US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth meets Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing

Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing (left) showed US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth a view of Singapore from the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark as they met for a breakfast meeting on May 30. PHOTO: CHAN CHUN SING/FACEBOOK

Wong Pei Ting

UPDATED May 30, 2025, 01:23 PM

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SINGAPORE – US defence secretary Pete Hegseth met with Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing on May 30, on the sidelines of the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue.

At their breakfast meeting, Mr Chan and Mr Hegseth reaffirmed the excellent and longstanding bilateral defence relationship, and the mutually beneficial partnership between Singapore and the United States, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said in a statement.

This partnership is anchored by a 1990 memorandum of understanding (MOU) that allows US military access to Singapore’s air and naval bases. The MOU was last renewed in 2019 between then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and US President Donald Trump.

The two leaders also agreed on the the importance of the US’ continued engagement in the Asia-Pacific, which is vital for regional peace, stability and prosperity, said Mindef.

At the meeting, Mr Hegseth said he appreciated Singapore’s consistent support for US military presence in and engagement of the region, which includes the city-state’s facilitation of rotations by US aircraft and vessels via rotational deployments, port calls, and aircraft stopovers.

Mr Chan, in turn, expressed appreciation for the longstanding support of the Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF) training in the US, and for providing the SAF with technology access, which includes the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s acquisition and operationalisation of F-35 fighter jets, Mindef added.

This is the first time the duo has met. Mr Chan relinquished the education portfolio to become Singapore’s Defence Minister on May 23. Mr Hegseth, a former Fox News host and a veteran of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, took office in January under US President Donald Trump’s second administration.

In a Facebook post after their meeting, Mr Chan said he showed Mr Hegseth the view of the Republic from the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark.

He added that both of them had been alumni of Fort Benning, a US Army post in Columbus, Georgia.

Mr Chan, a former Army chief, said previously that his first visit to the US was to Fort Benning, while Mr Hegseth completed his basic military training at the army base.

“We had a good meeting where we discussed geopolitical developments and reiterated our shared commitment to regional peace, stability and prosperity,” said Mr Chan.

“We also reminisced about our time as infantry officers in our respective armies, including our memories of Fort Benning. I thanked him for the US’ strong support for generations of SAF personnel training in the US.”

Mr Hegseth is set to speak at the Shangri-La Dialogue’s first plenary session on May 31, titled “United States’ New Ambitions for Indo-Pacific Security”.

The annual dialogue, Asia’s premier defence summit to discuss critical security challenges in the region, is set to be attended by representatives from 47 countries, including 40 minister-level delegates.

Wong Pei Ting is a correspondent at The Straits Times. She covers politics and social affairs.

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