the Singapore Defence Fellowship and look forward to many more years of working closely together to ensure security and stability around the world."

Singapore and the US enjoy an excellent and long-standing defence relationship based on shared strategic perspectives, underscored by the 1990 Memorandum of Understanding, the 2005 Strategic Framework Agreement, and the 2015 enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement. The two defence establishments interact regularly through high-level visits, policy dialogues, joint military trainings and exercises, defence technology cooperation and other professional exchanges.