Singapore-New Zealand Defense Relations in the Spotlight

In mid-January, Singapore and New Zealand held their inaugural defense ministers’ meeting. Though the development was just the latest in a series of moves by both sides to strengthen their military ties, it also provided an opportunity to reflect on the direction of the defense relationship more generally.

Singapore and New Zealand have long had a close relationship, with Wellington being one of the first countries to acknowledge Singapore’s independence in 1965. On the defense side, Singapore is New Zealand’s closest partner in Southeast Asia. The two countries, along with Australia, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom, maintain the 1971 Five Power Defense Arrangement (FPDA), which remains one of the longest-serving multilateral security arrangements in the region. Their armed forces have also been exercising and training together regularly for decades, and they signed a defense cooperation agreement back in 2009.

That said, both countries have been taking steps to further develop their relationship in recent years. Part of that is due to the broader growing convergence between the two countries, which are both part of the wider Asia-Pacific architecture centered around the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and are looking to strengthen bilateral economic and defense ties. But the trend to deepen military ties is also rooted in worrying changes in the regional security environment, from the challenges posed by China’s rise to the growing strains witnessed in ASEAN’s management of major powers more generally to the rise of populism seen with Brexit and the victory of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential elections.

“Whether it is the new U.S. president, Brexit, [or] rising powers like China and India in this part of the world, the status quo has been changed,” Singapore’s Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said following deliberations with his counterpart, Gerry Brownlee, during the inaugural Singapore-New Zealand Defense Ministers’ Meeting on January 16. “When the status quo has been changed, it can be very unsettling. So we have to guide this region and even globally to a period where we can continue to have peace and stability in our region,” Ng added in his frank assessment of the region.

The institutionalization of the Singapore-New Zealand Defense Ministers’ Meeting – which will be held annually henceforth – is part of an effort by both sides to strengthen their defense ties. At this year’s meeting, Ng and Brownlee discussed several ongoing related measures directed at paving the way for enhanced collaboration, such as the establishment of annual Air Force Staff talks, an Education and Training Working Group, and an Operational Working Group.

Less publicized but equally important are ongoing discussions about additional training opportunities for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in New Zealand. Given the lack of land in Singapore, the city-state has historically looked to a few countries as locations to train its military, most notably the United States and Australia. It has recently been strengthening those arrangements, and the brief mention in the joint statement about “training opportunities in New Zealand” suggests that we could see yet another boost for Singapore in this regard.

To emphasize the significance of this component of the defense relationship, Ng also paid a visit to the Waiouru Training Area in New Zealand on January 16 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Exercise Thunder Warrior, which has been conducted annually in New Zealand since 1997. Ng was accompanied on his visit there by several defense officials, including Chief of Air Force Major-General Mervyn Tan and Chief of Army Major-General Melvyn Ong. Speaking to media after his meeting with Brownlee, Ng also emphasized the importance of the training opportunities for the SAF in the Waiouru Training Area and thanked Wellington for allowing the city-state to train there and consider additional opportunities in this regard.

“I shared with Minister Brownlee how much the SAF values these training opportunities for our artillery in Waiouru Training Area,” Ng said. “I thanked him and the New Zealand government for hosting us here and allowing us to train here.”

As 2017 progresses, the bilateral defense relationship will continue on with a series of interactions, including a journey by the Royal New Zealand Navy Task Group to Singapore for Exercise Bersama Shield and the International Naval Review in April, which the two sides highlighted in their joint statement. As these engagements continue, it is worth keeping the broader significance of the Singapore-New Zealand relationship in mind.