The Air Force of the Republic of Singapore signed an agreement to establish a combat pilot training detachment in the US territory of Guam.
Dr. Ng Eng Hen, of the Singapore Ministry of Defense, and United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper signed a memorandum of understanding at a ceremony in Simi Valley, California.
Both leaders attended the Reagan National Defense Forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
The Singapore Air Force primarily flies F-15 and F-16 fighter jets, and the pact will ensure the presence of permanent training at the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
It will be the seventh long-term overseas assignment for RSAF and the closest to Singapore.
Due to the limitations of airspace in the nation, Singapore has training detachments in other countries, including the United States, France and Australia.
Guam is an island in the Pacific Ocean, used by the United States as a base for military operations in the Indo-Pacific region.
“This agreement is indicative of the strong ties between the United States and the Republic of Singapore, particularly with regard to our defense cooperation,” Esper said Friday.
The memorandum comes after the renewal of a 15-year agreement in September, which allows US military forces to use Singapore’s air and naval bases.
Singapore and the United States have conducted bilateral training exercises since the early 1990s.
Also, in October of this year, the Royal Air Force of Singapore celebrated its tenth year of training operations at the Idaho air base.
The ceremony commemorated the separation of the F-15SG fighter jets, known as the Peace Carvin V wing, and its training program, to the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.
Source: Zonamilitar
