Two members of Arkansas' congressional delegation visited Singapore this week in a show of support for the recent selection of Fort Smith's Ebbing Air National Guard Base to host the Foreign Military Sales program.
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack and U.S. Sen. John Boozman made the trip almost a month after the selection of Ebbing, which will eventually host General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons from Singapore's air force.
In addition to the relocation of an F-16 squadron, Ebbing will also be a used to train foreign pilots in F-35 jets.
Foreign Military Sales is a security assistance program authorized by the Arms Export Control Act. The act allows the U.S. to sell defense equipment, conduct training and provide services to a foreign country when the president deems doing so will strengthen U.S. national security and promote world peace.
Ebbing was selected in 2021 as the preferred location for a pilot training center for Singapore and other countries participating in the program. The proposal was to accommodate up to 24 foreign F-35 aircraft and move 12 F-16s from the Singapore air force, currently with the 425th Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.
According to a press release, during their visit to the Asian country Womack, R-Rogers, and Boozman, R-Rogers, met with the Republic of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and government leaders in trade and national security, and the chief of the Singaporean air force. They also visited U.S. military personnel deployed to the area.
"I was glad to travel to Singapore with Senator Boozman to deepen our strategic partnership and discuss ways to deter increasing threats from our adversaries," Womack said in a statement. "We got to shake the hands of our allies and thank them for trusting Fort Smith to be the home of the Foreign Military Sales mission that will bring F-35 fighter planes and Singapore's F-16 squadron to Ebbing Air National Guard Base. I look forward to welcoming the new U.S. Air Force personnel to the River Valley and continuing dialogue with our friends abroad."
In his own statement, Boozman said the goal of the visit was "to ensure our partners feel welcome in our state and trust we will support their military personnel's needs. Developing and strengthening this relationship is critical to ensuring global security. Arkansas welcomes the opportunity to give our allies the training and tools necessary to defend themselves and our shared interests while strengthening Ebbing Air National Guard Base's role in our national defense and Indo-Pacific relations."
The selection of Ebbing was announced on March 15.
During the announcement, Lt. Col. Drew "Gus" Nas, who is tasked with getting the training center at Ebbing operational, said the earliest any foreign pilots would arrive at Ebbing would be 2024.
Before any pilots from Singapore arrive, it's expected that Polish pilots would be the first users of the training center. Poland is purchasing 32 F-35 Lightning II aircraft from Lockheed Martin.
The elements of the Singaporean air force will have a long-term presence at the base, while pilots and planes from other countries will be there on a temporary basis of about two years.