US admiral emphasizes Vietnam’s importance in Southeast Asia

Vietnam Coast ship CSB 8021

Admiral Karl L. Schultz, Commander of the US Coast Guard, on July 29 in an online press conference spoke to the press about the US’s support for the Vietnam Coast Guard.

The Zing newspaper network quoted Admiral Karl L. Schultz’s reply to this newspaper when answering a question about what it means for the US-aided Coast Guard ship CBS 8021 to have just arrived in Vietnam in the bilateral relationship, Admiral Karl L. Schultz said that the US-aided Coast Guard ship will play a role in strengthening the capacity of the Vietnam Coast Guard.

Admiral Karl L. Schultz said he had met several Vietnamese leaders and received a commitment to use the US-aided ships in accordance with national security interests and Vietnam’s interests in the region. He expressed his belief that Vietnam will continue to be an important partner in the region of the US Coast Guard. He said he was eager to see how Vietnam used the ships that the US aided against threats in the region.

The US Coast Guard ship CSB 8021 has arrived in Vietnam according to the announcement from the US Embassy in Vietnam over the weekend.

A post on the Facebook page of the US Embassy in Vietnam said that the Coast Guard ship CSB 8021, formerly known as USCGC John Midgett, and its crew had just landed safely in Vietnam. However, the Embassy did not specifically mention when the ship arrived.

CSB 8021 is a large Hamilton-class patrol boat with a tonnage of more than 3,000 tons, 115m long, and can do 45-day continuous duty at sea with a range of 20,000 km. The ship is equipped with many weapons and sensors, but most of the radar system and equipment has been removed before being transferred to the Vietnam Coast Guard, leaving only the 76mm Otobreda cannon in front of the nose.

This is the second large Hamilton-class patrol boat given to Vietnam by the US after the Morgenthau was handed over in 2017. The CSB 8021 ship left the US to Vietnam from June 1, 2021.

Thoibao.de (Translated)

Source: https://www.rfa.org/vietnamese/news/vietnamnews/us-admiral-karl-schultz-emphasizes-vn-a-regional-importance-07292021080654.html