Singapore, US reaffirm bilateral military ties

Singapore, US reaffirm bilateral military ties

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Thursday, Apr 05, 2012

Singapore and the United States reaffirmed bilateral defence long-standing and excellent bilateral relations between the two countries when Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen visited the Pentagon in Washinton D.C today.

Dr Ng was met with his counterpart US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin E. Dempsey who was also present at the meeting.

During the meeting, Secretary Panetta and Dr Ng discussed key bilateral, regional and global issues, and reaffirmed their shared belief that a strong US presence in the Asia-Pacific enhances regional stability and security.

Dr Ng also welcomed Secretary Panetta’s commitment to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue this year.

In a speech delivered earlier today, Dr Ng emphasised the importance of evolving a regional security architecture for the Asia-Pacific region that brings together all key stakeholders in the region, and accommodates their interests and aspirations. Stable military to military relationships were also needed to maintain peace in the region.

Dr Ng said, “It is vital to evolve a regional security architecture which accommodates all stakeholders and rising aspirations. Relationships marked predominantly by strategic rivalry will increase the risks of friction and conflict. We must therefore engage in ways to increase understanding and confidence among defence establishments.”

Dr Ng also noted the importance of the US’ continuing role in maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific.

During the meeting, Secretary Panetta and Dr Ng discussed a wide range of defence and security issues, including a proposal for the US to deploy up to four littoral combat ships to Singapore.

The warships will be deployed on a rotational basis and will not be based in Singapore.

The ministers noted that the deployment of the warships signals US commitment to the region and enhances its ability to train and engage with regional partners.

Both sides also noted the substantial progress made in deepening bilateral defence cooperation since the signing of the Strategic Framework Agreement (SFA) in 2005.

Dr Ng and Mr Panetta also agreed to increase the complexity of existing bilateral exercises, such as Exercise Commando Sling, to enhance interoperability and promote greater cooperation between both armed forces.

During a forum, Dr Ng was asked if Singapore is considering plans to host troops from the United States even as the first batch of US Marines began arriving in Australia this week as part of the Obama administration's strategic 'pivot' to the Asia Pacific.

Dr Ng said Singapore in not considering such a deployment of troops from the US, explaining that Singapore's scarce land resources and growing population made it ill-suited for such initiatives.

However, it would be a better option to give US military ships and aircrafts access to Singapore's facilities, which the Republic has done since 1990 when it signed a memorandum of understanding with the US.

The US and Singapore will continue to explore additional joint initiatives to further operationalise the SFA and facilitate US engagement in the region.

US plans to deploy combat ships to Singapore: Panetta

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The USS Independence, a Littoral Combat Ship (file photo)

Thu Apr 5, 2012 10:53PM GMT

The United States has announced that it will deploy four littoral warships to Singapore for joint military exercises in a move to expand bilateral military cooperation with the Asian country.

The announcement was made by US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on Thursday, a day after his meeting with Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng at the Pentagon.

"The Defense Department's move to deploy US combat ships to Singapore and raise the level of joint exercises will deepen the bilateral military relationship… The deployment signals US commitment to the (Asia-Pacific) region and enhances the ability to train and engage with regional partners," said a joint statement from the defense chiefs.

The statement stressed that “a strong US presence in the Asia-Pacific region enhances regional stability and security.”

It added that the combat ships would be deployed on a rotational basis rather than being based in Singapore.

Pentagon spokeswoman Commander Leslie Hull-Ryde, described the plan as a “significant movement” in their military cooperation and said that "the specific details related to this unprecedented engagement are still being discussed.”

Since 1990, Singapore has consistently supported a strong US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2005, the two countries expanded defense and security cooperation by signing a Strategic Framework Agreement.

MHB/MA

Be 'Dominant' In Pacific, But Make Nice With PRC, Singaporean MoD Tells U.S.

By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. Published: April 5, 2012

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WASHINGTON: The US plays a "dominant role" in keeping the peace in the Pacific, and that's a good thing, said Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen -- but the US still needs to cooperate with China, not confront or contain it. That's the word to the wise from one of America's closest military partners in the Pacific.

"The US, as a 'resident power,' should continue to play its dominant role in maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific... within the regional security architecture," Ng said carefully, using a diplomatic term of art -- "resident power" -- that emphasizes America's long-standing presence in East Asia. A Scottish-trained surgeon turned politician who took over the Defense Ministry last year, Ng spoke at an event sponsored by the Center for a New American Security, this morning before heading to the Pentagon to meet with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta this afternoon.

The two countries have grown closer in recent years: US ships (pictured above) and planes frequently visit the island city-state; Ng recently reaffirmed Singapore's commitment to its tiny but symbolic deployment to Afghanistan; and Singapore will host some of the U.S. Navy's new Littoral Combat Ships. But the Defense Minister is also quick to point out that the American ships will only operate out of Singapore "on a rotational basis," rather than being permanently based there, and in fact demanded a correction to an earlier version of this very article that used the politically loaded word "base." Singaporean officials still emphasize they are simply America's "partner," not a formal ally, and that they have no desire to take sides in any kind of Sino-American Cold War. Except, of course, they want us there as a very clear message to China but without diplomatically throwing sand in the local bully's face.

"The US-China relationship is the critical relationship that will affect peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region," he averred. "There's been no shortage of goodwill statements from both the US and China... but in practice much more work is needed to achieve this healthy, stable, and reliable military-to-military relationship between the US and China."

In particular, Ng went on, "the recent announcement of [a] 'pivot to Asia' was read by some in China as a strategy for containment." Ng clearly preferred to deemphasize the still-largely-rhetorical "pivot" and focus on the continuity of America's East Asian presence dating back more than fifty years. The American policies Eng applauded were not the "pivot" but commitments to multi-lateral cooperation, especially the "ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus," which brings together officials from all ten members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations with eight outside partners, notably including both the Americans and the Chinese. (The ADMM+, as it is known in diplomatic shorthand, will soon hold a counter-terrorism exercise in Washington, co-hosted by the US and ASEAN member Indonesia).

It's understandable that Singapore, for all its pro-US leanings, should urge America not to rock any boats in the Pacific. The tiny island nation punches well above its weight militarily, spending more than 4 percent of its gross domestic product on defense -- proportionately much more than European allies like Britain or France -- and buying so many sophisticated weapons, mainly from the United States, that it counts as the world's fifth-largest importer of arms. (One notable acquisition is the F-15 fighter, built by Boeing, which incidentally funded this morning's event). But with just five million people crammed into 260 square miles -- not quite four times the land area of Washington, DC -- the city-state can hardly hope to hold its own in any major conflict, and it depends on easily disrupted sea lanes to feed its population, let alone keep its economy thriving. It's fun and easy to pound war drums in Washington, DC, but they echo all too unnervingly in the region where the US and China would actually square off.

Updated at 10:25 am, 5 April, to incorporate clarifications from the Singapore Ministry of Defense.