The US defense minister, Ashton Carter, and his Vietnamese counterpart Phung Quang Thanh on Carter’s visit to Hanoi, June 1. (Internet photo)
Wantchinatimes | Sep 4, 2015
Vietnam is seeking support from the United States to modernize its military for a potential conflict with China over the disputed South China Sea, Wendell Minnick writes in an article for Defense News on Aug. 31.
Richard Bitzinger, an expert from the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told Minnick that Vietnam has a huge military but still mostly uses weaponry from the 1970s and 1980s. After the collapse of the US-backed South Vietnam in 1975, Hanoi relied completely on weapons imported from the Soviet Union and later Russia. Now facing an escalation of its maritime territorial disputes with China, Vietnam wants a total overhaul of its military, according to Bitzinger.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the availability of affordable Russian weapons declined as did their quality. Over the same period, China has carried out a successful military modernization program to strengthen the capability of the People’s Liberation Army to engage the enemy in open waters. The United States has now become Vietnam’s next choice for procuring weapons. However, Minnick pointed out that US arms export restrictions are still in place for Vietnam due to the country’s human rights violations and one-party system.
President Barack Obama relaxed the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations on the sales of lethal weapons to Vietnam and the US governmenthas announced that it will provide US$18 million for the Vietnam Coast Guard to buy patrol boats. Nonetheless, the restrictions still prohibit Vietnam from buying weapons directly from the United States. Furthermore, Vietnam’s acquisition of weapons and sensors from Western sources will be challenging in terms of integration, training and logistical support, the article said.
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September 4, 2015
Vietnam seeks US support to modernize its military
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights]
The US defense minister, Ashton Carter, and his Vietnamese counterpart Phung Quang Thanh on Carter’s visit to Hanoi, June 1. (Internet photo)
Wantchinatimes | Sep 4, 2015
Vietnam is seeking support from the United States to modernize its military for a potential conflict with China over the disputed South China Sea, Wendell Minnick writes in an article for Defense News on Aug. 31.
Richard Bitzinger, an expert from the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told Minnick that Vietnam has a huge military but still mostly uses weaponry from the 1970s and 1980s. After the collapse of the US-backed South Vietnam in 1975, Hanoi relied completely on weapons imported from the Soviet Union and later Russia. Now facing an escalation of its maritime territorial disputes with China, Vietnam wants a total overhaul of its military, according to Bitzinger.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the availability of affordable Russian weapons declined as did their quality. Over the same period, China has carried out a successful military modernization program to strengthen the capability of the People’s Liberation Army to engage the enemy in open waters. The United States has now become Vietnam’s next choice for procuring weapons. However, Minnick pointed out that US arms export restrictions are still in place for Vietnam due to the country’s human rights violations and one-party system.
President Barack Obama relaxed the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations on the sales of lethal weapons to Vietnam and the US governmenthas announced that it will provide US$18 million for the Vietnam Coast Guard to buy patrol boats. Nonetheless, the restrictions still prohibit Vietnam from buying weapons directly from the United States. Furthermore, Vietnam’s acquisition of weapons and sensors from Western sources will be challenging in terms of integration, training and logistical support, the article said.