US, Singapore Reaffirm LCS, P-8 Rotational Deployments

Vice President Kamala Harris is greeted by Cmdr. Brandon Cornes, commanding officer, aboard the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS 16), Aug. 23, 2021 in Singapore. U.S. NAVY / Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Richard Cho

ARLINGTON, Va. — The United States and Singapore have reaffirmed a strong military partnership that includes continuing rotational deployments of U.S. naval units to Singapore, the White House said. 

Singapore, an island nation at the tip of the Malay peninsula in the South China Sea, hosts a U.S. naval logistics presence at a base in Changi, one that has hosted the first rotational deployments of the U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ships. The location’s importance to regional security has increased with the development in recent years of Chinese bases built in atolls in the South China Sea.  

In an Aug. 23 statement, the White House announced cooperation with Singapore on a number of issues, including military partnership. 

“Singapore provides critical access for U.S. military units deployed to the region, hosting nearly 1,000 service members, civilians, and dependents which support port visits and sorties transiting the country’s military airfields – while Singapore has the second largest military presence in the United States of any foreign partner, with 1,000 Singapore military personnel and dependents stationed across the country,” the statement noted. 

“The United States and Singapore remain deeply committed to working together to uphold regional peace, security, and stability,” the statement said. “The United States and Singapore reached agreements that reaffirm the strength of our bilateral Strategic Partnership, the critical importance of our security relationship, and the U.S. enduring commitment to maintaining a robust presence in Southeast Asia, including through rotational deployments of U.S. P-8 aircraft and littoral combat ships to Singapore.” 

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Richard R. Burgess, Senior Editor