May. 10, 2012 - 07:28PM | By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
|
WASHINGTON — The first in a new
class of U.S. Navy combat ships will be sent to Singapore next year for a
10-month deployment, an official said May 10, as the U.S. moves to expand its
Asia-Pacific presence.
China ’s defense ministry has
been scornful over increased American military activity in the region, saying
it is proof of a “Cold War mentality” from Washington
“The USS Freedom will
deploy to Singapore
The ship belongs to a
new class of “littoral combat ships” — smaller, surface vessels intended for
operations close to shore and able to deploy quickly to crises that are part of
a U.S.
The Navy said its force
would eventually be equipped with 55 warships of this type, four of which could
be deployed in Singapore.
The ships are meant to
be deployed on a rotational basis and not based in Singapore ,
where the U.S. military
already operates a small post that assists in logistics and exercises for
forces in Southeast Asia .
The United States is also expected to step up deployments
to the Philippines and Thailand
No comments:
Post a Comment