Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for South and Southeast Asia Laura Updegrove concluded a trip to Singapore and the Philippines, where she held productive engagements with partner defense officials and advanced shared priorities in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. These engagements followed DASD Updegrove's trip to Cambodia for the U.S.-Cambodia Defense Policy Dialogue and for meetings with Cambodian defense and foreign policy officials.
In Singapore, DASD Updegrove reaffirmed the United States' commitment to the deep and multifaceted U.S.-Singapore defense relationship, including the U.S. presence in Singapore and Singaporean presence and training in the United States. DASD Updegrove met with Ministry of Defense Deputy Secretary (Policy) Frederick Choo to exchange perspectives on regional security, including threats to international norms in the South China Sea. DASD Updegrove also met with Deputy Secretary (Technology) BG Yew Chee Leung to discuss emerging areas of cooperation, including collaborative efforts under the Statement of Intent regarding Data, Analytics and Artificial Intelligence cooperation and the launch of the U.S.-Singapore Joint Innovation Challenge by the Defense Innovation Unit and Singapore's Ministry of Defense. DASD Updegrove also toured Sembawang Wharves, the hub of our cooperation on a range of bilateral activities, including U.S. rotations of Littoral Combat Ships.
In the Philippines, DASD Updegrove took steps to advance the U.S.-Philippines Alliance. She met with Ignacio Madriaga, Undersecretary for Strategic Assessment and Planning in the Department of National Defense; Maria Theresa Lazaro, Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs in the Department of Foreign Affairs; and Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga, Assistant Secretary for American Affairs in the Department of Foreign Affairs; and other key officials to discuss the historic momentum in U.S.-Philippines defense ties and opportunities to deepen Alliance cooperation. They also exchanged views on challenges to regional peace, stability, and the rules-based international order.
DASD Updegrove also traveled to Palawan, where she toured an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement location, met with the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command, and explored opportunities for additional U.S. support for Philippine Naval Detachment Oyster Bay.