Obama thanks Singapore for military help: President Barack Obama thanked Singapore for its military help Tuesday, as the first of a new generation of US coastal warships steamed to the city state to support his policy "pivot" to Asia.
Obama made a point of pouring praise on Singapore as an example to the world and as an important ally and source of counsel for Washington in Asia as he welcomed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for Oval Office talks.
The meeting took place just before the USS Freedom, a littoral combat ship, arrives to start a temporary deployment, one of four of the stealthy vessels that will be rotated through Singapore.
"We have extremely close military cooperation," Obama said ahead of the meeting, as he praised Singapore as "one of the most successful countries in the world."
