In remarks commemorating the 35th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) on Monday, Sept 1, Teo said it was moving into a "most challenging phase" involving conventional and non-conventional threats as well as humanitarian and peacekeeping missions.

"Following the September 11 attacks, the RSAF now provides an enhanced air defence against airborne terrorist threats, 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Teo said in a ceremony at a fighter base here.

"The RSAF must remain nimble and vigilant to meet any emerging threats to our security, even as it trains and prepares for conventional missions in the defence of Singapore," he added.

A staunch US ally, Singapore has been on a heightened state of alert since the September 11, 2001 attacks in which suicide squads hijacked US commercial aircraft and flew them into New York's World Trade Center and Washington's Pentagon complex.

Singapore has detained more than 30 people alleged to be linked to the regional Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) Islamic militant group, regarded as the Southeast Asian affiliate of the al-Qaeda network blamed for the US attacks.

One JI plot allegedly involved crashing a commercial plane into Singapore's Changi airport, and Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said last month the city-state remained "a prime target" for terrorist attacks.

The city-state has provided intelligence tips that have led to the arrest of JI suspects in other Southeast Asian countries, and makes its facilities available to US security forces.

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