General Vong Pisen, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), said he considers training a top priority for military reforms.

Pisen spoke on November 28 at a ceremony held in combination for the 11th generation commando course, 6th speedboat/motorboat repair course, disaster relief course, 33rd parachute jumping course, 6th parachute commander course, and 9th casualty specialist course.

The ceremony was held at the Special Forces Command (SFC) in Kambol district, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

The official Facebook page of the RCAF quoted Pisen as noting Cambodia’s success in hosting the ASEAN Summit and related meetings this year and remarking on how it elevated the Kingdom’s pride and prestige on the international stage.

Pisen said that in the current context where the country is “fully at peace”, it presented a valuable opportunity for the RCAF to sharpen their professional skills in the cause of national defence.

“Training is one of the most important priorities for reforming RCAF’s human resource because it is the foundation of everything, both building and maintaining capacity, equipment and ensuring job sustainability,” he said.

The general outlined the training strategy to turn the Special Forces into a sharp unit that can ensure the protection of territorial integrity, take on peacekeeping missions and uphold national security.

“The army needs to possess four qualities: courage, loyalty, fitness and skills,” he said.

Pisen instructed Special Forces command leaders to promote the spirit of responsibility and strict implementation of all orders from the government, including the Ministry of National Defence, the Commander-in-Chief and the Army Command to protect peace, territorial integrity, security and safety and to prevent terrorism and suppress crimes that cause social instability.