Pentagon chief pledges $18 million for Hanoi to buy patrol boats

Reuters on Yahoo ^ | 5/31/15 | David Alexander

[NormsRevenge]

HAI PHONG, Vietnam (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter pledged $18 million on Sunday to help Vietnam buy U.S. patrol boats, shortly after touring a Vietnamese coast guard vessel that was hit by a Chinese ship during a skirmish in the South China Sea.

Carter, who has been focusing on maritime security during an 11-day trip to the Asia-Pacific, visited the Vietnamese navy headquarters and coast guard headquarters before boarding the ship.

Carter is on his second visit to Asia since becoming defense secretary earlier this year. He said he planned to sign a "vision statement" on Monday with his Vietnamese counterpart to guide the expansion of bilateral military ties.

"We need to modernize our partnership," Carter told reporters during a visit to the northern city of Hai Phong. "After 20 years, there is more we could do together."

As part of that effort, he said Washington would provide $18 million to help Vietnam buy U.S.-made Metal Shark patrol boats to help Hanoi improve its maritime defense capabilities.

[a fool in paradise]

“Imperialism!!!!”

[Paulie]

I bet Hanoi Jane will be right there to embarrass the United States, as she so often did during the war. A despicable character she is.

[BuffaloJack]

Metal Shark Patrol Boats?
They’re 24 to 25 feet long and don’t look like anything that should confront the Chinese.

[easternsky]

Swift Boat Vets ping/S

[donozark]

Hi! I’m John Scary! At your service!

[fish hawk]

Viet Nam won in that country, fact. Viet Nam and China are both communist countries, fact. Why in the world are American tax dollars going to a commie country that is fighting with another communist country??? They won with their communist ideology , shouldn't they let their system work to show the world how good communism is? Why do they need help from a former Capitalistic enemy? Of course this is all just rhetoric, I know the answers.

[VerySadAmerican]

Just keep spending money we don’t have. But this time give it to the only country we ever allowed to beat us.

[Georgia Girl 2]

I remember when those Godless little Ba@$ids had plenty of patrol boats.

[tumblindice]

We borrow money from China and the interest we pay, China uses to pay for its military, so we can buy military equipment for a communist enemy of our country to use against Red China, our `most favored nation’ trading partner.
More business-as-usual Alice-in-Wonderland stuff from the Obamanites.
Carry on comrades.

[Conservative4Ever]

WHAT??? No tax dollars for this endeavor. NONE!!

[hal ogen]

The US foreign “policy” is an embarrassment to anyone with at least one partially-functioning brain cell. Thanks all you degenerate uninformed who voted these lefty maniacs into office. Thanks a lot...

[hal ogen]

The US foreign “policy” is an embarrassment to anyone with at least one partially-functioning brain cell. Thanks all you degenerate uninformed who voted these lefty maniacs into office. Thanks a lot...