Risch Welcomes Singapore Senior Minister of State for Defense to Idaho

Boise, Idaho – U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today met with Singapore’s Minister of Defense Heng Chee How in Boise. Minister Heng is visiting Idaho to observe Exercise Forging Sabre, a biennial exercise held by the U.S. Air Force and Royal Singapore Air Force. The exercise is taking place at Mountain Home Air Force Base this year for the first time. Mountain Home has hosted a Singaporean F-15G training squadron since 2009. Sen. Risch also recently joined President Donald J. Trump and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at a signing ceremony in New York to extend a 1990 defense cooperation memorandum of understanding between the United States and Singapore.

“It was wonderful to meet with Minister Heng in Boise to celebrate the 10th year since the Royal Singapore Air Force first came to Mountain Home Air Force Base,” said Risch. “The cooperation between the United States and Singapore taking place right here in Idaho is important to the security of both our nations. Minister Heng and I discussed how we can continue our productive partnership to keep our two countries safe and to advance our shared goals in the Indo-Pacific region.”

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