US and Vietnam to enhance military cooperation as defense chiefs meet at Pentagon

Asia-Pacific, News, US September 12, 2024 , by IRIA No Comments

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with Vietnam’s Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang on September 9, 2024, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The defense leaders agreed to enhance bilateral partnership and strengthen military cooperation.

During the meeting, U.S. Secretary Austin and Vietnam’s General Giang emphasized the significance of the U.S.-Vietnam partnership, highlighting that this week marks the one-year anniversary of the upgrade of their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Both defense leaders also signed an Updated Joint Vision Statement on United States – Viet Nam Defense Relations to lay out a roadmap for the future of the defense partnership.

The U.S. and Vietnamese defense officials also explored opportunities to deepen defense cooperation, focusing on areas such as defense trade, industrial base resilience, and information sharing. The defense leaders also highlighted a new agreement to strengthen military-medical cooperation.

U.S. Secretary Austin and Vietnamese General Giang emphasized the importance of jointly working to overcome war legacies. Austin said that the United States remains committed to addressing the legacies of war as both nations work to build on the recent elevation of U.S.-Vietnam relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

U.S. Secretary Austin announced “a commitment to budget an additional $65 million over the next five years toward completing dioxin remediation efforts at Bien Hoa Airbase. This would bring the total Department of Defense contribution to the Bien Hoa remediation effort to $215 million,” the Pentagon statement highlighted.

“We’re working more closely than ever, and that’s more important than ever as we promote our shared goals of regional peace and prosperity,” Austin said.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III with Vietnam's Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang at the Pentagon — ^{U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III with Vietnam’s Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on September 9, 2024. (Image Credit: X/@SecDef)}

According to the U.S. Department of Defense statement, “Austin noted the increased military cooperation between the U.S. and Vietnam throughout the past year including a port visit by the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche at Cam Ranh, Vietnam in July.” The statement also highlighted that in August 2024, Vietnam hosted a multilateral Pacific Partnership mission and a Pacific Angel humanitarian response mission.

Austin said, “A key part of our cooperation is overcoming the legacies of war, and we remain committed to the fullest extent possible, accounting for those lost during the war, and we appreciate Vietnam’s longstanding support to help bring home missing U.S. service members.” He further added, “Through the Vietnam Wartime Accountability Initiative, we’re helping Vietnam search for its fallen service members as well.”

The meeting between the defense officials of both countries was held nearly a year after U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to Vietnam, during which both nations advanced their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, covering cooperation in diplomatic, economic, defense industrial, and other key areas.

In the wake of China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region and particularly in the South China Sea, the U.S. and Vietnam are increasingly growing closer by deepening trade links as well as military diplomacy. Strong bilateral ties between the U.S. and Vietnam are key for Washington to remain the dominant power in the region.

Apart from being a party in the complicated territorial claims of the South China Sea along with the Philippines, China, Malaysia, and Brunei, Vietnam is also a strong economic partner with China and one of its closest trading neighbors.