Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Zaqy Mohamad hosted a United States (US) congressional delegation, led by Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-California), at the RSS Singapura – Changi Naval Base (CNB) earlier today.

The congressional delegation toured the Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN) Information Fusion Centre and the Counter-Terrorism Information Facility, where they were briefed on the RSN’s operations and Singapore’s efforts to strengthen multilateral cooperation in tackling maritime security and terrorism threats.  The congressional delegation was also briefed on the various ways in which Singapore has been supporting the US’ regional presence, and they visited the Littoral Combat Ship USS Gabrielle Giffords that is berthed in CNB as part of its rotational deployment to Singapore.

During the visit, Mr Zaqy reaffirmed the significant and long-standing defence relationship between the US and Singapore. He also expressed Singapore’s gratitude for the US Congress’ continued support for the SAF’s overseas training and technology needs. The congressional delegation expressed appreciation for Singapore’s strong and consistent support for the US’ presence in the region – in particular, for facilitating the US’ use of facilities in Singapore.

The congressional delegation is visiting Singapore from 19 to 22 February 2025. The visit underscores the excellent and long-standing ties between Singapore and the US.