evidence: Singapore is a global financial and economic hub that sits astride the meeting point of the strategically vital Malacca Strait and the South China Sea. Despite its small size, the island city-state of 6.2 million people is a heavyweight in regional and international affairs. [...] Singapore was a British colony and entrepôt for more than a century. Following World War II, as the British empire unraveled, Singapore gained considerable autonomy in the 1950s and in 1963 joined the Federation of Malaysia. [...] The Malacca Strait is one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, with more than 120,000 ships passing through annually, linking major economies such as China and Japan. The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) conducts regular anti-piracy patrols near Singapore’s territorial waters and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, including the Malacca Strait, where piracy and armed robbery have grown in recent years. The RSN has also deployed to support anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden. Singapore has also supported the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, providing refueling aircraft, imagery analysis, and medical personnel.