US Supports Singapore's Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre

Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen and US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met on 30 May 2014 on the sidelines of the 13th Shangri-La Dialogue. During the meeting, Secretary Hagel strongly supported Singapore's proposal for the establishment of a Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Coordination Centre (RHCC) to be based at the Changi Command and Control Centre, which would strengthen the current regional HADR architecture. At the opening plenary session of the 13th Shangri-La Dialogue, Secretary Hagel reiterated his support for the RHCC and said that "ASEAN member states should consider Singapore's offer to use Changi Naval Base as another regional command and control hub".Dr Ng also met with People's Liberation Army Deputy Chief of General Staff LG Wang Guanzhong today. They discussed the regional security situation and expressed a common desire for regional peace and stability, and for tensions to be de-escalated.

Dr Ng also met with Indonesian Defence Minister Dr Purnomo Yusgiantoro today on the sidelines of the 13th Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD). They reaffirmed the close and long-standing defence relationship between Singapore and Indonesia, and agreed that both sides should rebuild defence ties and continue military-to-military cooperation based on mutual trust and respect.

Dr Ng also held sideline meetings with ministers and senior officials from Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the UK, and hosted a breakfast for ministers of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) today.

More Resources

Fact Sheet: Ministers and Senior Officials who met with Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen