Southeast
Asia is a key crossroads of the Pacific Region, and conducting
military-to-military cooperation with Vietnam directly supports our
vital interests in this region.
Southeast
Asia is a mixture of religious and cultural dynamics. It has many
natural resources, to include large oil reserves in Vietnam’s
territorial waters, and potentially larger oil reserves around the
Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. These islands have been laid
claim to by six Asian nations, of which China and Vietnam are among
them. Additionally, China's growing economic prowess and attempts to
increase influence in Southeast Asia make her a competitor to U.S.
regional interests.
The
United States reestablished direct diplomatic relations with Vietnam in
1995. Since that time we have signed counter-narcotics and civil
aviation agreements as well as a Bilateral Trade Agreement with them.
Vietnam continues to cooperate with the emotional issue of fully
accounting for U.S. missing in action from the protracted Vietnam War.
The
United States must continue to develop and further our relations with
Vietnam. It is in our best interest to expand in the areas of
humanitarian demining, regional security through military-to-military
relations and cooperation on counterterrorism, as well as expanding
economic cooperation. Expanding our relationship with Vietnam will
assist in providing additional stability to a region fraught with potential powder kegs of instability.
OBTAIN DOCUMENT: Military-to-Military Cooperation with Vietnam
