Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said the U.S. could provide new equipment to Vietnam’s navy if the U.S. were to lift its three-decade embargo on selling military arms to Vietnam.
Jim Garamone of DoD News wrote Saturday that the tools would include vessels and equipment for search-and-rescue and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.
“My military advice . . . will be if it is lifted that we begin with assets that would make the Peoples’ Navy more capable in the maritime domain,” Dempsey said during a visit to Ho Chi Minh City.
Dempsey also expressed an interest in a partnership with Vietnam alongside defense agreements between the U.S. and Vietnam neighbors Thailand and the Philippines.
“I do see Vietnam occupying a key geostrategic region,” he said.
According to the report, Dempsey also said a multinational response through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations could help address maritime and territorial disputes in the region.
