THAI-US MILITARY COLLABORATION STILL STRONG AS COBRA GOLD CONTINUES
Although Thailand has recently been through the throes of political turmoil, continuing unrest in the South and now has a military-backed government, the martial ties between the US and Thailand remain strong.
Certain hiccups, such as the suspension of US military aid and Thailand’s recent dismissal of US military aid to quell the South weren’t enough to interrupt the annual live-fire war games – Cobra Gold – which are concentrating on multi-national peacekeeping operations this year.
Other joint programmes were left in place by the US, though, notably in the field of counter terrorism, where Thailand is making a small, but significant contribution in the war-on-terror and the Al-Qaeda menace. Alexander Arvizu, the Deputy Chief Of Mission at the US embassy, did remark, though, that ”the US position regarding September's coup is very clear, that it is very disappointed and (was) a setback for Thailand and (bilateral) relations."
Nevertheless, the military collaboration is considered far too important to allow any hiatus in the strong US-Thai relations, especially with the US being so finely stretched in Iraq and Afghanistan and the currently polarized Senate attitude towards the Iraq morass. Cobra Gold, the largest US war games in Asia, albeit scaled-down this year because of US troop commitments, are scheduled to take place from May 8 to 18th.
Originally, Cobra Gold was limited to the US and Thai forces, but for the first time in 26 years, other participants are sending token forces to take part, namely Japan, Singapore and Indonesia. This reflects, no doubt, heightened anxiety in the region over the recalcitrance of North Korea on the nuclear issue and the recent rise in piracy in the Malacca Straits. The overall troop numbers will be 3,090 Thai forces, 2,000 US forces, 47 troops from Japan, 70 from Singapore and 27 from Indonesia. The 3 newcomers, however, will only participate peripherally in the war games, becoming involved in computer simulations and the observation of humanitarian projects.
Other national observers from Australia, Philippines, France, Germany, China and South Korea will witness Cobra Gold this year
Pattaya Daily News