US to send combat ships to S'pore

[Jeneral2885]

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1133201/1/.html

SINGAPORE: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said the US military had plans to deploy littoral combat ships to Singapore.

Dr Gates said this on Saturday, at the Shangri-la Dialogue, an international security conference held in Singapore.

Littoral combat ships are speedy, lighter ships designed to operate in shallow waters.

"We're examining other ways for our two militaries to train and operate together to include pre-positioning supplies to improve disaster response, improving command and control capabilities and expanding training opportunities to help prepare our forces for the challenges both militaries face operating in the Pacific," Dr Gates said.

Singapore's Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen said: "The US's strong presence and continued engagement in this area has been, and will continue to be a critical force of stability and progress for this region.

"In that spirit, we are open to his proposal for forward deployment of the littoral combat ships in this area, so that it allows them to achieve that purpose of having a strong presence, a continued presence in the Asia Pacific region".

Dr Ng also hosted his first ministerial lunch at the Shangri-La Dialogue, as defence minister.

During informal discussions, the defence ministers agreed that the economic and political weight and modernisation of the military is increasingly shifting to Asia.

Thus, Asia will have a more strategic importance in the next few decades.

Dr Gates, who said he is stepping down at the end of the month, left Singapore for Afghanistan on Saturday, on a farewell visit.

[MilesColtrane]

1. Damn, I wish we did other things as well as we make cool looking death machines.

[Kolesar]

2. A few weeks after Singapore elections showed that support for the Lee dynasty is slipping

The country where they beat people and put people to death for drug charges.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. Those ships are being built here on the Gulf of Mexico

and for years the local newspapers have been full of problem after problem after problem with their tests and the design and flaws.
Apparently they have a tendency to crack in the middle and go blub blub blub.

[davepc]

4. One more country that dosent need a realistic defence budget because the US is doing it for them

[Kolesar]

7. Singapore has a national budget to relocate US businesses to their country

They will pay travel and training costs for US companies that agree to offshore to Singapore.

[KG]

5. the US - at war with the world.

[xchrom]

6. Recommend