U.S. to Provide $20.5M for Vietnam in 2016 to Enhance Maritime Capacity

The U.S. government will provide an assistance of $20.5 million for Vietnam in the fiscal year of 2016 to help the Southeast Asian nation enhance its maritime capacity to protect its sovereignty in the East Sea amid China’s increasing aggressiveness. With the new aid package, the U.S. will raise its military assistance to Vietnam to $40.1 million for the 2015-2016 period, the White House said in its press release on Nov. 17. In the fiscal year of 2015 which began in October, U.S. has granted an assistance of $20.5 million for the communist nation. The move is part of a series of measures by the U.S. to help Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, increase their maritime security capacity, the release states. The White House said Washington is supporting its allies and partners to respond to threats in waters off their coasts and to provide maritime security more broadly across the region. The U.S. is not only focused on boosting capabilities, but also helping its partners develop the necessary infrastructure and logistical support, strengthen institutions, and enhance practical skills to develop sustainable and capable maritime forces, it said. The program will bolster Vietnam’s maritime Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and command and control within the country’s maritime agencies. The White House said Washington will lift the ban on sales of maritime-related lethal capabilities to allow development of Vietnam’s maritime capacity and encourage interoperability with other regional forces. It will also expand bilateral training and exercises, focusing on disaster relief and humanitarian issues. The aid package that the U.S. committed for the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia, is worth $119 million in fiscal year 2015 and $140 million in fiscal year 2016. The Philippines remains the largest recipient of maritime security assistance, with a record $79 million in fiscal year 2015. The four countries have overlapping claims of sovereignty with China in the East Sea. The White House said the U.S. will remain engaged and committed to improving maritime security capabilities in Southeast Asia. Washington is working together with its allies and partners to develop the most effective mix of capabilities to provide credible maritime defenses and patrol capabilities. It will consult with our allies and partners to ascertain their needs and requirements more effectively and to explore new opportunities for maritime collaboration. Earlier this year, Louisiana-based Metal Shark Aluminum Boats signed a contract with the U.S.’s Defense Department to build patrol boats for the Vietnam Coast Guard, according to the U.S. news agency Associated Press. The construction was scheduled to start in July. However, the value of the contract nor the number of the boats were disclosed. (Thanh Nien – Young People Nov 18, www.whitehouse.gov Nov 17)