Former US Air Force official recognised by Mindef for contributions to SAF

Ms Heidi Grant was conferred the Singapore Defence Fellowship by Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen during an investiture on May 19, 2022. PHOTO: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE SINGAPORE

SINGAPORE - A former US Air Force official made a key contribution to Singapore's defence, supporting the country's acquisition of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighter jets.

On Thursday (May 19), Ms Heidi Grant was conferred the Singapore Defence Fellowship by Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen during an investiture at the Ministry of Defence (Mindef).

The award recognises individuals who have contributed significantly to bilateral defence technology cooperation.

According to a statement released by Mindef on Thursday, Ms Grant, who is president of business development at American aircraft manufacturer Boeing, was recognised for her instrumental role over the years in supporting Singapore's access to defence technologies from the United States.

This allowed the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to strengthen its operational capabilities and professional development.

Ms Grant was Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs, in the US Department of the Air Force, from September 2010 to January 2019.

She then became director of the Defence Technology Security Administration from January 2019 to August 2020, and director of the Defence Security Cooperation Agency from August 2020 to November 2021.

On receiving the award, Ms Grant said: "I am so honoured to receive the Singapore Defence Fellowship and look forward to many more years of working closely together to ensure security and stability around the world."

Mindef added that Singapore and the US enjoyed a longstanding defence relationship involving high-level visits, policy dialogues, joint military training and exercises, defence technology cooperation and other professional exchanges.

These are based on shared strategic perspectives, underscored by the 1990 Memorandum of Understanding, 2005 Strategic Framework Agreement and 2015 enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement.

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