Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) fighters will still be deployed to Guam, but only for periodic short training, including a scheduled joint exercise in October.
Singapore’s flock of F-15 Eagles will not be landing and setting up a nest on the US territory of Guam. More specifically, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will not be basing its fleet of F-15SG jet fighters on a long-term basis at Andersen Air Force Base (AFB) as previously planned.
The US Department of the Air Force announced this week that it has canceled the upcoming deployment that was part of a 2019 memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would have seen the RSAF aircraft and personnel based on Guam as part of a fighter training unit. It would have been the republic’s fourth training unit on US territory.
A dozen fighters, along with RASF personnel and their families, were to have been based at Andersen. It is unclear why the DAF opted to cancel the program.
The Republic of Singapore, which is located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, “lacks sufficient airspace to train its military, which frequently deploys overseas for training,” Breaking Defense explained. The long-term training detachment on Guam was to begin operations by the end of the decade.
Singapore Will Continue to Use Guam for Short Training
RSAF fighters will still be deployed to Guam, but for “periodic short-training” including a scheduled joint training mission to be held in October through November, the Singapore Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) explained on Tuesday, confirming that it had “mutually agreed” to end the permanent basing of the Boeing-made F-15SG Eagle fighters.
“Singapore and the US have excellent and long-standing bilateral defence cooperation. We thank the US Department of Defence (DoD) for their continued support of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)’s training detachments in the US, which are integral to the RSAF’s honing of its operational capabilities,” MINDEF added.
The Ministry of Defense further stated that the RSAF will continue “working with the US on a new fighter training detachment at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith, Arkansas.” Ebbing ANGB is slated to host the RSAF’s future training on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
Singapore has announced plans to buy 20 F-35s, including eight conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35A models, and 12 F-35Bs, the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variants. The first of the F-35B fighters is on track to be delivered later this year, but as noted previously, it will head to Arkansas rather than Asia for the training. The deal for the F-35A models was concluded last year, and those aircraft are scheduled to be delivered beginning in 2030.
Additional RSAF training is carried out at Luke AFB, Arizona, and Mountain Home AFB, Idaho.
Military Infrastructure Improvements Are Underway on Guam
Although the RSAF F-15SG Eagles will not be coming to Guam, Andersen AFB is continuing to undergo infrastructure improvements that include a new aircraft parking apron, upgraded fuel supply system, and additional buildings.
Guam, an unincorporated US territory, was acquired from the Spanish Empire in December 1898. It remains a strategically important component of the US military’s Indo-Pacific strategy and is a critical forward base for military operations and further serves as a deterrent against potential threats, notably from China.
There are currently around 21,000 US military personnel and their families stationed on Guam, including at the newly opened US Marine Corps Camp Blaz.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
