PUBLISHED ONMay 29, 2026 8:57 AMUPDATEDMay 29, 2026 9:09 AMBYSean LerCoordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing met US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Friday (May 29).
In a statement the same day, Singapore's Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said the defence minister met his US counterpart over lunch at Shangri-La Hotel.
It added that the two leaders reaffirmed the mutually beneficial and longstanding bilateral defence partnership between Singapore and the US.
They also discussed global and regional security developments, and discussed how both sides can strengthen defence cooperation, Mindef said, adding that Hegseth's visit underscores the strength of the bilateral defence partnership.
"Mr Chan also expressed appreciation for the US' longstanding support for the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) training in the US, as well as for the SAF's technology access," the statement read.
Chan last met his US counterpart during his visit to the US in September last year. Apart from reaffirming their commitment to defence cooperation, Singapore also announced the acquisition of four new Boeing P-8A maritime patrol aircraft to replace its ageing Fokker 50s which have been in service since 1993.
The defence minister also visited Lockheed Martin's production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, where Singapore's F-35s are being built. According to Mindef, the first of Singapore's 20 such fighter jets remains on track to be delivered by the end of 2026.
He also visited Mountain Home Air Force Base, where some 800 Singaporean troops were participating in the 10th run of Exercise Forging Sabre and engaged with families of the Republic of Singapore Air Force's Peace Carvin V F-15SG fighter aircraft training detachment.
Hegseth, who will be in Singapore till Saturday, is scheduled to speak at a May 30 plenary session during the 23rd edition of the Shangri-La Dialogue.
According to the US Department of War, Hegseth will also meet Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during his visit.
He will also participate in bilateral and multilateral meetings with key regional allies and partners. A Bloomberg report on Friday, citing an unnamed senior US defence official, said Hegseth will meet counterparts from Australia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Thailand.
The secretary is also expected to meet Vietnam's President To Lam on Friday.
Lam is in Singapore for a four-day state visit. He is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the summit on Friday evening.
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