US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Sunday a former port used by US forces in the Vietnam War could play a pivotal role in the American military’s shift towards the Asia-Pacific.
Panetta’s visit to Cam Ranh Bay was the first by a Pentagon chief since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, and the highly symbolic trip reflected Washington’s efforts to deepen ties with its former enemy as it seeks to counter China’s growing power.
“Access for US naval ships into this facility is a key component of this relationship and we see a tremendous potential here,” he told reporters on the deck of the USNS Richard E. Byrd, an American naval cargo ship currently at the port. With new plans to shift the majority of the US naval fleet to the Pacific by 2020, Panetta described the deep-water harbour as strategically vital. “It will be particularly important to be able to work with partners like Vietnam, to be able to use harbours like this, as we move our ships from our ports on the West Coast, (and) our stations here in the Pacific,” he said. Cam Rahn Bay is one the region’s best natural harbours and the United States sees it an ideal spot to bolster an American naval presence in the contested South China Sea. Vietnam recently started allowing foreign navies, including the United States, to use Cam Rahn Bay to resupply and undergo repairs. But the number of visits per year is restricted, and US commanders would like to have expanded access to the harbour, possibly including warships, analysts say.
US sees strategic role for Vietnam’s southern port
