This is the first time the Vietnam People's Navy sends force to the biennial exercise, which is hosted by Australia. The port call this time is expected to promote the cooperation between the two navies in particular and the two militaries in general.
Ahead of the visit, the People’s Army Newspaper’s reporter had an interview with Australian Defense Attaché to Vietnam, Group Captain Mick Jansen. Below is the full content of the interview.
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Ship 18 of Brigade 171, Naval Region 2, the Vietnam People's Navy (Photo: thanhnien.vn) |
Reporter: This is the first time a Vietnamese naval ship visits Australia. Could you please tell us about the significance of the visit?
Australian Defense Attaché to Vietnam, Group Captain Mick Jansen: I think this is a really exciting development for the Australia-Vietnam military relationship.
The fact that we, for the first time, will be hosting a Vietnamese naval ship in Australia is a very big event for both sides. For Vietnam, it is a voyage to a new area, to a new part of the world and with new procedures. For Australia, it's about what we learn, how we can work with Vietnam to really make sure that we can work with your ships and we can work together in a really effective way. So I think it's an incredibly significant achievement. I just want to thank the leadership of the Vietnamese Navy and the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) for the work they've put into, really making this happen.
Reporter: Australia has been working with Vietnam in defense cooperation and many Vietnamese officers have been trained in Australia. Can you tell us more about what the two militaries have been working with each other over the years?
Australian Defense Attaché to Vietnam, Group Captain Mick Jansen: We've had our defense cooperation now for over 25 years and it is something that we're very proud of. We now have over 4,000 officers from the VPA who have graduated from some kind of Australian training.
I think it's probably right to say that they're all very high-quality officers who have really done fantastic work both in Australia and also when they come back to Vietnam. So what we’re very proud of is seeing those alumni as they move up the system and really help to grow the relationship between our two countries.
We have come from a place of just doing English language training when we first started and now we continue with English language training. We’re really doing some real practical and exciting experiences when we work with the peacekeepers, when we work with the army, when we work with your schools and we're really doing a lot of work that is practical and important to help Australia and Vietnam understand each other as well as really looking for ways to improve and learn from each other as we go along. So I think it's all been incredibly important stuff and we're really excited about the things that are coming up.
Reporter: We're looking forward to the future when the two countries have just upgraded the relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP). What about defense cooperation? Will it be upgraded as well? Can you tell us more about that?
Australian Defense Attaché to Vietnam, Group Captain Mick Jansen: I think it's been great that in March this year, our two Prime Ministers agreed to establish the CSP between our two nations and what they did is I think it sent a signal out both to Australia and to Vietnam that we can work together, that we can really do more together; it's okay to consider doing new and exciting things with each other because we are at the highest level of diplomatic relationship.
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Australian Defense Attaché to Vietnam, Group Captain Mick Jansen (Photo: baoquocte.vn) |
Straight after the CSP was signed, actually the military was the first organization that then signed a follow-on agreement to actually look at implementing the partnership when the peacekeeping partnership arrangement was signed by Sr. Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien and our Assistant Minister. That's really opened the door to looking at what can we do more in working with peacekeeping in particular and making sure that we're not just, I guess, giving training, but we're actually learning from each other. Vietnam is now been doing peacekeeping for seven years or so in South Sudan.
You've actually got more recent experience in peacekeeping than Australia, so I think we're at the point now where we are providing some technical training. We're actually learning a lot from those really incredible officers that you have sent into South Sudan. We're learning a lot from them as to what it's like on the ground and how they used the training that we've given, how do we have to change it, how do we need to actually bring that back in.
We did some aero-medical evacuation training earlier this year and it was probably the first time we had a half-half balance between the trainers. We had both Australian trainers and Vietnamese trainers who conducted the training together. And I know that our team learnt a lot from the practical knowledge that your trainers gave to the students about what it was actually like to work in South Sudan and how you actually do this kind of activities.
Those practical exchanges are increasing. We've now got the permission provided the CSP and other agreements from our senior leadership to expand into other areas. Navy and air force cooperation is just some examples of what that might be and Ship 18 going to Darwin is the perfect example of that we're now able to do things that perhaps we couldn't have considered before.
Reporter: Back to the ship visit, what will you say if you have something to say to the officers and sailors on the ship coming to Australia?
Australian Defense Attaché to Vietnam, Group Captain Mick Jansen: I think I would just say welcome to Australia. It is going to be a really exciting time because they’re gonna be seeing things and doing things that you won't be possible here in Vietnam. Whether that's seeing kangaroos or feeding crocodiles. I think they'll find Darwin and Australia to be a really welcoming and friendly place. It's a new part of the country. It's just such a new and vibrant and exciting city that really has a lot of potential, so I'm sure that the 120 officers from the Vietnamese Navy will have an absolute ball. And we really look forward to welcoming them to Darwin and to Australia on what is really a historic occasion.
Reported by Ngoc Hung
Edited by Mai Hương