RTAF – Air Attaché Office in Hanoi

DEFENSE NEWS BULLETIN 31.July.2022

1. PENTAGON CHIEF IN VIETNAM TO ADVANCE TIES BUT RIGHTS CONCERNS LINGER.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sought on Thursday to nudge forward security ties with Vietnam that have been slowly deepening as both countries watch China’s activities in the South China Sea with growing alarm.

Despite closer military relations, more than four decades after the Vietnam War ended in 1975, President Joe Biden’s administration has said there are limits to the relationship until Hanoi makes progress on human rights.

Vietnam has emerged as the most vocal opponent of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and has received U.S. military hardware, including coastguard cutters.

(U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin answers reporters questions at the Pentagon as the U.S. military nears the formal end of its mission in Afghanistan in Arlington, Virginia, U.S)

Before a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart in Hanoi, Austin said the United States did not ask Vietnam to choose between countries.

“One of our central goals is ensuring that our allies and partners have the freedom and the space to chart their own futures,” Austin said.

He did not mention China but there is a perception in Asia that China is making countries chose between it and the United States, as tension rises between those two big powers.

On Wednesday, a U.S. Navy warship carried out a transit through the Taiwan Strait. While such operations are routine, they usually anger Beijing.

“(Vietnam) wants to know that the U.S. is going to remain engaged militarily, it’s going to continue its presence in the South China Sea,” said Greg Poling, with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The two sides signed a “memorandum of understanding” for Harvard and Texas Tech University to create a database that would help Vietnamese search for those missing from the war.

LIMITS

On Sunday, the United States shipped 3 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam, raising the amount given by the United States, via the global COVAX vaccine scheme, to 5 million doses.

Poling said there was a limit to how fast and far the Vietnamese were comfortable with deepening ties.

Experts say there are lingering concerns in Vietnam about Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, withdrawing from the Trans Pacific Partnership trade pact in 2017.

There are also limits to how far the United States is willing to deepen relations before Vietnam improves its human rights record.

Vietnam has undergone sweeping economic reforms and social change in recent decades, but the ruling Communist Party retains a tight grip over media and tolerates little dissent. read more

In Singapore on Tuesday, Austin said the United States would always lead with its values.

“We will discuss those values with our friends and allies everywhere we go and we don’t make any bones about that,” Austin said.

This month, Marc Knapper, Biden’s nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to Vietnam vowed to boost security ties but said they could only reach their full potential if Hanoi made significant progress on human rights. read more

In a meeting with Austin on Thursday morning, Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said he was looking forward to an upcoming visit to Vietnam by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris could travel to Vietnam and Singapore in August, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday

(By REUTERS)

2. SKILLS SHARPENED IN VIETNAM.

After pandemic-related travel restrictions put plans on hold, the Australian Army and Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) again joined forces at the Mieu Mon Training Centre in Hanoi.

After a successful event in 2020, the second Australia-Vietnam Combat Shooting Skills Exchange was conducted in mid-June.

An Australian Army mobile training team drawn from the School of Infantry (SOI) Sniper and Combat Shooting Cell provided five days of instruction based on the enhanced combat shooting continuum – overcoming the additional challenges provided by foreign weapons systems, language barriers and the heat of a south-east Asian summer. 

Combat shooting leader instructor Sergeant Lachlan Mitchell said the preparation to deliver effective lessons had begun several months earlier, including training and qualifying on the M4 family of weapons, Glock and Heckler & Kosh universal self-loading pistol. 

“SOI’s Combat Shooting Cell is the home of close combat shooting within the ADF and we often have international students on courses whose primary weapon systems are different to ours,” Sergeant Mitchell said.  

“But this exchange was a unique instructional experience as the VPA have an interesting array of weapons, including the M16A1, Type 54 pistol, Glock 17 pistol, Makarov pistol, and the T-5000 and SVD Dragunov sniper rifles.

“There are some differences from what we’re used to, such as the use of iron sighting systems on the M16 and the lack of any safety catch on the Type 54 pistol.

“We were able to adapt quickly and it was a true test of our own modern instructional techniques and shooting principles. It solidified in my mind that what we teach is not only world-class best practice but applicable to all weapon systems.”

(Soldiers from the Australian Army and Vietnam People’s Army participate in the second Australia-Vietnam Combat Shooting Skills Exchange in Hanoi, Vietnam)

ADF interpreters ensured trainees got the most from the lessons and could receive debriefs after serials.

“When we arrived in country, we rehearsed the lessons with the ADF interpreters to ensure we presented a high-quality lesson,” Sergeant Mitchell said.

The lessons delivered to the 40 VPA students, including the VPA Combat Shooting Team, built on those from 2020 that bridged skill gaps identified in their inaugural participation in the Australian Army Skills at Arms Meet the year before.

“The VPA are extremely professional, motivated to learn and quick to adapt to our techniques,” Sergeant Mitchell said.

“They already understood marksmanship principles well, which aided a smooth transition into close combat shooting.”

The Australia-Vietnam Combat Shooting Skills Exchange is set to become a yearly exercise, with embassy staff at Hanoi working in partnership with VPA’s Training Department to plan next year’s event.

(By Australian Government – Defense Website)

3. JAPANESE MEDICAL MEMBERS TEAM UP WITH PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP 2022.

A team of six Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and Japan Air S  elf-Defense Force (JASDF) members are part of the Pacific Partnership 2022 (PP22) medical team embarked aboard Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19).

The group consists of one surgeon, two nurses, a pharmacist, a dental hygienist and one hematologist serving as a medical event planner throughout PP22.

The annual Pacific Partnership mission contributes to regional stability and security in the Indo-Pacific through diverse exchanges across the engineering, medical, dental, veterinary, humanitarian aid and disaster response fields that foster enduring partnerships, trust and interoperability between nations.

Mercy is the largest hospital ship in the world and serves as the platform for PP22. Capt. Emiko Murata, a JGSDF nurse, said getting on the 894 ft. long vessel changed her entire perspective on what a ship could be.

“This is my first time on any ship, and the Mercy is so huge” said Murata. “My image of ships were that they were small and rocked a lot but now I know my image was wrong. I never thought being on a ship could be so comfortable. I am also very impressed with the equipment, facilities and capabilities of the hospital ship.”

For Lt. Cmdr. Naoya Yamazaki, a JMSDF doctor, Mercy is not the first ship he has ever been on, but it still made a significant impression on the head and neck surgeon.

“I have ridden aboard JMSDF ships, but this is my first time being on a U.S. ship,” said Yamazaki. “My first impression is ‘What a huge ship is this!’ Mercy is absolutely the biggest ship I ever been on. I truly appreciate the U.S. Navy for the great time I’ve had here.”

The Japan team brings an array of medical capabilities and backgrounds to the mission, allowing for a diverse continuum of support during the first Pacific Partnership first mission stop and beyond.

1st Lt. Ikeda Shun, a pharmacist in the JASDF, said the thing he most looked forward to was exchanging knowledge with partners and medical professionals.

“I participated in the ancillary services symposium in support of the Vietnam mission stop,” said Shun. “My time on the ship helped me learn more about Mercy’s pharmaceutical processes and abilities. I also had the opportunity to educate U.S. Navy and Vietnamese professionals about Self-Defense Forces Pharmacists and our methods.”

Murata expressed sentiments similar to Shun’s.

“I learned about the medical skills and systems of other countries,” said Murata. “In Vietnam my goal was to figure out how we can better the countries’ medical community by learning the methods used by our partners.”

Murata’s expertise was used to teach and treat while in Vietnam with Pacific Partnership.

“I participated in several subject matter expert exchanges (SMEEs) where I led and participated in nursing skills lectures,” said Murata. “In addition to my SMEE participation, I took care of post-op patients after they underwent surgery aboard Mercy.”

The JGSDF nurse expounded on the significant role SMEEs play in growing professional competencies.

“We learn a lot about each another’s approaches through educating one other,” said Murata. “Another benefit of exchanging medical techniques is that we are able to review and update our own knowledge when we lecture to others. It helps us improve our own skills”

For Yamazaki, who volunteered to join the mission, the Pacific Partnership 2022 experience is a wish granted.

“For me, sharing my knowledge about head and neck surgery and airway management with our partners is an important mission. I volunteered for PP22 because I wanted to work with medical staff from other countries and be able to experience their cultures. My dreams have come true and I am so excited and grateful to have this opportunity.”

The Pacific Partnership mission brings an enhanced capability to the Indo-Pacific in a deliberate, sustainable, and transparent way by working to improve allied and partner nation’s capabilities and interoperability.

The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) is currently underway for Pacific Partnership 2022. Now in its 17th year, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific.

(By America’s Navy Press Office)

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