Remarks

Good evening, everyone! It is an honor to be here with you tonight to celebrate the 59th year of Singapore’s independence.

Ambassador Lui, thank you for inviting me for this wonderful occasion and for providing me with the opportunity to say a few words.

The summer certainly flew by, didn’t it? It seems like just yesterday we were watching the new Midshipmen, including Midshipman Fourth Class Liang Yinze Garcia, being sworn in at the Naval Academy on I-Day.

Under Secretary Lago, thank you for your career dedicated to public service and leadership at the International Trade Administration.

Assistant Secretary Kang, thank you for your important work at the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, shaping and maintaining a secure international landscape.

And I must also mention my wife Betty, who is here with us tonight and has been by my side throughout our forty years of marriage which included a naval career, a career in the private sector, and once more, service to our Navy and Marine Corps Team.

I am grateful to be here to not only celebrate Singapore’s independence, but also celebrate the strong relationship between Singapore and the United States.

Singapore is a favorite port call of our Navy and Marine Corps—from the incredible food, shopping, and nightlife to the melting pot of cultures to the memorable skylines of Marina Bay.

Our partnership crucially extends outside of the “Little Red Dot” and the U.S., into all of our shared waters.

For many years, Singapore has been a major security cooperation partner to the United States, and indeed a regional leader within both ASEAN and the larger Indo-Pacific region.

And this is critically important, because as you have seen and read in the news, we face tremendous uncertainty in the world today.

Together, Singapore and the United States have a steadfast strategic relationship—across numerous spheres—and we share a common and significant interest in preserving the rules-based international order.

Alongside our partners, Singapore participated in Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea to deter further escalation and protect innocent commercial shipping against Iranian-aligned Houthi attacks.

At the same time, Singapore—like the United States—supported relief efforts and aided affected civilians in Gaza.

The United States and Singapore are also dedicated to improving our ability to collaborate and operate with partners.

This year, we conducted the 29th iteration of the world’s largest international maritime exercise, our biennial Rim of the Pacific—or RIMPAC—Exercise.

Held in the waters off Hawaii, RIMPAC 2024 included 29 nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, over 150 aircraft, and more than twenty-five thousand personnel!

This year, the Republic of Singapore Navy led a task unit of Republic of Korea, Mexico, and United States ships, and we were proud to sail alongside the RSN’s Formidable-class frigate RSS Stalwart.

During the exercise, RSS Stalwart successfully launched two Aster surface-to-air missiles at high-speed drone targets, neutralizing both simulated missile targets and validating key anti-air warfare capabilities and tactics.

Our Navy’s cooperation with Singapore also occurs within the classroom.

Our Naval Academy Midshipmen have the privilege of attending Nanyang Technological University as semester exchange students, and our Navy and Marine Corps Naval Postgraduate students have the unique opportunity to study at the National University of Singapore’s Temasek Defence Systems Institute.

I should note that my son John attended National University of Singapore for a summer exchange and studied wastewater electrolysis.

The United States has, since 1992, enjoyed hosting Republic of Singapore Navy Midshipmen at my alma mater, the United States Naval Academy.

Twelve years ago, Midshipman—now Lieutenant Colonel—Sam Tan wrote a new chapter in our Naval Academy history and yours!

Sam graduated number one in the Great Class of 2012, the first international Midshipman to receive the honor.

It was wonderful to host him once more during RIMPAC this year as the Commanding Officer of RSS Stalwart.

It is my sincere hope that the partnership between Singapore and the United States continues to grow, especially amidst the uncertainty and challenges we face in the world today.

Ambassador Lui, I thank you again for inviting me tonight, and for all you do to further this ironclad relationship between Singapore and the United States.

Again, it is an honor to be with you all this evening. May God continue to grant our nations and our people with fair winds and following seas.

Happy National Day, and Majulah Singapore!