Secretary of Defense Spokesperson CAPT Jeff Davis provided the following readout:
Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis met with the Singapore Minister of Defence Dr. Ng Eng Hen on June 1 on the sidelines of the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ 17th 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 cooperation, to include counterterrorism and maritime security. Secretary Mattis thanked Dr. Ng for Singapore’s support enabling the United States’ presence in the region and reiterated his commitment to explore training opportunities in Guam for the Republic of Singapore Air Force. Both leaders underscored their commitment to continue to work together during Singapore’s 2018 Association for Southeast Asian National (ASEAN) Chairmanship. Secretary Mattis reaffirmed support for ASEAN centrality and emphasized that the Indo-Pacific strategy looks to deepen existing ASEAN multilateral mechanisms. They exchanged views on the regional security environment and discussed a range of mutual security interests. Secretary Mattis thanked Singapore for offering to host the U.S.-North Korea Summit.