PHOTO CAPTIONS:

1. Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) 3rd Sgt. Lim Chee Kiang, a crew chief for the integrated U.S.-Singapore 428th Fighter Squadron, inspects an RSAF F-16C/D cockpit after a training mission at Cannon Air Force Base (AFB), New Mexico.

2. The first RSAF aircraft and personnel deployment to the U.S. for U.S. Air Force (USAF) training began in 1988 at Luke AFB, Arizona and continues to this day. An RSAF crew chief checks out an F-16 at Luke AFB.

3. Two RSAF members attend an academic course phase of the U.S. training program.

4. RSAF life support specialists, MSgt. Lim Eng Joo and Sr. Amn. Yew Chee Chong, inspect life support equipment at the 428th Fighter Squadron.

5. The RSAF has six CH-47 Chinook helicopters at Grand Prairie, Texas, where they train with the U.S.
Army National Guard.

6. (LEFT) RSAF personnel are full members of the U.S. Air Force's 425th Fighter Squadron at Luke AFB.
(RIGHT) The latest integrated U.S.-Singapore training unit is the 428th Fighter Squadron at Cannon AFB, New Mexico.

7. RSAF pilots and their F-16s take part in all exercises alongside the Americans, including the U.S. Air Force's highly realistic and demanding RED FLAG exercises at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

8. Peace Carvin III, the project name for the RSAF fighter training at Cannon AFB, is fully funded by the Government of Singapore.

9. Two RSAF F-16 Fighting Falcons (F16)
Dimensions :Length Overall 15.01m; Wing Span 10.01m
Height 5.09 m; Performance :Max Level Speed 40,000 ft Above Mach 2; Sea Level 1.50m; Radar APG-68

10. RSAF personnel train in USAF air refueling procedures at McConnell AFB, Kansas. They train on KC-135 tankers that are replacing RSAF's KC-130s.

11. Dr. Tony Tan, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Singapore, leads Gen. Richard Hawley, Commander of USAF's Air Combat Command and other USAF and RSAF officers for the inauguration ceremony of the 428th Fighter Squadron.

12. RSAF training in the U.S. is a reflection of a larger Singapore-U.S. defense cooperation. U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen and Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan signed a new agreement in November, 1998 authorizing U.S. Navy access to Singapore Navy facilities.

Photo: SSgt. Jim Moser, USAF

One of the little known and highly-valued U.S. military training programs for Asia-Pacific armed forces is the training program for the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF). The limited airspace of the small city-state of Singapore has resulted in the Government of Singapore seeking friendly nations to provide RSAF pilots the airspace and top-notch training required to keep the RSAF among the best air forces in the world.

Over the past 10 years, the United States has provided not only that airspace, but a degree of training integration with U.S. Air Force (USAF) combat squadrons that has fostered a very close relationship between the two air forces.

The first deployment of RSAF personnel and fighter aircraft to the U.S. began in 1988 and lasted for two years. RSAF fighter pilots and crews trained at Luke Air Force Base (AFB), near Phoenix, Arizona, flying their own F-16 fighters. The Luke AFB training program was renewed in 1993 and continues to this day.

Photo: SSgt. Jim Moser, USAF

Approximately 130 RSAF personnel and their families live in Phoenix, Arizona for a two-year assignment. The RSAF personnel receive advanced weapons and tactics training as members of the USAF's 425th Fighter Squadron. RSAF personnel participate in all Luke AFB exercises alongside the Americans, shoot live missiles during exercise COMBAT ARCHER, and deploy with the squadron throughout the U.S. to participate in dissimilar air combat training. Above all, RSAF pilots take part in the highly demanding RED FLAG exercises at Nellis AFB, Nevada, which realistically test pilots against mock hostile fighter aircraft and tactics.

The expansion of this program took place in late 1998, when another 140 RSAF personnel and their families began living in Clovis, New Mexico, for a two-year tour of duty at Cannon AFB, New Mexico. There the RSAF pilots fly and train in their own F-16C/Ds. This F-16 is a new generation advanced model built to RSAF specifications, on a par with the best F-16s of the U.S. Air Force. They fly as members of the USAF's newly reactivated 428th Fighter Squadron, a virtually bi-national unit. But fighter training is not the only training being shared by the two air forces.

Photo 6

Photo: SSgt. Jim Moser, USAF

Approximately 40 more RSAF personnel and their families live in Wichita, Kansas, close to where they train at McConnell AFB, in USAF air refueling procedures. This is an important capability that extends the reach and combat loiter time of the RSAF F-16s. The training is accomplished with the 22nd Air Refueling Wing on KC-135 tankers, which are replacing RSAF's aging KC-130s.

In addition, approximately 150 RSAF personnel and their families live in Grand Prairie, Texas. There they train with the U.S. Army National Guard on the Chinook helicopter, an important RSAF platform for search and rescue, recovery, and for support of overseas training programs. The RSAF maintains six Chinooks at Grand Prairie for this training.

Photo: Courtesy of Singapore Ministry of Defense

The RSAF now has four long-term training programs in the United States. The programs not only train pilots, but RSAF maintenance personnel and technicians as well. Singapore defense leaders have often stated that the value of training with the Americans is not limited to the technology and expansive air training areas.

Photo: SSgt. Stephen Faulusi, USAF

At the opening ceremony for the latest training program at Cannon AFB, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Dr. Tony Tan said:

Photo: TSgt. Rafael Stronza, USAF

"The RSAF is a small air force which depends very much on a keen sense of professionalism, a high level of skills, competency, and dedication to keep its edge razor-sharp. These are qualities we can learn from the U.S. Air Force. Training here [at Cannon AFB] provides RSAF not only the 'luxury' of vast open skies, but also invaluable opportunities to train with the best air force in the world."

Photo: R.D. Ward

The RSAF training programs in the U.S. are a reflection of a larger picture of defense cooperation between the U.S. and Singapore. Singapore now hosts rotational USAF fighter squadrons on temporary duty, which helps the U.S. to maintain a significant stabilizing military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition, Singapore has recently offered the U.S. Navy use of its soon-to-be-built Changi Naval Base for port visits by U.S. aircraft carriers.

The expansion of the U.S.-based training at Cannon AFB represented what Deputy Prime Minister Tan called "another step in the ever increasing defense relationship between
Singapore and the United States."