Singapore's defence spending has been in the limelight in recent weeks. Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced last month that the Government will spend about $22.7 billion this year, or about 30 per cent of its total expenditure, on defence, security and diplomacy efforts. Of this amount, some $15.5 billion will be allocated to the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) - up from $14.8 billion the previous financial year.
The announcement came on the same day the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) launched its first Invincible-class submarine. Last week, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen added that Singapore intends to buy the F-35 Lightning II. Mindef had announced earlier that the stealth fighter is the foremost possibility to replace the F-16 Falcon in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) from the 2030s.
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