The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will set up a fighter training detachment in the United States territory of Guam under an agreement inked by Singapore and the US on Friday, in a sign of deepening defence ties between the two countries.
The permanent fighter training presence at Andersen Air Force Base will be the RSAF's seventh long-term unit overseas and the closest geographically to Singapore.
There are currently three other such detachments in the US - two in Arizona and one in Idaho - as well as two in Australia, and one in Bordeaux, France.
Singapore's tight airspace constraints leave little room to train its fighter pilots at home.
The Defence Ministry said that the vast training airspace in Guam will allow the RSAF to conduct realistic training to hone its capabilities and readiness. The pact was reached after in-depth studies with the US were done on a number of factors, including the suitability of the training area, infrastructure and other types of support, Mindef added.
"This agreement is indicative of the strong bonds between the United States and the Republic of Singapore, particularly with respect to our defence cooperation," said US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper after he and Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen signed the agreement in California.
Friday's deal follows closely after the renewal in September of a key defence pact allowing American forces to use Singapore's air and naval bases for another 15 years.
Dr Ng, who is in California this weekend to attend the seventh Reagan National Defence Forum, thanked the US for Singapore's training opportunities and said that the Guam agreement would allow the RSAF fighter force to achieve operational readiness.
"It reaffirms Singapore's position that stability of our region, the Asia-Pacific region, requires influence and presence of the US," he added.
Mr Esper thanked Singapore for the support it provides to US forces in the region, saying: "This is especially important during a time when the longstanding international rules-based order is being challenged.
"Fortunately, many nations in the region, including Singapore, are committed to upholding the rules, norms and values that underpin our mutual security and our prosperity."
The two defence ministers discussed the strong ongoing cooperation between Singapore and America's defence establishments, including in the areas of defence technology and military-to-military cooperation, Mindef said in a statement.
They also spoke about a wide range of geopolitical developments, including the need to work closely with Asean countries on regional security issues such as counter-terrorism.
The agreement covers the deployment of RSAF's F-15SG and F-16 fighter aircraft and other supporting assets such as the G550 Gulfstream to Guam for training, said Mindef.
News that Singapore was exploring the possibility of a training facility in Guam was first announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his 2016 visit to the US, marking 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Guam, an island in the western Pacific Ocean roughly four hours east of the Philippines by plane, is a staging base for American military activity in the Asia-Pacific. It is closer to potential hot spots in Asia, such as the Korean peninsula, than other US bases in Hawaii and Alaska.
The proximity of the Guam detachment, along with other fighter units that train in the region - including in Australia, India and Thailand - allows assets to be quickly redeployed back to Singapore when needed, said Mindef. Guam is 4,700km from Singapore.
The US Defence Department said the training presence will begin around 2029 and consist of approximately a squadron of aircraft and associated personnel, and include the construction of hangars, aprons and support facilities for the detachment footprint.
The RSAF first deployed fighter aircraft to the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam for joint training with the US Pacific Air Force in 2017.
The Singapore Armed Forces has a history of training in Guam dating back to the early 1990s, with the army holding bilateral exercises with the US Marine Corps, and the navy taking part in exercises in the waters off Guam.
Correction note: An earlier version of the story wrongly stated that the permanent fighter training presence at Andersen Air Force Base will be the RSAF's sixth long-term unit overseas and that there is currently one such detachment in Australia. This has been corrected.
