A little more than a year after Vietnam and the US elevated their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), defence ties between the two countries are on the rise, with high value military purchases reportedly in the offing.
Hanoi and Washington have reportedly held talks on the sale of second-hand Lockheed Martin’s F-16 fighter jets and C-130 transport aircraft. The sale of C-130s was discussed when Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with Vietnamese Défence Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang at the Pentagon in September, a year after President Joe Biden travelled to Hanoi, Vietnam.
Ever since the US lifted its embargo on lethal arms sales to Vietnam in 2016, it has provided security assistance under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programme, besides approving defence exports to Vietnam under direct commercial sales. According to the US, it authorized US$29.8 million in defence articles to Vietnam via direct commercial sales in from 2016 to 2021. The defence department also had more than US$118 million in active foreign military sales to Vietnam.The military purchases so far have been limited to non-combat equipment such as reconnaissance drones, small patrol boats and training aircraft. The discussions over the possible sale of F-16 fighter jets offers proof that the two countries are poised to take defence ties to the next level.
In November this year, U.S. Air Force Gen. Kevin Schneider, Pacific Air Forces commander, was present as the first three T-6C Texan IIs to the Vietnam Air Defence air force. The other nine T-6Cs will be delivered next year. The next-generation military trainer designed to prepare pilots for a wide range of missions. The Vietnam ADAF will incorporate the T-6Cs into its pilot training program at Phan Thiet Air Base.
The enhancement of defence ties between Vietnam and the US assumes importance in view of rising tensions in the South China Sea. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Vietnam’s arms imports from 1995 to 2022 amounted to US$9.162 billion, of which Russia accounted for US$7.471 billion (81.5%). In the changed geopolitical landscape, Hanoi has been intent on diversifying its arms imports and is looking at countries like the US and South Korea for arms.
Flourishing Ties
Even as the US tries to step up defence ties with its allies in the Asia Pacific to thwart attempts by China to impose its military dominance in the region, China and Vietnam have been getting increasingly cozy in their relationship. In October this year, General Zhang Youxia, vice-chairman of China’s Central Military Commission, travelled to Vietnam and met President Luong Cuong and Vietnam’s Communist Party leader To Lam. According to a statement released by China’s defence ministry, Zhang expressed Beijing’s willingness to deepen relations with Hanoi, including the promotion of a healthy and stable development of military relations. The two countries have also signed preliminary agreements as part of their decision to boost security and defence industry ties. The presence of Chinese defence companies at the ongoing fair is a sign of the growing relationship between the two countries; Chinese gear was not on display at the 2022 exposition.
Although US-made arms are in high demand for their quality and long shelf life, defence analysts do not expect Vietnam to sign any major defence contract with Washington in the near future. They cite three major reasons – high price of US-manufactured equipment, the fact that US arms are not interoperable with Russian supplied equipment, and the lengthy approval process for military sales in the US that involves getting the nod from the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department and Congress. Any major arms deal with the US will also adversely impact Vietnam’s growing relationship with China.
Advantage South Korea?
With Russia’s arms exports taking a hit because of the ongoing conflict with Ukraine and Vietnam likely to choose an equidistance policy with regards to its defence ties with the US and China, the door is open for other arms suppliers to step in and fill the gap. Although defence firms in European countries are keen to sell weapons to Vietnam, the country is likely to instead turns towards South Korea, which has emerged in recent years as a major arms supplier.
In addition to South Korean defence equipment being technologically advanced and less expensive compared to its Western equivalents, the country has earned a reputation for manufacturing defence equipment quicker than most other countries. Another factor that works in favour of South Korea is that it is willing to transfer technology, thus giving a fillip to Vietnam’s plans to develop an indigenous defence industry.
In 2023, South Korea achieved a major milestone by becoming one of the top 10 arms exporters in the world, selling US$14 billion worth of defence technology to 12 countries. Its defence firms now sell products to customers in multiple regions, from Australia to countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The types of weapons systems exported, which includes tanks, howitzers, warplanes, Multiple Rocket Launcher Systems, armoured vehicles, and offshore patrol vessels, doubled from 6 to 12 in 2023. The country, which ranked 31st among arms suppliers in 2000, has now set itself an even more ambitious goal of becoming the world’s fourth-largest arms exporter by 2027.
“Maritime security and air defence is where Vietnam has the biggest need, but I would expect Vietnam would start with maritime security first, as this dovetails with U.S. expectations,” says Alexander Vuving, professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii.
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