PAYA LEBAR AIR BASE, Singapore -- Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and his staff flew with U.S. Marines aboard an MV-22B Osprey to survey the Straits of Malacca off the coast of Singapore, May 29.
The visit to Singapore and observation of one of the most important shipping lanes in the world was part of the Secretary of Defense’s attendance of the 14th International Institute for Strategic Studies Asia Security Summit, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue. The Secretary of Defense met with important leaders in the defense and security community and spoke about the U.S.’ advocacy for equality in economic opportunity.
“The United States wants a future in which an Indonesian fisherman, an energy executive from Malaysia, an entrepreneur from Singapore, a small business owner from California or a Chinese business woman, just to name a few, have the security and opportunity to rise and prosper,” said Carter.
The highlight for the Marines was the opportunity to take the Secretary of Defense on one of their premier aircrafts, the MV-22B, in order to survey the straits.
“The Marines did an outstanding job,” said Maj. Brian Psolka, the operations officer for Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Reinforced), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. “We were able to accomplish the mission by allowing the Secretary of Defense to fly over and receive a first-hand view of the hundreds of ships, showing the vital role of those straits.”
All of the Marines worked around the clock to get the aircraft ready for the flight.
“I feel that as a crew, we couldn’t have performed any better,” said Sgt. Charles Covington, an Osprey crew chief with VMM-265 (Rein.), 31st MEU. “The pilots were on top of everything.”
Utilizing the Osprey’s airplane mode, the Marines were able to take off and get the Secretary of Defense to the Straits of Malacca in a timely manner. Then converting to helicopter mode, the Secretary of Defense was given a better view of the ship-congested waters.
“I don’t think there would have been any other aircraft we could have used,” said Covington, from Skysville, Md. “There are no other aircraft out there that could have pulled off this mission in the timely manner that we did.”