Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met today with the Singapore Minister of Defence, Dr. Ng Eng Hen, on the sidelines of the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ 19th Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major annual defense and security forum in the Indo-Pacific region.
During their meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed their mutual commitment to the U.S.-Singapore defense relationship and discussed efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation, including in cyberspace. Secretary Austin reiterated the U.S. commitment to expand joint training and bilateral force posture opportunities, while collaboratively addressing security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
Secretary Austin thanked Minister Ng for Singapore’s strong condemnations of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to include unilateral sanctions and export controls. The two leaders agreed that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could have ramifications on global security, and therefore the international community must stay tightly engaged to support Ukraine and maintain a rules-based international order. Both leaders expressed a desire for a peaceful and stable Europe and underscored that international rules-based order must not be weakened.
Both leaders closed the meeting by reiterating their commitment to supporting the security, stability, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific, and to building an even more capable defense relationship that is based on a shared foundation of common interests and values.