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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

A Boeing P-8 Poseidon [wikipedia.org] aircraft is being deployed to Singapore [bbc.com] amid growing tensions over territorial claims in the South China Sea:

The United States has deployed a P-8 Poseidon spy plane to Singapore for the first time. It is the latest in a series of US military actions [bbc.co.uk] seen as a response to China's increasingly assertive claims over territory in the South China Sea.

The US says it will also base a military reconnaissance plane at Singapore's Paya Lebar air base. US P-8s already operate from Japan and the Philippines, and surveillance flights have taken off from Malaysia. The P-8 was deployed on Monday, and will remain in Singapore until 14 December.

In addition to the P-8 deployment, the US says it will operate a military plane, either a P-8 Poseidon or a P-3 Orion, from Singapore for the foreseeable future, rotating planes on a quarterly basis. The US-Singapore agreement, announced after a meeting in Washington on Monday between US Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, also covers co-operation on counter-terrorism, fighting piracy, and disaster relief.

Previously: China's Island Factory [soylentnews.org]
China Builds Artificial Islands in South China Sea [soylentnews.org]
Chinese Weaponry Spotted on Artificial Islands [soylentnews.org]

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