Vietnam, US hold defence dialogue following easing of sanctions

Jon Grevatt, Bangkok - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

Vietnam and the United States have held their first defence policy dialogue since Washington announced the easing of its long-standing military sales ban on the country in early October.

A statement by the Vietnam Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 21 October said the latest defence policy meeting, held in Hanoi, focused on consolidating bilateral defence and military co-operation in activities such as search and rescue, military medicine, UN peacekeeping missions, and military training.

The MoD did not refer to potential military trade between the two countries, but instead noted that the defence policy dialogue - chaired by Vietnam's Deputy Defence Minister, Nguyen Chi Vinh, and Amy Searight, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia - also covered discussion about the "direction of defence co-operation in the future". It noted that such collaboration would be geared towards "contributing to regional stability".

This reference is notable given that the partial lifting of the military sales ban facilitates only maritime-related defence equipment that will enable Vietnam to bolster security across its exclusive economic zone. In terms of sales, Vietnam has previously expressed interest in acquiring the Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft and Raytheon coastal radar systems. It is also possible that Vietnam will pursue the purchase of ex-US Navy or Coast Guard vessels.

Should Vietnam register formal interest in procuring such platforms, it will be done through the defence policy dialogue, which was established in 2010 and has emerged as the key defence forum between the two countries.

The "partial lifting" of the US military sales ban on Vietnam was announced on 2 October. The decision enables the US to sell both lethal and non-lethal military equipment to Vietnam in line with Hanoi's efforts to enhance offshore surveillance and security. The sales ban was introduced in 1975 but was eased in 2007 to allow sales of non-lethal items.

Any Vietnamese effort to procure US military systems would be supported by increased US military aid available to Vietnam through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) mechanism. US State Department figures show that Vietnam's FMF allocation has increased from USD500,000 in 2009 to USD10 million in 2014.