An officer assigned to U.S. Pacific Command has been selected to be the first U.S. service member to attend the First Training Course for International High-Ranking Military Officers at The National Defense Academy, in Hanoi, Vietnam from March 4 to June 3.
Lt. Col. John Sutherland, a U.S. Army Reserve Soldier based in Seattle, Washington, is one of approximately 25 officers from countries outside of Vietnam selected to attend. “Vietnam is an important country in the Asia-Pacific region and in the world,” said Sutherland. “Following Vietnam’s accession to the World Trade Organization last year, they recently became a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, which shows that Vietnam is willing to play a larger international role,” he continued.
Sutherland, a 24-year veteran, has been working on Vietnamese-U.S. issues since 2000 as a Southeast Asian foreign area officer at USPACOM. He speaks Vietnamese and has traveled with three different USPACOM commanders, visiting several countries in the region including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand.
The three-month course, offered for the first time by the Vietnamese Ministry of Defense, will include seminar lectures and discussion on Vietnam’s history, culture, politics and economy as well as Vietnam national defense and security issues. The course also will provide an overview to the People’s Army, its make-up and its role in Vietnamese society. Study will be augmented by visits to military and cultural sites in the country, and will include time for students to experience Vietnam on their own during weekends and holidays.
Military officers from countries in the Asia-Pacific Region and some European countries with Defense Attaché offices in Vietnam are attending this course.
