Vietnam’s Military Diplomacy

Professor Carlyle A. Thayer

Australian Defence Force Academy
Director, UNSW Defence Studies Forum
October 20, 2004
Vietnam’s Military Diplomacy

Presentation to
l'École des hautes études en sciences sociales
et le Groupe de recherches sur le Viet Nam
contemporain du Centre d’ études et de
recherches internationales, SciencesPo
Paris, October 20, 2004
 Overview

1.  Theoretical context

2.  Background 1986-94
3.  Defence diplomacy 1995-04
4.  Force Modernization
5.  Military Capabilities
6.  Conclusion
 Theoretical Context

•  The Rise of China

•  Balancing
•  Bandwagoning
•  Hierarchy
•  Regional identity
•  Neglect of the military dimension
 Background 1986-94

•  Strategic Reorientation
–  withdrawal from Cambodia and Laos
•  Massive demobilisaton
•  Cuts in defence expenditure
•  Reform of Military-Owned Enterprises
•  Collapse of the Soviet Union
President Clinton in Hanoi
November 1998
 Military Diplomacy

•  Defence Ministry external relations

•  High-level exchanges
•  Exchange of Defence Attaches
•  Goodwill visits
•  Staff College/Institute exchanges
•  Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
•  Defence Cooperation Agreements
•  Multilateral activities
 Other Military Diplomacy

•  Part of civilian-led delegations

–  President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister
–  Senior official (deputy minister) with
responsibility for defence/security matters
•  Legislative committees with defence
oversight
•  Veterans groups
 Military Diplomacy

•  Cold War military relations

–  Laos, Cambodia, Warsaw Pact, Cuba, India,
Indonesia, Albania, Yugoslavia…
•  In 2004 Ministry of National Defence has
relations with more than sixty countries
•  33 Defence Attaches accredited to Vietnam
•  22 Vietnamese Defence Attaches posted
abroad
 Military Diplomacy

•  Goodwill exchanges of delegations

–  External Relations Department
–  Song and Dance Ensemble
•  Naval warship port calls
–  Australia, Canada, China, France, India,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New
Zealand, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, United
Kingdom, United States
 USS Vandegrift in Saigon

November
2003
USS Vandegrift in Saigon Port
 High-Level Exchanges

•  Ministerial level
•  Chief of the General Staff
•  Political General Department
•  Logistics Department
•  Service Chiefs
•  Other Ranking General Officers
•  Military Region Commanders
•  Provincial Military Commanders
Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Pham Van Tra and
Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen
Hanoi, March 13, 2000
 Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and
Minister of National Defense Senior Gen. Pham Van Tra
The Pentagon, November. 10, 2003
 US CINCPAC Admiral Dennis Blair meets
Generals Vo Nguyen Giap and Pham Van Tra

January 2002 (January 2001 visit

cancelled by Vietnam at last minute)
 Military Diplomacy: MOUs

•  Annual work plans

–  exchange of visits, training, strategic dialogue, etc.
•  Address specific bilateral issues
–  Border security (land and maritime)
–  MIA repatriation; Cam Ranh Bay
•  Combined military activities
–  Medical research
–  Search and Rescue
–  Joint naval patrols
 Defence Industry Contracts

•  Russia
–  Mikoyan
•  Refurbish Mig-21s
–  Severnoye Design Bureau- Ba Son Shipyard
•  Fast attack craft missile
–  Progress Aviation Association and Raduga Technology
Development Design Bureau
•  Special naval apparatus
–  IAPO aircraft manufacturer in Irkutsk
•  Sukhoi Su-27s
 Defence Industry Contracts

•  India
–  Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
•  Overhaul MiG-21 engines
•  Singapore
–  joint venture Keppel Corp-Ba Son Shipyard
•  Israel (under consideration)
–  Israel Aircraft Industries and Elbit
•  MiG-21 refurbishment
Defence Cooperation Agreements

•  Treaty of Friendship with Laos (1977)

–  2002 extension
•  ‘Strategic Partnership’ with Russia (1994)
–  Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation (1978)
•  India Defence Cooperation Agreement (1994)
–  COIN and jungle warfare
•  Australia Defence Cooperation Programme
 Multilateral Activities

•  ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) - 1994

–  Inter-Sessional Group CBMs (1996)
–  Defence officials (July 1997)
•  ASEAN
–  ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet (14th meeting 2004)
–  Association of War Veterans of ASEAN (10th meeting
2003)
–  ASEAN armies football and volleyball tournament
–  Chiefs of Army Multilateral Meeting (5th meeting 2004)
–  ASEAN Air Force Commanders (1st meeting 2004)
 Multilateral Activities

•  Chemical Weapons Regional Initiative (1992)

•  Western Pacific Naval Symposum Workshop (1995)
•  Asia-Pacific Security Dialogue (Thailand 1996)
•  Forum for Defence Authorities in the Asia-Pacific
Region (Tokyo 1996)
•  Singapore Naval Conference (May 1997)
•  Cobra Gold Exercise (observer 2003)
•  Asia Pacific Chiefs of Defence Meeting (2003)
•  Shangri-la Process (began 2002)
 Modernisation

•  Spare parts acquisition

•  Storage, repair and maintenance
•  Refurbishment
•  Upgrade
•  Co-production/joint ventures
•  Technical training
•  New capabilities aquisition
Defence Expenditure as a Percentage of
Total Government Expenditure
Government Defence Expenditure
 Military Capability

•  Air Capabilities
– Air Defence - MiG-21, SA-2/3 SAMs
•  AA-2/8/10 air to air missiles
– Long Range Strike - Su-27, SCUD B
– Close Air Support - 53 Su-22M series
– Transport - An-2, An-26, Yak-40
124 MiG-21s Fishbed
Su-27 Flanker
Su-30
 Force Modernisation

12 Su-27 Flanker Su-30 Fulcrum

upgrades in progress 12 on order
 Military Capability

•  Maritime Capabilities
–  Maritime Patrol - 48 assorted vessels
–  Anti-Surface Warfare - 13 ships with SSMs
–  Maritime Land Strike - no real capability
–  Anti-Submarine Warfare - no real capability
–  Maritime Air Defence - no ability to coordinate
–  Amphibious Lodgment/Marine Forces
–  Mine Warfare - 10 assorted vessels
Naval Force Modernisation

Tarantul class missile boats

Force Modernisation

Styx Missile

Sunburn
missile
 Military Capability

•  Land Capabilities
–  Infantry Forces - 58 Inf Divisions
–  Combined Arms Ground Forces
•  3 Mech Inf and 10 Armoured Div, 10 Arty Bde,
–  Special Forces
–  Land Force C3I (Command, Control,
Communications and Intelligence)
–  Reserves
 T-54 Main Battle Tank
[850 T-54/55 and 350 Chinese Type-59 Main Battle Tanks]
 Military Capability

•  Other Capabilities
–  Ballistic missiles
–  Chemical and Biological
•  suspected Saren and mustard gas (1991)
–  Information or Knowledge Warfare
•  SIGINT
–  Nuclear (none)
Scud SRBM
 Force Modernisation

Sold by
North Korea

Scud B/C ballistic missiles

est. <50 Scud B/C
Deterrence
capability in
South
China Sea
 Conclusion

•  Military as domestic political actor

–  Changing civil-military relations
•  Priority on naval and air modernisation
–  South China Sea contingencies
•  Relations with Major Powers
–  Neither balancing, bandwagoning or hierarchy
–  Combination of all of the above
•  Military diplomacy and national identity
Vietnam’s Military Diplomacy

Discussion
Questions and Answers