Arms Spending Spree in Southeast Asia Has Singapore Worried
- Greater military cooperation needed, says Defence Minister Ng
- Ng says Singapore defense spending to stay largely steady
Ng Eng Hen.
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Elevated defense spending in Southeast Asia is a worry as it’s not being matched by greater military cooperation, according to Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.
Asked if defense outlays in the region caused him concern, Ng replied: "Of course, wouldn’t it worry anyone?” Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg News on Thursday ahead of the release of the country’s annual budget, Ng said Singapore’s own defense spending as a proportion of gross domestic product was “fairly high” and would probably stay around current levels.