responsibility. Infectious disease doctors should be included in the PPP program in order to learn and
teach about preventing the spread of disease. Additionally, the educational exchange of health-
management specialists in hospital systems and programs as well as mid-level and senior CDC-US and
CDC-V leaders should be increased.
USPACOM should explore strategies to maximize medical cooperation with Vietnam. Interactive military
efforts between U.S. and Vietnam forces should continue in harmony with the Guidance for Employment
of the Force and in pursuit of stability operations in the USPACOM AOR.
Implications.
Although a partnership between the United States and Vietnam to establish a functional PPP can further
generate opportunities for civilian-to-military, military-to-military, and civilian-to-civilian interactions, the
United States need not be the sole or even the lead partner in these endeavors. The most important
consideration is to achieve a fully functional and interactive PPP to prevent, detect, report, track, and
monitor pandemics, with the assistance of all countries, organizations, and interested parties. The CDC-
V, CDC-US, and WHO must be synchronized, and the CDC-V must report, in a timely manner, any
emerging disease trends.
The success of this interaction could facilitate further human rights endeavors with Vietnam and create a
sentiment of economic stability, leading to a positive worldwide view of those seeking to invest in the
country. The Vietnamese government reached out to the United States and its allied partners to explore
the opportunities for improving its country’s health standard. Now is the right time for the United States
to help achieve this goal.
Event Description.
This lesson is based on the author's extensive interviews and research during attendance at the U.S.
Naval War College.
Lesson Author: COL Kim Hodges, Director, USINDOPACOM Joint Operations Center
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