Defense cooperation and shared security interests in Vietnam have been expanding, said Jedidiah P. Royal, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs.
On Sept. 9, 2023, President Joe Biden traveled to Hanoi, Vietnam, where the two countries took steps to elevate relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership encompassing cooperation across a range of diplomatic, economic and defense industrial endeavors, among others, said Royal, who spoke today at the U.S. Institute of Peace’s 3rd Annual Dialogue On War Legacies and Peace in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to continue strengthening ties with Vietnam as he met with Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang at the Pentagon.
Austin said the U.S. remains focused on overcoming the legacies of war as the two countries continue to build on the recent elevation of U.S.-Vietnam relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Vietnam also hosted a multilateral Pacific Partnership mission and a Pacific Angel humanitarian response mission in August, he added.
Nations across the Indo-Pacific and the United States are converging around enduring beliefs: “Respect for sovereignty and international law, the free flow of commerce and ideas, freedom of navigation in the skies and on the seas, equal dignity for every person and peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue, not coercion or conflict,” Royal said.
