the terms of a French-Khmer convention and initially received the designation of Cambodian National Armed Forces (French: Forces Armées Nationales Cambodgiennes – FANC), changed in 1955 to Royal Khmer Armed Forces ( – FARK). By the late 1950s, the FARK consisted of ground, air and naval branches of service, respectively the Royal Khmer Army (French: Armée Royale Khmère – ARK), the Royal Khmer Aviation (French: Aviation Royale Khmère – AVRK), and the Royal Khmer Navy (French: Marine Royale Khmère – MRK). Their roles were defined as follows: to guarantee the sovereignty of the nation and that of the King; to ensure internal security by maintaining the social order and the rule of law; and to defend the newly independent Kingdom of Cambodia from external threats. Upon Lon Nol's coup in March 1970, the Cambodian military establishment was renamed FANK, thus becoming the official armed forces of the new regime, the Khmer Republic. The roles defined for the reorganized FANK were essentially the same as before, except that now they had to defend the sovereignty of the Republican Government and not of the deposed Prince, and drive out all the NVA/VC forces from eastern Cambodia. The FANK comprised the following branches: Khmer National Army (, ANK) Khmer Air Force (, AAK) Khmer National Navy (, MNK) Elite Forces Cambodian Airborne Brigade Cambodian Para-Commando Battalion Khmer Special Forces Lake Brigade Cambodian Marine Corps (French: Corps de Fusiliers-Marins Khmères) Cambodian Navy SEALs Training Facilities The Air Force Academy was transferred from Pochentong to the provincial capital of Battambang whilst the Officer Candidate School was moved from Phnom Penh to Longvek in Kampong Chhnang Province, just north of Oudong. New infantry training centres were built at Kandal, Kampong Speu, Ream, Sisophon, and Longvek whilst an additional Recondo School run by the Khmer Special Forces was opened near Battambang in November 1972 to train Long-range reconnaissance patrol (LRRP) teams. To train Khmer National Navy officer cadets, a Naval Academy () was established at Chrui Chhangwar Naval Base in late 1971, and an Enlisted Man Training Center (), which provided specialized courses for junior ranks was set up one Kilometer south of the Cambodian Capital. An Air-Ground Operations School – AGOS (French: École des opérations air-sol – EOAS) was opened in May 1973 by the Khmer Air Force to train forward air guides (FAGs) for the Army. Foreign assistance Soon after its creation in 1970, the