Chan Chun Sing meets US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, S'pore to buy new maritime patrol planes from US

Singapore's Minister of Defence Chan Chun Sing met with U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Sep. 10 and reaffirmed the two countries' strong defence relationship.

During the meeting, Chan also shared with the U.S. War Secretary that Singapore will acquire four new Boeing maritime patrol aircraft to replace the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) existing Dutch-made Fokker 50s, which have been in operation since 1993.

This is Chan's first visit to the U.S. in his current role as defence minister.

The two previously met during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in May.

Singapore supports U.S. presence in Asia-Pacific: Chan

The meeting between the two cabinet officials touched on several topics, according to a Sep. 10 press release by Singapore's Ministry of Defence (Mindef).

Chan and Hegseth "reaffirmed the excellent and longstanding bilateral defence relationship, and mutually beneficial partnership between Singapore and the U.S.," Mindef said.

Chan reiterated Singapore's support for the U.S.' continued engagement in the Asia-Pacific, in line with the 1990 Memorandum of Understanding which was renewed in 2019 by U.S. President Donald Trump and then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The 1990 agreement facilitates U.S. forces' access to Singapore's military facilities for transit and logistics support.

Additionally, Chan also spoke about Singapore's acquisition of 20 F-35 fighter jets, noting that production has commenced and delivery is on track for end-2026.

He thanked Hegseth for the U.S.' longstanding support for SAF's training in the U.S. and the future Republic of Singapore Air Force training detachment at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas.

Singapore an anchor for U.S. presence: Hegseth

Hegseth told Chan that Singapore has been "an anchor of U.S. friendship and presence in the region," according to the U.S. Department of War.

"Our relationship has been crucial to regional stability and maintaining deterrence in the Indo-Pacific," Hegseth was quoted as saying.

Hegseth also mentioned how the U.S. and Singapore train together in various training exercises, noting that 1,000 Singaporean service personnel train in the U.S. each year.

Singapore has the second-largest permanent foreign military training presence in the continental U.S.

On the F-35s, Hegseth commented that he looked forward to Singapore flying the "state-of-the-art aircraft" soon, and similarly looked forward to "welcoming Singaporean F-35 pilots in the years ahead."

New aircraft for the SAF

During the meeting, Chan also shared about Singapore's decision to acquire four Boeing P-8A Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

The planes will add to SAF's maritime security capability by replacing the current Fokker 50s, Mindef said.

The new Boeing aircraft are equipped with anti-submarine warfare capabilities and is operated by nine other countries in the world, Mindef shared in a factsheet.

These countries include Australia, Canada, Germany, India, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, United Kingdom and the U.S.

It also possesses advanced radar and communication systems and may be fitted with life rafts and survival kits, making it suitable for search, locate and rescue operations.

Chan will continue his visit in the U.S. through to Sep. 13, and is expected to meet other U.S. defence officials, such as its Deputy National Security Advisor, various armed forces service branch secretaries as well as members of the U.S. Congress.

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Top image via Mindef