After nearly a decade of suspended military cooperation, Cambodia and the United States are set to restart formal joint military exercises in early 2025, according to an official announcement published Friday on the Royal Cambodian Army’s Facebook page. The planned drill, named Exercise Angkor Sentinel 2025, will be held in February, marking a key milestone in efforts to repair strained bilateral ties that have been fractured since Cambodia halted all joint U.S. military exercises in 2017.
This breakthrough follows a series of high-level diplomatic and defense meetings between senior officials from both nations over recent months, held with the explicit goal of bridging longstanding divides. One of the most significant points of tension has been Washington’s long-held concerns over Cambodia’s deepening economic and political partnership with China, particularly surrounding Chinese development of a major Cambodian navy base on the Gulf of Thailand. U.S. officials have repeatedly raised suspicions that Beijing secured secret, exclusive military access to the upgraded facility, claims Cambodian authorities have consistently and categorically denied.
Beyond the base dispute, the U.S. has also openly criticized Cambodia’s human rights record, pointing to ongoing government crackdowns on political opposition and dissenting voices, carried out largely through court proceedings that independent human rights organizations argue are controlled by Prime Minister Hun Manet’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party.
Diplomatic momentum for a reset picked up noticeably in August, when Hun Manet held formal defense-focused talks with Elbridge A. Colby, the third-highest-ranking official at the U.S. Department of Defense. During that meeting, Hun Manet expressed public satisfaction with the “positive momentum in Cambodia–U.S. relations” and welcomed the progress made in preparing for the revival of the Angkor Sentinel exercise series, as well as continued U.S. support for capacity building for Cambodian armed forces.
“Joint exercises and training do not only build military capability,” Hun Manet stressed during the talks. “They also serve as a vital bridge to foster close friendship between the armed forces of both countries.”
In a separate high-level meeting also held in August, U.S. Navy Adm. Steve Koehler, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, held discussions with Cambodian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Gen. Vong Pisen. The pair confirmed plans to restart a separate bilateral maritime exercise that was also suspended alongside land-based drills in 2017.
In its official announcement Friday, the Royal Cambodian Army said the upcoming Exercise Angkor Sentinel 2025 is designed to boost interoperability between the two militaries and strengthen shared disaster response capabilities. The drill “reflects renewed momentum in Cambodia–U.S. military cooperation and a shared commitment to strengthening defense cooperation,” the statement added. Analysts view the resumption of exercises as a sign of incremental progress in easing tensions, even as core disagreements over Cambodia’s relationship with China and domestic policy remain unresolved.