The United States is preparing for a landmark visit by its Secretary of Defense to Cambodia in August 2025, during which a US Navy warship is expected to dock at the Ream Naval Base for the first time.
In a statement released on June 26 by the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, it was confirmed that Andrew Byers, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia, will travel to Cambodia to meet with senior officials from the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These meetings will lay the groundwork for the upcoming official visit of the US Secretary of Defense.
During his discussions with Cambodian counterparts, Andrew Byers highlighted plans for the high-level visit, which is scheduled to take place in August 2025. He noted that, as part of the visit, a US Navy ship will make a port call at Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, marking the first such visit by an American naval vessel to the facility.
Since the formal inauguration of Ream Naval Base in early April 2025, Cambodia has allowed multiple foreign warships to dock at the facility. These include vessels from Japan, Vietnam, Russia and China.
The anticipated arrival of a US warship comes amid ongoing international scrutiny over the strategic use of the Ream base. In July 2019, US newspaper The Wall Street Journal reported that Cambodia and China had signed a secret military agreement. Citing anonymous sources, the report alleged that the deal granted China exclusive access to the naval base for a period of 30 years, with the option to renew every 10 years.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that the agreement permitted China to station military personnel, store weapons and allow Chinese warships to dock at the base.
The Cambodian government has repeatedly denied the existence of any exclusive agreement with China, insisting that the base is open to all nations and is part of the country’s effort to modernize its naval capabilities.
