S'PORE, US COMMITTED TO FIGHTING TERRORISM

Countries in the Asia Pacific region share common interests in areas such as counter-terrorism, counter-piracy, maritime security and cybersecurity. Thus it is important to boost cooperation among the United States (US) and Asia Pacific nations, said US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter.

"All of these (are) common interests that we, as countries have, so it does make sense for us all to do more together," said Secretary Carter. "The American approach - and this is shared by most countries in the region - is an inclusive one in which everyone participates in the collective defence of our peoples from today's threats."

"It's based upon principle and non-exclusion, cooperation and common interests," he added.

Secretary Carter was speaking to the media after a visit to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Imagery Support Group (ISG), hosted by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen on 3 Jun. The visit was held on the sidelines of the 15th Shangri-La Dialogue, which is held from 3 to 5 Jun.

On Secretary Carter's comment about individuals planning or plotting attacks outside of Syria, Dr Ng reiterated the transnational nature of terrorism and the need for countries to work together to fight the threat.

"The threat of terrorism is global and there are people within Iraq and Syria plotting in Iraq and Syria against their home countries," said Dr Ng, citing the Jakarta bombing in January, which was purportedly masterminded by an Indonesian in Iraq and Syria.

"In the last ADMM Plus, as well as the recent ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting, that was the reason for the joint declaration because the problem of terrorism is a global one," he added.

As part of the visit, Secretary Carter was briefed on the ISG and its operations. The ISG was established in 2000 to provide imagery, geospatial and open source intelligence support to the Ministry of Defence and the SAF.

The ISG has supported operations such as the SAF's deployment to Afghanistan, as part of the International Security Assistance Force (2010 to 2013), relief efforts in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan (2013), and the counter-ISIS coalition since November 2015.

Secretary Carter met SAF personnel from the Imagery Analysis Team who had been deployed to the Combined Joint Task Force Headquarters in Kuwait, as part of Singapore's contributions to the multinational counter-ISIS coalition. Thanking the servicemen for their contributions, Secretary Carter expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to meet "one of the units that has made a very significant contribution to the counter-ISIS campaign".

Following their visit to the ISG, Secretary Carter and Dr Ng flew on a US Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft over the Malacca Strait.

The P-8 aircraft was deployed as part of the cooperative initiative under the ambit of the 1990 Memorandum of Understanding and 2005 Strategic Framework Agreement between Singapore and the US. Its deployment promotes greater interoperability with regional militaries and provides timely support for regional humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as well as maritime security efforts.

"There is no country (or) geography in the world that compares to Singapore for the importance it has in the field of maritime security which all of our countries everywhere in the world depend on," said Secretary Carter of the deployment of the P-8 aircraft. "So we're grateful to have a partner here in that field."

On whether Singapore had plans to conduct joint air patrols with the US in future, Dr Ng explained that Singapore had a part to play in defending important sea lines of communication. He said: "Singapore believes that in global commons (namely,) critical waterways, we ought to do our part. That is the same raison d' tre that we are in the Gulf of Aden - that we have to come together to cooperate, to preserve and protect our commons. And I think that would apply to the Strait of Malacca or South China Sea or any other water body that's critical for global commerce."

Earlier in the day, Dr Ng had also hosted Secretary Carter to breakfast, where they discussed a wide range of security issues, including the threat of terrorism.