U.S. report lauds Singapore's navy

U.S. report lauds Singapore's navy

SINGAPORE (AP): A U.S. defense analyst has ranked Singapore's navy as the best in Southeast Asia, a news report said on Friday.

Though smaller than other regional navies, the city-state's has been rated tops in terms of professionalism and capability, The Straits Times Newspaper said.

In terms of size, Singapore's navy has 9,000 personnel, compared with Malaysia's 12,500, 73,000 in Thailand, 43,000 in Indonesia and 25,900 in the Philippines, The Straits Times said.

Singapore has 24 patrol and coastal combatant ships, compared with 39 in Malaysia, 87 in Thailand, 57 in Indonesia and 67 in the Philippines, the newspaper said.