Plan to base Singapore’s F-15 fighter jets in Guam cancelled
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Singapore is working with the US on a new fighter training detachment at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas, which will host the RSAF’s future F-35 fighter training.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
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SINGAPORE – The Republic’s plan to base a detachment of F-15 fighter planes in the US territory of Guam from 2029 has been cancelled, following a review of the RSAF’s training needs.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the Ministry of Defence said on Aug 12 that it and the US Department of Defence (DOD) “had mutually agreed to discontinue discussions on an RSAF fighter training detachment in Guam”.
The Republic of Singapore Air Force’s plans for periodic short-term training and exercises in Guam will continue, such as the upcoming fighter training detachment in Guam from October to November, it said.
It is working with the US on a new fighter training detachment at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas, which will host the RSAF’s future F-35 fighter training, it added.
The cancellation had been announced earlier by the US Department of the Air Force (DAF) and was reported by Guam media.
The US DAF “will not implement or carry forward the bed down” of up to 12 RSAF F-15 aircraft at the Andersen Air Force Base on Guam, according to a Record of Decision – a formal public document – signed by US Acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Michael Saunders on July 16.
The paper documents the assessment of the environmental impact of the proposed move to house the Singapore planes and personnel, as well as the construction of new infrastructure on the base.
It also stated that the proposed airfield operations at the Andersen base related to the Singapore detachment, including that of support aircraft not based there, would not go ahead.
There will also not be RSAF personnel nor their families or any temporary support staff related to the fighter jet detachment stationed in the base, according to the document.
The July 16 document states that the US DAF will go ahead with the construction of infrastructure such as airfield pavements, fuel lines and stormwater management facilities, but not the building of structures such as a munitions storage area.
The memorandum of understanding between Mindef and the US DOD on the Singapore detachment in Guam was reached in 2019 after in-depth studies with the US were done on factors such as the suitability of the training area, infrastructure and other types of support.
Mindef had said then that the vast training airspace in Guam would allow the RSAF to conduct realistic training to hone its capabilities and readiness.
The agreement to establish an RSAF fighter training detachment
In December 2023, the United States Air Force said it would study the potential environmental impact of infrastructure upgrades
The 550 sq km island in the western Pacific Ocean is at least 9,300km from the city of San Francisco in the continental United States. Guam is about 4,700km from Singapore.
The RSAF had previously sent its F-15s and other jets for short training stints in Guam in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Separately, the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) held an exercise in Guam and its surrounding waters as recently as June.
The 12-day bilateral exercise was the fifth iteration of Exercise Pacific Griffin
In the Aug 12 statement, Mindef said Singapore and the US have excellent and longstanding bilateral defence cooperation.
Mindef conveyed its thanks to the US DOD for its continued support of RSAF’s training detachments in America, which are integral to RSAF’s honing of its operational capabilities.
