Cambodian media revealed that the United States has removed Cambodia from its list of countries banned from arms exports, marking a key move between the two nations after years of frozen relations.
Khmertimes, a Cambodian news outlet, reported that the United States has officially decided to remove Cambodia from the list of countries prohibited from arms exports.
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced on 3 Feb 2026 that Cambodia has been removed from "Country Group D:5," a category restricting arms and military technology exports.
This decision came after the U.S. Secretary of State assessed that Cambodia has taken a more proactive role in regional peace and security, maintains defense cooperation with the United States, and shows willingness to collaborate on combating transnational crime.
This measure aligns with the White House’s October 2025 decision to lift the arms sales ban to Cambodia, which had previously been viewed as leaning militarily toward China.
Casey Barnett, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (AmCham Cambodia), said the removal symbolizes U.S. confidence in Cambodia and noted it would open opportunities for Cambodia to access advanced U.S. technology that could aid both security and economic development.
However, although removed from the main arms blacklist, Cambodia remains classified under Country Group D:1, meaning imports of certain military technologies still require special licensing due to U.S. security concerns.
Arms trade experts estimate this change could increase the number of U.S. export license applications for weapons and military equipment to Cambodia by about 100 annually and help reduce previously complicated bureaucratic procedures.
In practice, Cambodia still cannot freely access high-level weapons or sensitive technologies and remains under close U.S. scrutiny.
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