- More than 150 American companies participating, majority in the USA Partnership Pavilion.
- Host nation’s third Endeavour Scholarship winners, Mission Crew #18, will launch on Day 3.
The United States showed up in full force at the opening of the 2024 Singapore Airshow yesterday, with more than 150 exhibitors, 20-plus commercial, military, and business aircraft on display, and a high-level contingent of diplomatic, military, and industry leaders to showcase the nation’s aerospace and defense industry and reinforce its bilateral partnerships across the Asia-Pacific region.
It’s the largest international presence at the show, underscoring America’s commitment to cooperation on a wide range of regional issues, foremost peace and economic security. The U.S. is Singapore’s biggest foreign investor with $309 billion of direct investment in 2022 and some 5,400 U.S. companies operating there, according to the Congressional Research Service.
“The Singapore Airshow is a unique platform for defense industry leaders to showcase the latest U.S. technology, discuss potential collaborations, and enhance our regional defense capabilities. Opportunities for U.S. companies within the defense and security sector have seen considerable growth in the past decade. Growth that has been driven by Singapore’s continued interest in embracing U.S. cutting-edge technology to deter, protect, and defend,” said U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, Jonathan Kaplan. “The United States will always remain a reliable partner to Singapore; a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific; and a partner in protecting territorial integrity and safeguarding the rules-based international order.”
The centerpiece of America’s presence at the show is the 2,000-plus sqm USA Partnership Pavilion, organized for the ninth edition by Kallman Worldwide, Inc., in coordination with government agencies including the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Defense, State and Transportation. The Pavilion is America’s headquarters on-site, a high-profile showcase for 105 participating U.S. exhibitors to maximize their success at the event, and a forum for all to share ideas and insights.
The Pavilion roster includes 38 exhibitors that are new to the show and 27 new to the market. A total of 26 states are represented, including nine stand-alone state pavilions — Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, and Utah — within the larger U.S. space, all looking to generate new business and create more jobs back home by growing exports, expanding their in-region footprints, and/or recruiting overseas partners to establish or participate in stateside operations.
In support of the show’s heightened emphasis on sustainability and minimizing the environmental impact of participation, the Pavilion has specified eco-friendly and recyclable building materials, eliminated single-use plastics in its café and hospitality services, printed graphics on 100% recycled paper, and switched from printing paper directories to producing an interactive digital directory with its supply chain networking partner, Sourcehere.com.
Kallman Worldwide President and CEO Tom Kallman said the American participation in the show, specifically in the Pavilion, reflects larger trends in global trade and international trade events.
“Our company has been involved with the Singapore Airshow since its first years as Asian Aerospace some 40 years ago. Now more than ever, our exhibitors benefit from our emphasis on partnership and teamwork,” Kallman said. “The USA Partnership Pavilion sharpens the focus on advancing America’s national security and global trade interests by building stronger relationships with our international customers. From publicly traded OEMs to small-and-medium sized suppliers, many of our exhibitors already have significant partnerships and operations in Singapore and across the Asia-Pacific region. After this year’s show, many more will.”
A corollary to building partnerships and creating jobs is finding people to do the work, said Kallman. As industries and supply chains struggle to attract skilled workers, the organizer has sharpened the focus of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts to inspire and empower the future workforce.
On day three of the show (Thursday, February 22), Kallman’s lead CSR initiative, the Astronaut Al Worden Endeavour Scholarship Foundation, will introduce its third class of winners from Singapore. Comprised of four high school students and an educator, “Mission Team #18” will travel to the United States this summer for an all-expenses paid, week-long, hands-on astronaut training experience at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center’s Space Camp in Huntsville, AL.
The program honors its namesake, Worden, pilot of the Apollo 15 Command Module “Endeavour,” whose lifelong commitment to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education included serving as Kallman’s STEM ambassador at trade shows around the world from 2015 until his passing in 2020.
“Every country we work in — at least 50 over our 60-year history — is facing the same challenges to prepare young people for the future,” said Kallman. “In Al’s honor and with thanks to our supporters, the Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin, and our Singapore partners, Experia and the Singapore Science Centre, the Endeavour Scholarship connects with worldwide interest in space to promote STEM careers on earth.”
For more information about U.S. exhibitors and activities at the 2024 Singapore Airshow, search the USA Partnership Pavilion Directory at Sourcehere.com.
