General Ronald P. Clark, commander of the US Army Pacific, met with the commander and deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) during his two-day February 24-25 visit. US embassy
High-ranking Cambodian officials — both civilian and military — held “constructive” meetings with General Ronald P. Clark, commander of the US Army Pacific, during his February 24-25 official visit to the Kingdom. Following the meetings, it appears close military cooperation is set to resume in the near future.
Clark met with Prime Minister Hun Manet, Minister of National Defence Tea Seiha, Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) Commander-in-Chief General Vong Pisen, and Royal Cambodian Army (RCA) commander Mao Sophan.
“During their discussions, the officials explored ways to enhance the US-Cambodia bilateral defence relationship to promote Indo-Pacific peace and security. Talks covered military training exchanges focused on disaster relief, UN peacekeeping and efforts to make Cambodia mine-free,” said a February 25 press release from the US embassy in Cambodia. It added that the officials of both nations expressed their support for ongoing dialogue regarding these matters.
While meeting with Manet, Clark said the US wanted to see good US-Cambodia relations, especially in the military.
He also praised Cambodia peacekeeping participation with the UN, according to a social media post from the prime minister.
Manet thanked the US for demining assistance and encouraged the two militaries to work more closely to solidify their relations and cooperation.
RCA commander Sophan expressed his gratitude to the US for resuming military training programmes for Cambodian officers and for continued support for Cambodia's demining efforts, according to an RCA press statement.
“He further underscored the importance of military dialogue in building mutual trust and confidence and reaffirmed his commitment to working closely with General Clark to strengthen bilateral cooperation based on friendship, transparency and mutual benefit,” said the release.
It added that both commanders engaged in constructive discussions on a range of cooperative initiatives, including cooperation in humanitarian mine action, POW/MIA, exchange of experts on specific fields across various military domains and Royal Cambodia Army-US Land Forces Talks.
They also explored the possibility of co-hosting the Indo-Pacific Armies Management Seminar (IPAMS) and the resumption of the “Angkor Sentinel” exercises.
