US naval official praises Vietnam’s professionalism at US-ASEAN maritime exercise
Wednesday, September 04, 2019, 12:20 GMT+7
A United States high-ranking naval official has lauded the professionalism and contributions of Vietnam in preparing for and participating in the first-ever maritime exercise between the U.S. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
According to Rear Admiral Joey Tynch, Vietnam has made active and professional contributions to the ASEAN-U.S. Maritime Exercise (AUMX), which runs from September 2 to 6.
The event is joined by more than 1,200 soldiers, eight battleships, and four helicopters from the United States and ten member countries of ASEAN, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The U.S. has dispatched Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Montgomery and guided missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer to the joint exercise.
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| Guard ship No.18 of the Vietnam People’s Navy. Photo: VOV |
The Vietnam People’s Navy sent guard ship No. 18 of Brigade 171, which is under the management of the 2nd Regional Command, according to the Vietnam Television.
Rear Admiral Tynch considered Vietnam as an important partner and member of the AUMX, adding he was happy that the Southeast Asian country has attended the event.
Over the past year, Vietnam has made great contributions to the preparations for the joint exercise, he added.
The U.S. official recalled his trip to the south-central province of Phu Yen to take part in the 19th Pacific Partnership program in May, when he was impressed by the professionalism of the Vietnamese delegation.
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| Rear Admiral Joey Tynch. Photo: U.S. Department of Defense |
Such professionalism is much more impressive during the country’s participation in the AUMX, he stated.
Rear Admiral Tynch hoped that all 11 nations would achieve practical benefits following the joint naval exercise, adding that no country is able to deal with maritime security challenges alone.
The idea of the AUMX was brought up during the ASEAN Defense Minister's Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in 2017 and was confirmed during the ASEAN Defense Minister's Meeting (ADMM) in October 2018.
This is the first joint naval exercise between Washington and ASEAN, which takes place off Thailand’s Chonburi Province and Vietnam’s Ca Mau Province.
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