A leading U.S international intelligence agency recently publishes a significant report define the United States-Singapore military cooperation. It highlights Singapore as one of the United States’ prime regional strategic alliances and recipient of military assistance. It also highlight the objective of this cooperation.
Singapore owns the most modern arm forces in this region. With U.S full fledge military cooperation, support and guarantee, Singapore is equipped with the most advance military equipment in the world. According to military experts, Singapore’s military buildup is the best in terms of tactical-technological advancement in South East Asean region.
The article “Singapore’s Military Buildup: U.S Assists City-State Improve Defenses to Deter China” specifically mentions that the continuous modernization of Singapore’s armed forces is meant to become the key link in the security chain that the United States is building around China. The cooperation is viewed as a move to deter China.
Mark Helprin, an analyst from the Claremont Institute asserts that China is more dangerous than the Soviet Union, which is capable of destroying the American homeland, overrunning America’s allies and contesting control of the world’s oceans. He considers the growing China as a threat to the U.S interest.
The weakening of the United States, economically and militarily, is giving rise to the new centre of power. The U.S economy, mismanaged and drained by its hostile global wars on terrorism, is increasingly dependent on Chinese trade imports and on Chinese holding of U.S treasury securities. China is the biggest preserver of US Dollar worth $825 billion.
Professor Chris Hedges, a professor from Princeton University explains that if Beijing decides to abandon the U.S bond market, even in part, it would cause a serious effect to the value of US Currency. Consequently, it would lead to the collapse of the 7-trillion U.S real estate market. There would be a wave of U.S bank failures and huge unemployment. This psychological threat creates fear to the White House. Thus the buildup of security chains around China is deemed necessary to deter China to act accordingly. Japan, Australia, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia have already taken their place in the anti-China security chain. Singapore being an advanced and developed country within the South East Asean region is deemed important within U.S deterrence policy toward China.
Singapore spends approximately more than $4 billion per year on defense. The military spending doubled in 2008 to US$8 billion. Such allocation signifies Singapore’s arm force is well positioned to acquire sophisticated weapons and technologies it needs.
Many strategic analysts anticipate that the Singapore’s arsenal built-up is able to destroy enemies on the ground, pre-emptively seize strategic territory and intervene quickly and effectively in Indonesia, Malaysia and other likely trouble spots in the contested South China Sea. Like Israel, which is lack of strategic depth and outnumbered by potentially hostile neighbours, Singapore’s defense strategy is of two-fold: Build an offensive-minded security force that can strike at potential enemies before they harm Singapore, and seeks the support and protection of the United States.
Being a rich and developed country in the South East Asean region, Singapore’s foreign policy is well consented by the White House. With its robust financial reserves, Singapore secures the trust of the White House by receiving military aids through the U.S Department of Defense’s effort to assist its specific military procurement and buildup.
Besides Singapore, the United States is also continuously seeking for other potential strategic allies in the region like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. It is also raising the prospect of a return to the Subic Bay, Philippine. At the present time, Singapore has allowed the U.S Pacific Naval Commands to use its port for repair, replacing the Subic Bay’s role which was closed in 1990s. The U.S has also built potential ally in its quest to control China. Australia and Japan have already entered strong agreement with the U.S in the anti-China security chain. The indication of U.S involvement in Singapore’s arm forces has led Singapore to become partner of big power on the U.S anti-China security policy in the Asia Pacific. Undeniably, this kind of relationship sidesteps the Asean spirit to remain neutral dan free from geo-political intimidation and interference.
The most significant conclusion that can be deduced is that, Singapore will play a sizeable part in the U.S strategy to deter China. Base on the fact that Singapore’s effort to modernize its fighting forces, working to better integrate its force with those in the United States and Australia and other regional militaries, and located at one of the world’s most strategic checkpoint-both economically and militarily, Singapore will emerge later as a front-line outpost in the escalating military confrontation between the United States and China.
It is time now, the peaceful-loving country in this region reject this kind of engagement. We must realize that war is unnecessary. Any process towards war must be blocked by any means. Malaysia should take the lead to mobilize member states of ASEAN to realize the spirit of non-confrontational and mutual cooperation within its own mould. The military policy and strategy that encourages arm race and suspicion must be avoided at all means.