Assistant Secretary of Defense Ely Ratner and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Lindsey Ford hosted Singapore Ministry of Defence Deputy Secretary for Policy Kelvin Fan and Ambassador Ashok Mirpuri for the 7th U.S.-Singapore Mid-Term Defense Review, April 6 at the Pentagon. The leaders reaffirmed their mutual commitment to the U.S.-Singapore bilateral defense relationship.
The dialogue addressed a wide range of regional security concerns, and both sides reaffirmed the importance of a rules-based approach to managing increasingly complex geopolitical challenges.
Assistant Secretary Ratner and Deputy Secretary Fan reaffirmed the deep and longstanding U.S.-Singapore defense partnership, grounded in the 1990 Memorandum of Understanding and the 2005 Strategic Framework Agreement. They expressed their enthusiasm for strengthening ongoing logistics cooperation, and deepening collaboration on emerging challenges such as technology and cyber security. Both sides welcomed Singapore's decision to acquire additional F-35B aircraft and committed to further enhance high-end training and interoperability between their Armed Forces.
The leaders also discussed platforms for greater multilateral cooperation such as AUKUS, while emphasizing the importance of ASEAN centrality. Both sides underscored the critical role that U.S.-Singapore defense cooperation plays in the maintenance of regional security, stability, and prosperity.
