AKP Phnom Penh, June 29, 2026 —

Cambodia is hosting the 13th ASEAN Chiefs of Military Medicine Conference (ACMMC) in Siem Reap, gathering regional defence health leaders to confront emerging threats—chief among them, the use of chemical weapons.

The two-day summit, which opened June 28 at the Empress Angkor Resort & Spa, marks Cambodia’s second time chairing the forum.

In his opening address, Lt. Gen. Dr. Ly Kosal, Secretary of State for National Defense, welcomed delegations from across the bloc and underscored the meeting’s core mission: strengthening military medicine through shared expertise and unified action.

This year’s agenda zeroes in on chemical threat response—a hazard Lt. Gen. Ly Kosal condemned as “inhumane,” urging both national safeguards and international cooperation to prevent attacks on people, animals, and ecosystems.

First launched by Vietnam in Hanoi in 2011, the ACMMC has evolved into a key platform for knowledge exchange, policy coordination, and mentorship—with senior officers guiding younger medical corps members to bring fresh thinking to regional defense health challenges.

By K. Rithy Reak