Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Hail Paris's Steadfast Support in Military Training

Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Hail Paris's Steadfast Support in Military Training Amid Cambodia's Strategic Rise on the Global Stage.

From left to right: Brigadier General Arnaud Brunat, military advisor to the Cambodian authorities, and Lieutenant General Sem Ratana, interim Director General of the National Center for Peacekeeping Forces, Demining, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal

Lieutenant General Sem Ratana, interim Director General of the National Center for Peacekeeping Forces, Demining, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (NPMEC), expressed his deep gratitude on Monday morning to France for its continued support in training personnel from the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (FARK), both on Cambodian soil and in French territory. The meeting took place in Phnom Penh in the presence of a French military delegation led by Brigadier General Arnaud Brunat, military advisor to the Cambodian authorities.

An eloquent record: 94 trainings over seventeen years

From 2009 to April 2026, France has provided a total of 94 training sessions to Cambodian military personnel: 73 sessions organized on Khmer soil benefiting 2,003 trainees, and 16 trainings conducted in France involving 16 Cambodian soldiers. These figures illustrate the scope of a program covering diverse areas such as demining, neutralization of improvised explosive devices (C-IED), staff officer training, GPS operations, emergency rescue, military police, explosives transport, French language training, as well as technical skills in munitions and war college training.

For General Sem Ratana, these achievements are of capital importance in view of Cambodia's commitments within United Nations peacekeeping missions. He formally requested the continuation and expansion of these programs, emphasizing their structuring role in the professionalization of the FARK.

General Brunat, for his part, expressed satisfaction with the ongoing bilateral dynamic, noting that these training initiatives have significantly strengthened the technical expertise and operational aptitude of Khmer soldiers, and directly contribute to Cambodia's effectiveness in the UN framework.

Eighty years of a relationship forged in history

This meeting fits into a long-term historical perspective. In 2026, the Franco-Cambodian military partnership celebrates its 80th anniversary, a relationship established on January 1, 1946, in the aftermath of World War II. Nine French Military Instruction Missions (MFIM) were then created to train the first Cambodian units, laying the foundations for an embryonic national army.

After the dark decades of the Khmer Rouge and civil war, France reappeared in 1991 as co-chair of the Paris Peace Accords, contributing to national reconciliation. As part of the UNTAC mission (1992–1993), Paris deployed 15,000 of the UN's 150,000 blue helmets — the largest contribution from any European country — to demobilize armed factions and supervise elections. Since then, cooperation has continued to strengthen.

Today, Cambodia deploys around 800 blue helmets annually in Francophone Africa — notably in the Central African Republic and Mali —, as well as in Lebanon and Syria, and has built a reputation for excellence in demining and logistics.

Toward a strategic partnership

Military cooperation is part of a broader diplomatic project. In October 2024, during the second round of high-level political consultations held in Paris, the two countries established a roadmap aiming to conclude a strategic partnership by 2026. General Vong Pisen, Commander-in-Chief of the FARK, acknowledged France's historic role as one of the founders and co-chairs of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords, and thanked Paris for its strong support for Cambodia as host of the 20th Francophonie Summit in 2026.

On the defense front, the two countries expressed their shared desire to strengthen cooperation through more training opportunities, reciprocal visits, information exchanges, and joint collaboration in combating terrorism and transnational crimes, not forgetting humanitarian missions and disaster relief operations.

A Cambodia on the rise

This bilateral strengthening comes amid accelerated modernization of the Cambodian armed forces. Cambodia's 2026 national budget exceeds 10 billion dollars for the first time, up 7.8% from 2025, with increased attention to the defense sector. Since the 1990s, Cambodia has worked to modernize its armed forces while controlling costs, selectively investing in professionalization and multiplying international training partnerships.

Cambodia is thus adopting a strategy of "active neutrality," seeking to professionalize its forces through Western interoperability standards while diversifying its security dependencies. Cooperation with France, a founding nation of the Francophonie and historic partner of the kingdom, stands out as one of the pillars of this strategy.

As Phnom Penh prepares to host the Francophonie Summit and consolidates its presence on international peacekeeping theaters, the Franco-Cambodian military partnership appears more than ever as an essential vector for the credibility and diplomatic ambition of the Khmer kingdom.