Admiral Paparo delivers his remarks during a press conference at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port on December 18. Hong Raksmey
The US has renewed its focus on fostering military ties with Cambodia through a ship visit and plans for collaborative exercises, according to Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command.
Speaking on December 18 at the Preah Sihanouk Autonomous Port, where the USS Savannah is docked, Paparo expressed optimism about revitalising the relationship between the two nations.
“I think of it writ large as just an act of friendship between two equal partners that have a long-term relationship,” he said.
“It's been a while since we've had a ship visit, but there is a long history of ship visits. We have refreshed the relationship, and we will be doing more. We're very excited to have achieved another one, and I think that comes with a firm pledge that we're going to keep going,” he added.
The admiral outlined a comprehensive approach to strengthening military cooperation through a series of joint exercises aimed at enhancing capabilities in areas such as military demining, peacekeeping operations and maritime security.
He expressed the belief that the two nations should collaborate to establish clear milestones and work together on a series of capacity-building exercises, including efforts to enhance their abilities in military mining and peacekeeping operations.
Preah Sihanouk governor Mang Sineth (centre-left) shakes hand with Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, as he visits the USS Savannah. Hong Raksmey
“And I think when you ask me what do I expect, I think we should build out a set of mutual expectations between our two militaries that are mutually agreed upon based on mutual interests at a planning level between one on one," Paparo told The Post.
“I think this is best done at the commander level, between commanders, and I think that they extend over air, land and sea,” he remarked.
During his visit, Paparo met with commanders from all Cambodian military services, identifying potential opportunities for cooperation in international military education and training.
He also highlighted past and ongoing collaborations, including participation in programmes such as Anchor Sentinel, Pacific Angel and the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies.
“I think we've built a roadmap of an exercise programme that's mutually agreed upon based on the principles of equality, based on the principles of sovereignty, and based on mutual interest. And I think the future is very exciting,” he said.
Cambodian naval officers visit the USS Savannah (LCS 28) at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port. Hong Raksmey
The admiral described the ship visit as a milestone in a 75-year relationship of cooperation between the two nations.
He expressed pride in the ship visit, noting that in 2022, during his previous role as Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet, he and then US ambassador to Cambodia Patrick Murphy had agreed on making a ship visit to Cambodia a key goal.
“So, it is a first step towards greater cooperation in building out the relationship across all of the military-to-military steps,” he continued.
Looking ahead, he highlighted the longstanding friendship between the two nations, describing the ship visit as a step in their 75-year history of cooperation and reiterating that he does not view the relationship in terms of competition.
