--- title: "Cambodia to Resume Joint Military Exercises with US" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/cambodia-to-resume-joint-military-exercises-with-us" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/cambodia-to-resume-joint-military-exercises-with-us" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/conflict/cambodia-to-resume-joint-military-exercises-with-us.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/cambodia-to-resume-joint-military-exercises-with-us" category: "Conflict & Security" area: "Asia-Pacific" published: "2026-09-04T20:46:04.786Z" source_reported: "2026-09-04T18:51:39.000Z" updated: "2026-09-04T20:46:04.786Z" trust_score: 70 critic_score: 75 hype_score: 10 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-04T20:45:16.809237+00:00" --- # 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.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 70 of 100, higher is better. Two full reports and 8 digests corroborate the central claim, with specific details attributed to the Royal Cambodian Army. - Craft 75 of 100, higher is better. The reporting clearly separates facts from comment and provides context for the decision to resume exercises. - Hype 10 of 100, lower is better. The language used is neutral and factual, with no sensationalism or exaggeration. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - 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. 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'. ## Who covered it Shares of the 14 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 57% (8) - Centre: 29% (4) - Right: 14% (2) 0 of 14 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-04T20:45:16.809237+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 2 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-04T21:15:38.544Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - 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 - 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 - 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. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 2 - high: 9 - veryHigh: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Hindustan Times](https://hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/cambodias-army-to-resume-joint-military-exercises-with-the-us-next-year-101788547899554.html) — Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/cambodia-phnom-penh-facebook-china-washington-b3045018.html) — Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year - [The Independent (US)](https://the-independent.com/news/cambodia-phnom-penh-facebook-china-washington-b3045018.html) — Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year - [My Mother Lode](https://mymotherlode.com/news/asia/11115649/cambodias-army-to-resume-joint-military-exercises-with-the-us-next-year.html) — Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year - [The Washington Post](https://washingtonpost.com/world/2026/09/04/cambodia-us-military-exercise-china-manet-colby/f999c270-a866-11f1-9e38-f705d048bd5a_story.html) — Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year - [The Seattle Times](https://seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/cambodias-army-to-resume-joint-military-exercises-with-the-us-next-year) — Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year - [Newsday](https://newsday.com/news/nation/cambodia-us-military-exercise-china-manet-colby-p42019) — Cambodia's army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year - [Associated Press News](https://apnews.com/article/cambodia-us-military-exercise-china-manet-colby-bffea503a189e25ee1d01d4a5764ee0a) — Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year - [abc News](https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/cambodias-army-resume-joint-military-exercises-us-year-136202268) — Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year - [The Messenger](https://the-messenger.com/news/world/article_ae10e669-eac6-5289-a34c-ed8d3feb5ad8.html) — Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year - [The Batesville Daily Guard](https://guardonline.com/news/world/cambodia-s-army-to-resume-joint-military-exercises-with-the-us-next-year/article_3b703927-d5d1-56e7-830a-0a52b8c2efab.html) — Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year - [The Hamilton Spectator](https://thespec.com/news/world/asia/cambodia-s-army-to-resume-joint-military-exercises-with-the-us-next-year/article_e3400641-40a6-5b58-a2ca-afa7ec4f8128.html) — Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year - [The Record](https://therecord.com/news/world/asia/cambodia-s-army-to-resume-joint-military-exercises-with-the-us-next-year/article_14ffd9c2-356e-5982-b74b-fdddaf987dbe.html) — Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/world/2026/09/04/cambodias-army-to-resume-joint-military-exercises-with-the-us-next-year) — Cambodia’s army to resume joint military exercises with the US next year ## Questions **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. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/conflict/cambodia-to-resume-joint-military-exercises-with-us. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Cambodia to Resume Joint Military Exercises with US", https://mediabias.news/conflict/cambodia-to-resume-joint-military-exercises-with-us