A US Navy First Fleet in the Indian Ocean, based out of Singapore? Not likely, analysts say
- The US Navy Secretary’s proposal raised eyebrows among observers, who say the plan is a ‘trial balloon’ that is unlikely to garner immediate regional support
- Locating a US naval base in Singapore is also seen as a tricky proposition given the island nation’s efforts to not take a side between Beijing and Washington
While Asian countries have by and large continued to welcome the American forward presence as a vital hedge against China, observers said the introduction of a new permanent US base in the region would cause much more alarm in Beijing than governments in the neighbourhood could stomach.
It would be deemed unacceptable for the island nation – among Washington’s key strategic partners in Southeast Asia – to host a permanent US naval base, as it worked “assiduously” to repel the impression that it was in a formal military alliance with Washington, said Singapore-based regional security expert Collin Koh.
“I believe a Biden administration would exercise greater caution towards regional political sensitivities to properly review [the proposal] with US allies and partners, if not scrapping the plan outright come next January,” he said.
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