Cambodia to Resume Joint Military Exercises with US
Drills, suspended in 2017, will restart early next year amid US concerns over Cambodia's China ties.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
The U.S. warship USS Cincinnati docks upon arrival at Ream Naval Base in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File)
Photograph: Associated Press News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Cambodia's army will restart joint military exercises with the United States in February next year.
- The exercises, named 'Exercise Angkor Sentinel 2027,' were suspended in 2017.
- The resumption follows recent meetings between defence officials from both countries.
- The United States has expressed concerns about Cambodia's close ties with China and its human rights record.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 14 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
70/100
Craft
75/100
Hype
10/100
14 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 2 of the 14 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Cambodia's army announced on Friday that it will resume joint military exercises with the United States early next year. The drills, known as 'Exercise Angkor Sentinel 2027,' are scheduled to take place in February. These exercises had been suspended in 2017. The announcement came after several recent meetings between senior defence and other officials from both nations, aimed at improving relations.
The United States has voiced concerns regarding Cambodia's close economic and political connections with China, as well as China's military presence at a Cambodian naval base. Washington has also been critical of Cambodia's human rights record. Cambodian officials have consistently denied suspicions that China has been granted special privileges at the naval base.
Coverage comparison
The Hindustan Times and Associated Press News, which published full reports, stated the exercises aim to strengthen interoperability and disaster-response capabilities, reflecting renewed momentum in military cooperation. Both outlets noted that Cambodia halted such exercises with the U.S. in 2017. The Hindustan Times reported that Prime Minister Hun Manet held talks on 14 August with Elbridge A. Colby, Under Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of War, regarding bilateral relations and the resumption of military exercises. Associated Press News also mentioned this meeting and quoted Hun Manet saying he was satisfied with the positive momentum in Cambodia-U.S. relations.
Omissions
None of the right-rated digests mention the U.S. concerns about Cambodia's human rights record or the specific name of the joint military exercise, 'Exercise Angkor Sentinel 2027'.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 2 times, most recently on 4 Sept 2026, 21:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
8 rated outlets
- Five left-rated reports stated that Cambodia's army will resume joint military exercises with the United States early next year after a decade-long suspension. These reports included the full accounts from Associated Press News and The Independent. The Associated Press report noted that the announcement came after recent meetings of top defence officials and mentioned Washington's concerns about Cambodia's close economic and political ties with China, as well as its human rights record. The Independent's digest also mentioned the suspension and recent meetings.
Centre
4 rated outlets
- Three centre-rated reports, including a full report from The Hindustan Times, stated that Cambodia's army will resume joint military exercises with the United States early next year after they had been suspended for almost a decade. The Hindustan Times report detailed recent meetings between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and U.S. officials, including Elbridge A. Colby, and noted U.S. concerns about China's military presence at a Cambodian navy base and Cambodia's human rights record. Newsday and My Mother Lode digests also reported the resumption of exercises and the suspension.
Right
2 rated outlets
- Two right-rated reports, The Messenger and The Batesville Daily Guard, stated that Cambodia's army says it will resume joint military exercises with the United States early next year after a decade-long suspension. Both digests noted the announcement followed recent meetings between senior officials from both countries aimed at improving relations and that Cambodia halted such exercises in 2017.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Cambodia to Resume Joint Military Exercises with US?
- Of the 14 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 57% are rated left, 29% are rated centre, 14% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Cambodia to Resume Joint Military Exercises with US left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 14 rated outlets on this story, 57% are rated left, 29% are rated centre, 14% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Cambodia to Resume Joint Military Exercises with US biased?
- Cambodia to Resume Joint Military Exercises with US is one event reported by 14 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Cambodia to Resume Joint Military Exercises with US?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Cambodia to Resume Joint Military Exercises with US?
- 14 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- When will Cambodia and the US resume joint military exercises?
- Cambodia's army announced that joint military exercises with the United States will resume early next year, specifically in February. These drills, named 'Exercise Angkor Sentinel 2027,' were previously suspended in 2017.
- Why were the joint military exercises suspended?
- The joint military exercises between Cambodia and the United States were suspended in 2017. The resumption follows recent high-level meetings aimed at improving bilateral relations, though underlying concerns from the U.S. persist.
- What are the US concerns regarding Cambodia?
- The United States has expressed concerns about Cambodia's close economic and political ties with China, including China's military presence at a Cambodian navy base. The U.S. has also been critical of Cambodia's human rights record.
Read it at the source
14 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
8- Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year (opens The Washington Post in a new tab)
The Washington Post — is The Washington Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year (opens ABC News in a new tab)
- Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year (opens Associated Press News in a new tab)
Associated Press News — is Associated Press News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year (opens The Record in a new tab)
The Record — is The Record biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year (opens The Hamilton Spectator in a new tab)
The Hamilton Spectator — is The Hamilton Spectator biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
4- Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year (opens Hindustan Times in a new tab)
Hindustan Times — is Hindustan Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year (opens My Mother Lode in a new tab)
My Mother Lode — is My Mother Lode biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Cambodia's army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year (opens Newsday in a new tab)
- Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year (opens Winnipeg Free Press in a new tab)
Winnipeg Free Press — is Winnipeg Free Press biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
2- Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year (opens The Batesville Daily Guard in a new tab)
The Batesville Daily Guard — is The Batesville Daily Guard biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year (opens The Messenger in a new tab)
The Messenger — is The Messenger biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
