Defence and military

News analysis

What China hears in Hegseth’s Shangri-La speech is America softening its tone in their rivalry

Major General Meng Xiangqing, the head of the Chinese official delegation, arriving at the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 30.

US planning faster troop withdrawal from Europe, German newspaper says

Germany is home to some 35,000 active-duty US military personnel, more than anywhere else in Europe.

Shangri-La Dialogue 2026

PM Wong meets deputy prime ministers of Qatar and Australia to discuss deepening defence ties

PM Lawrence Wong meeting Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 30.

Shangri-La Dialogue 2026

Europe governments get Hegseth’s defence spending call – but not voters, says Italian minister

Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said the ongoing global energy crisis has made justifying military spending over pressing social needs even more politically untenable.

Japan, South Korea to resume search-and-rescue drill after 9 years in sign of warming ties

South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu Back (left) and Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on May 29.

Shangri-La Dialogue 2026

Countries need to build trust as defence spending rises, says Chan Chun Sing

Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing (fourth from right) hosting a meeting of visiting ministers and their representatives, including his counterparts (from left) Robertas Kaunas of Lithuania, Guido Crosetto of Italy, Adul Boonthumjaroen of Thailand, Pete Hegseth of the US, Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius of the Netherlands, Shinjiro Koizumi of Japan and Gilberto Teodoro Jr of the Philippines, at the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 30.

Shangri-La Dialogue 2026

S’pore, 16 other countries launch effort to protect critical underwater infrastructure

Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing (seated, fourth from right) with counterparts and representatives from the other countries involved in the Guiding Principles for Underwater Infrastructure Defence Exchanges.

Shangri-La Dialogue 2026

Moves by US and China to ease tensions crucial for S-E Asia, says ASEAN chief

(From left) ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, International Institute for Strategic Studies executive chairman John Chipman, New Zealand Defence Minister Chris Penk and Lithuania's Minister of National Defence Robertas Kaunas.

Shangri-La Dialogue 2026

ASEAN defence ministers reaffirm commitment to free flow of trade through international corridors

Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing and the Philippines’ Secretary of National Defence, Mr Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (left), having breakfast with other ASEAN defence ministers on May 30.
(Clockwise from centre) Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing, Thai Defence Minister Adul Boonthamcharoen, Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and National Defence Minister Phan Van Giang, Brunei's Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi Bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Cambodia's Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Defence Rath Dararoth, Indonesia's Vice-Minister of Defence Donny Ermawan Taufanto, Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin and the Philippines' Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro Jr. having breakfast on May 30.

Shangri-La Dialogue 2026

Hegseth hails Asian partners for boosting security spending; omits Taiwan in roll call

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 30.

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2026 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.