The military cooperation of the self-proclaimed global hegemon with a small and critically remote state turns out to be, upon careful consideration, multifaceted and profound. A number of facts, showing the active immersion of the United States in the defence sector of Mongolia, prove this to be evident.

Bilateral contacts

Bilateral contacts between representatives of the military establishments of the two countries date back to 1991.

US Defence Ministers visited Mongolia three times: in 2005, 2014 and 2019. Since 1999, the format of the Bilateral Advisory Council exists in the bilateral military cooperation between Mongolia and the United States. Since 2006, the parties have annually conducted the international Khaan Quest exercise in Mongolia. High-ranking representatives of the two countries participate in the work of the Mongolia-USA Strategic Dialogue, which has been held annually since 2022.

In 2023, the wife of the current US President Joseph Biden, as well as Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, awarded the first female Mongolian Brigadier General the honorary IWOC award.

In a Pentagon review report published in May, 2023, Mongolia, along with Singapore, Taiwan and New Zealand, is mentioned as a «reliable, capable and natural partner of the United States in the Indo-Pacific region».

All these years, the United States has been intensively engaged in «experience exchange» and internships with the command staff of the Mongolian Armed Forces, which increasingly resemble ideological work.

Is Mongolia a «global partner» of NATO?

The partnership between Mongolia and the «Collective West» is also actively developing through NATO, a seemingly territorially localised (at least formally) alliance, whose member states are as far away from «Inner Asia» as possible. Since 2012, Mongolia and the alliance have been linked by an «Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme», within the framework of which the organisational and staff structures of the country’s armed forces have been aligned with NATO standards. This programme was extended and deepened in 2020. During the alliance’s very........

© New Eastern Outlook