US touts regional ‘balance’ in missile sale to Singapore. What does it mean?

Washington has recently approved a proposed US$22.3 million sale of additional Hellfire missiles to Singapore, with the US State Department declaring that the transfer and associated arms support “will not alter the basic military balance in the region”.While observers say the sale is a routine purchase by the city state for training and to replenish an advanced arsenal, America’s language on the move signals a broader strategy to strengthen a network of US allies and partners while avoiding the optics of an “escalatory leap”.On June 30, the department said it had approved the potential sale of 24 additional AGM-114R missiles and related equipment as well as the provision of support services, bringing the total to 67 such missiles for Singapore.