Cambodia to Restart Joint Military Drills with the United States in Early 2027
The Royal Cambodian Army announced that Cambodia will resume joint exercises with the United States next year, ending a ten-year pause.
Cambodia’s army posted on its official Facebook page that the country will restart joint military drills with the United States early next year, reviving activities halted in 2017. The scheduled "Exercise Angkor Sentinel 2027" is set for February and is described as a platform to boost interoperability and disaster-response capabilities. Recent meetings between senior defense officials, including Prime Minister Hun Manet and U.S. Under Secretary for Policy Elbridge A. Colby, have focused on repairing a relationship strained by Washington’s worries about Cambodia’s economic and political ties to China and its human-rights practices.
U.S. Pacific Fleet commander Admiral Steve Koehler also met with Cambodian Armed Forces chief Gen. Vong Pisen to discuss resuming a suspended maritime exercise. Both sides framed the renewed cooperation as a way to strengthen defense ties and foster friendship between their armed forces.
Why it matters
The resumption of U.S.-Cambodia drills marks a shift in regional security dynamics and may affect China’s influence in Southeast Asia.
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