US to send combat ships to Singapore for exercises

Defence Secretary Leon Panetta announced plans Thursday to deploy combat ships to Singapore for joint exercises, which he said showed US commitment to the strategically vital Asia-Pacific region. The announcement came a day after Panetta met Singaporean Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen at the Pentagon, and while the first of 2,500 US Marines sent to Australia were starting work - to the irritation of regional superpower China.
The United States signalled last December that it could send the "littoral combat ships," small, surface vessels intended for operations close to shore, to Singapore. A joint statement from the defence chiefs confirmed the move. "Ng and Panetta discussed the proposal for the United States to forward deploy up to four littoral combat ships (LCS) to Singapore," the statement said.
"The LCS will be deployed on a rotational basis and will not be based in Singapore. The deployment of the LCS signals the US commitment to the region and enhances its ability to train and engage with regional partners," it added. Pentagon spokeswoman Commander Leslie Hull-Ryde, told the American Forces Press Service that "the specific details related to this unprecedented engagement are still being discussed," but noted that it marked a "significant movement in terms of our co-operation."
The US military already operates a small post in Singapore, a long-standing ally that assists in logistics and exercises for forces in Southeast Asia. China's defence ministry, however, has been scornful over increased American military activity in Asia, saying it is proof of a "Cold War mentality" from Washington.
Chinese state media has also accused President Barack Obama of using such action to act as a distraction from US economic woes. The US views with increasing concern China's growing assertiveness in territorial disputes in the Asia-Pacific region, such as the South China Sea.
The deployment of Marines to Australia has reassured some Asian countries, who see it as a statement that the United States intends to stand up for its allies and interests. China maintains it has a policy of "peaceful development" with all countries. In an academic article forecasting the shape of the US Navy in 2025, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations, wrote in December 2011 that "we will station several of our newest littoral combat ships" in Singapore.