Chan Chun Sing shows US defence secretary Pete Hegseth around S'pore ahead of Shangri-La Dialogue

Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing showed his U.S. counterpart Pete Hegseth around Singapore.

"I hosted him to breakfast, and showed him our sunny island from the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark," Chan said in a May 30 Facebook post.

The two are both alumni of Fort Benning, a United States Army post in Georgia.

Aside from sightseeing, the two discussed "geopolitical developments and reiterated our shared commitment to regional peace, stability and prosperity."

They also reminisced a bit.

"We also reminisced about our time as Infantry Officers in our respective Armies, including our memories of Fort Benning."

Chan then thanked Hegseth for the US’ strong support for "generations of SAF personnel training in the US".

He ended off by saying that he looks forward to working closely with Hegseth to "further strengthen our defence cooperation".

Shangri-La Dialogue

Hegseth, the U.S. Secretary of Defence, is in Singapore to speak at the Institute of International Security Studies' 2025 Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD).

Hegseth's attendance was confirmed by the IISS on May 23, and the visit will be his first visit to Singapore as defence secretary.

The SLD is billed as Asia's premier defence summit, and it brings together international and regional leaders, military and security personnel, and academics to discuss security issues in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

China recently confirmed that their Minister of National Defence, Dong Jun, will not be attending the SLD. Instead they will be sending a delegation from the People’s Liberation Army National Defence University.

Image from Chan Chun Sing/Facebook