{
  "id": 858120,
  "title": "Cambodia to resume military drills with US next year",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/cambodia-to-resume-military-drills-with-us-next-year",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-14T09:58:40.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/08/14/cambodia-to-resume-military-drills-with-us-next-year"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Cambodia and the United States will resume military drills next year after a decade-long hiatus, Prime Minister Hun Manet announced on Friday. The decision comes following a meeting between Hun Manet and Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's top policy official, in Phnom Penh. The resumption of the joint exercises, known as Angkor Sentinel, is intended to strengthen the bond between the armies of the two nations, according to a Facebook post by Hun Manet.\n\nThe US and Cambodia last conducted joint military exercises for seven years until Phnom Penh suspended them in early 2017, just months after initiating their first Golden Dragon drills with Chinese military. China and Cambodia recently held their largest joint military exercises to date, incorporating advanced Chinese weaponry, including artillery, warships, and even robot battle dogs.\n\nPhnom Penh has been one of China's closest allies in Southeast Asia, receiving substantial investments. Recently, the US has expressed concerns over the Chinese-funded renovation of Cambodia's Ream Naval Base, situated off the country's southern coast in the Gulf of Thailand. Washington argues that the base, partly funded by the US, could grant China a strategic advantage near the disputed South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost entirely.\n\nDespite these tensions, US officials remain optimistic. During an online briefing with journalists, Colby expressed the United States' eagerness to expand the defense partnership with Cambodia in a pragmatic manner, aimed at safeguarding the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty.",
  "summary": "Phnom Penh had scrapped military exercises with the US in early 2017, months after holding its first Golden Dragon drills with China.",
  "key_points": [
    "Cambodia and US to resume military drills next year",
    "Angkor Sentinel exercises aim to strengthen bond",
    "US concerned about China's naval base renovation"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The resumption of joint military drills between Cambodia and the US signals a shift in Cambodia's defense engagement, potentially balancing its strong ties with China with renewed cooperation with the US.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Cambodia to resume military drills with US next year",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/cambodia-to-resume-military-drills-with-us-next-year-863214",
        "published": "2026-08-14T09:58:40.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}