The United States has deployed a P-8 Poseidon spy plane in Singapore for the first time, amid heightened tensions in the region over China's expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea, AP reported. The weeklong deployment in Singapore, which began Monday, came as Secretary of Defense Ash Carter met his Singaporean counterpart Ng Eng Hen in Washington and signed a new agreement to step up defense cooperation. In a joint statement, the two sides said the deployment would promote interoperability among regional militaries in exercises, and provide support for disaster relief and maritime security. The U.S. and Singapore have long-standing defense ties. In the Asia-Pacific, the U.S. has also operated the Poseidon surveillance planes out of Japan and the Philippines, which are both U.S. treaty allies.
