Nearly 20 Royal Cambodian Armed Forces officers have been promoted to brigadier general, a move a military expert said would help ensure the army’s loyalty to the government.
According to a decree signed by King Norodom Sihamoni last week, one brigadier general was elevated to the rank of major general and 17 colonels were made brigadier generals.
In February, 434 colonels were promoted to brigadier general while four navy captains were made commodores.
One of the 17 officers promoted this month, Colonel Pou Davy, deputy commander of Phnom Penh’s municipal military police, said on Wednesday that he felt delighted.
“This is a decision made by our superiors,” he said.
Defense Ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat could not be reached on Wednesday.
Carl Thayer, an emeritus professor at the Australian Defense Force Academy in Canberra, said promoting officers was a way to safeguard the military’s loyalty to the government.
Swelling the ranks of senior officers “doesn’t contribute positively to the professionalism of defending the country,” Mr. Thayer said.
