Singapore-United States defence MoU spans harnessing AI and other dual-use technologies

One of the important thing developments on the Shangri-La Dialogue 2024, this yr’s version of the annual defence summit of Asia, is the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Singapore and the United States on harnessing know-how.

The MoU was signed on the primary day of the three-day summit (May 31-June 2), within the presence of US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Singapore Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen on the Shangri-La Hotel.

Singapore is internet hosting the defence summit, and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong obtained Secretary Austin yesterday morning. Today, Austin spoke at a plenary session titled ‘United States’ Strategic Partnerships within the Indo-Pacific’.

Before they sat down to debate the Singapore-US bilateral defence relationship yesterday, Austin and Ng witnessed the signing of the Defence Innovation Cooperation MoU.

It was signed for Singapore by Tan Peng Yam, Chief Defence Scientist, and for the United States by Douglas A Beck, Director of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense.

This MoU permits each defence institutions to determine alternatives to leverage business dual-use and rising technologies, corresponding to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Autonomy, to resolve operational challenges for each militaries.

Under this MOU, each side will work on progressive options to handle modern safety challenges, together with the event of counter-uncrewed plane techniques (C-UAS) capabilities, and other technologies to safeguard maritime safety.

Emerging and dual-use technologies are quickly evolving, and defence institutions want to search out methods to raised harness these business technologies on the velocity of relevance. This MoU is a big step for Singapore and the US in strengthening our respective defence ecosystems, notably the business house, to undertake innovation options for our armed forces.

Singapore Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen

During his interplay with the US secretary, the Singapore defence minister expressed his appreciation for the long-standing American assist for the Singapore Armed Forces coaching within the US in addition to know-how entry, together with the Singapore Air Force’s acquisition and operationalisation of the F-35 plane.

The US secretary conveyed his appreciation for Singapore’s constant assist for the US navy presence within the area, together with the internet hosting of rotational deployments.

They mentioned geopolitical developments and regional safety points, and reaffirmed the significance of continued US engagement within the Asia-Pacific area.