U.S. Base at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam: Will it Strengthen PACOM's Efforts to Contain PRC Expansion in Southeast Asia

摘要

Establishing a base at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam can provide a strategic point from which to counter PRC expansion outside the South China Sea. As a common base between the United States, ASEAN, and India, Cam Ranh Bay could be leveraged by PACOM for multiple uses. Providing a home for quick response forces for regional security and for a centralized HADR capability for the region would be but a few uses of such a base. Cam Ranh Bay requires an overhaul, but would cost only a fraction of what it would take to build a base from the ground up. The United States has the resources to refurbish the base, but needs to take advantage of the opportunity before another regional player steps in.