Thai military clarifies US warship call at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base
For Thailand, the event has no immediate direct security or military impact, but it highlights that Cambodia's military role is under international scrutiny.
- A Thai Air Force official clarified the US warship's visit as routine "naval diplomacy," not an indication of a formal alliance or a permanent US base.
- The visit is seen as a symbolic message that Cambodia remains open to multiple partners and a strategic signal of continued US engagement in the Indo-Pacific.
- The official stressed the port call should not be interpreted as a shift in alliances or a significant military escalation, but as practical diplomacy to maintain communication.
- From Thailand's perspective, the event has no immediate direct security impact but underscores the international scrutiny on Cambodia's military activities.
ACM Prapas Sonjaidee, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF), addressed public questions on Thursday (January 29) about a US warship’s visit to Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base and its potential diplomatic and regional security implications.
He described the call as “naval diplomacy”, a routine feature of international relations, rather than a sign of a formal alliance or a permanent US base.
International politics
The visit carried significance at three levels:
Symbolic message
It suggests Cambodia remains open to engagement with multiple partners, and may help counter perceptions that Ream Naval Base is aligned with a single major power.
Strategic signal
The US is showing it remains engaged and attentive to Indo-Pacific developments, balancing influence without openly escalating tensions.
Bilateral contact
The visit offers a channel to maintain or restore military–diplomatic communication, supporting basic confidence-building between the two sides.
However, he stressed the port call should not be read as US “recognition” of Ream Naval Base in any legal or strategic sense. Instead, he said it should be viewed as practical diplomacy, keeping channels open and observing developments on the ground.
From an ASEAN perspective, the episode reflects Cambodia’s effort to project neutrality and avoid clearly choosing sides, while major-power competition continues within limits that do not unduly raise regional tensions. ASEAN, meanwhile, continues to serve as a neutral diplomatic platform.
For Thailand, there is no immediate direct security or military impact. More broadly, the episode underscores that Cambodia’s military role and footprint remain under international scrutiny, which could indirectly increase pressure on all parties to act with caution, transparency and in line with international law.
Overall, the US visit to Ream should be seen as symbolic military diplomacy within a balance-management framework, not a shift in alliances and not a significant escalation of the military situation.
