In conjunction with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), Minister for Defence Mr Chan Chun Sing and France Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu signed the (i) Declaration of Intent (DOI) on Enhanced Defence Cooperation; (ii) Letter of Intent (LOI) on Defence Artificial Intelligence Cooperation; and (iii) Amendment of the Administrative Arrangement on Defence Technology Cooperation (AADTC), on the sidelines of President Emmanuel Macron’s State Visit to Singapore.

The Declaration of Intent (DOI) on Enhanced Defence Cooperation builds on our strong and broad-based bilateral defence relations, and recognises our longstanding support for each other’s deployments, including the RSAF’s advanced jet training detachment in Cazaux, France. The DOI also sets out our commitment to deepen and expand our bilateral defence relationship across multiple domains of mutual interest and shared expertise, including non-traditional domains such as digital defence. It also forms the foundation for us to explore new areas of collaboration in defence technology, such as in critical and emerging technologies.

The Letter of Intent (LOI) on Defence Artificial Intelligence Cooperation will enable the enhancement of the Joint Research & Development Laboratory that both sides had established in April 2023 to develop artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities for impactful defence applications. The LOI exemplifies both sides’ shared objective to involve operational users and industry partners to co-develop AI-enabled solutions for battlefield needs and emerging security threats. We have identified use cases for sense-making and analysis, countering misinformation and disinformation, autonomous systems, and Verification & Validation for AI systems.

The Amendment to the Administrative Arrangement on Defence Technology Cooperation (AA DTC) represents our bilateral commitment to cooperate in emerging and advanced areas of defence technology. The AA DTC was first signed in November 2003 and renewed once in April 2016. This Amendment will enhance our longstanding defence technology collaboration across capability development and Research & Development (R&D) and highlight new areas of cooperation in open innovation, critical and emerging technologies such as AI, Quantum and Microelectronics, as well as supply chain resilience.