Singapore will work with Washington and other ASEAN member states next year to develop a mutually beneficial defence framework, while strengthening cooperation with other partners to address shared challenges.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth proposed a new US-ASEAN defence cooperation framework at the 20th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) in Cebu, the Philippines, last Wednesday (28 October), to guide cooperation over the next few “critically important” years. However, Hegseth did not provide details of the framework.
Responding to media queries on Monday (2 November), Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said: “Next year marks the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-US dialogue relations. As ADMM chair in 2027, Singapore looks forward to facilitating the US' proposal for a US-ASEAN defence cooperation framework alongside other initiatives.”
“Singapore will work with the US and other ASEAN Member States to develop a mutually beneficial framework for all parties to work together in response to shared challenges and concerns.”
MINDEF added that Singapore supports the Plus countries' commitment to constructively engage the ADMM through different formats and channels, in addition to regular ADMM-Plus meetings and activities.
These include overarching frameworks such as the Japan-ASEAN Ministerial Initiative for Enhanced Defence Cooperation (JASMINE) and Australia’s 2020 Vision for Defence Engagement with ASEAN, informal ministerial meetings on the sidelines of the ADMM and ADMM-Plus, maritime exercises with China, India, Russia and the US and capacity-building activities such as the ASEAN-China Mid-and-Junior Officer Exchange and similar activities with the Republic of Korea and New Zealand.
MINDEF noted that these interactions complement the ADMM and ADMM-Plus and reaffirm the open and inclusive nature of the ASEAN-led regional security architecture.
Hegseth's proposal comes as ASEAN governments seek to deepen security cooperation with the US while avoiding being drawn further into the strategic rivalry between China and the US. The Philippines has also had repeated recent confrontations with China in the South China Sea.
Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing said while attending the meetings in Cebu last Thursday (29 October) that each country has different aspirations and capabilities, making it necessary to have a mechanism to build interlocking bilateral and multilateral networks to advance shared interests.
