Singapore and the United States
Singapore is a city-state located in Southeast Asia on the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It is slightly larger than Guam and is an essential ally of the United States on military and economic matters. Singapore is not a mutual defense treaty partner with the United States in the same way that characterizes the bilateral military relationships that America has with Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea.
Singapore’s value to the United States lies with its unique geographical location near key international ocean shipping lanes, its proximity to China, and its massive trade and multi-billion-dollar direct investment relationship with America.
What the United States has with Singapore is an access-based contract, known as the Strategic Framework Agreement. Singapore has basically given the Pentagon permission over the past several years to access its territory to conduct intelligence surveillance aircraft flights on Chinese activity, engage in spy missions initiated out of Japan and the Philippines, support American efforts to conduct cyber-warfare, counter piracy, and enable aircraft carrier and military surface vessel deployments to port call in-country.
As is the case with Japan, South Korea and Australia, Singapore is a major purchaser of American-made military weapons to the tune of close to $40 billion. Singapore has somehow been able to avert being a major weapons purchaser of Chinese and Russian arms.
Read more: https://www.saipantribune.com/index.php/singapore-and-the-united-states/
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