Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) Recently, Cambodia and the United States held in-depth consultations on preliminary plans to restart the "Angkor Sentinel" joint military exercise. The two sides initially envision the exercise being held at the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027, injecting new momentum into bilateral defense cooperation.
On March 31, Cambodian Royal Armed Forces Army Deputy Commander Heng Makara and U.S. Army Pacific Command Deputy Commander Giles J.S. Cornelia held a working meeting in Phnom Penh. During the talks, both sides reached a consensus, clarifying that the "Angkor Sentinel" joint military exercise is an important platform for enhancing the joint operational capabilities of the two militaries and deepening bilateral military mutual trust, and has positive significance for promoting bilateral defense cooperation.
This high-level military meeting is a concrete step towards implementing the high-level defense consensus reached between the two countries. Previously, in mid-February, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet met with the U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Army, where they exchanged views on expanding bilateral defense cooperation and focused on the specific arrangements for resuming the "Angkor Sentinel" joint military exercise in late 2026 or early 2027, laying an important foundation for this consultation.
It is understood that the "Angkor Sentinel" joint military exercise began in 2010, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and the United States, and thus holds special commemorative significance. For the following seven years, the two countries continuously conducted this series of training exercises, covering key areas such as international peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance, and disaster emergency response. It is not only a core foundation of Cambodia-U.S. military cooperation but also aligns with Cambodia's joint training priorities with other international partners.
It is noteworthy that this joint military exercise was suspended in 2017. During the bilateral meeting at the end of March, the Cambodian and US military leadership reiterated their strong desire to resume the exercises. Currently, both sides are maintaining close communication regarding the specific details and subject matter of the resumption of the military exercises, working to ensure the cooperation is implemented. (End)
