RAYONG, 13 February 2018 (NNT) – The 2018 Cobra Gold joint military exercise has kicked off in the eastern seaboard of Thailand, with attendance of troops from 29 countries worldwide.
At the Royal Thai Naval Air Division, U-Tapao International Airport, Rayong, Thailand’s Chief of Defense Forces Gen Tarnchaiyan Srisuwan was joined by US Ambassador to Thailand HE Mr Glyn T Davies in hosting the official opening ceremony of Cobra Gold 2018. Also present at the ceremony were several foreign diplomats stationed in Thailand.
Taking place until February 23, the annual joint military drill is attended by a total of 29 nations, represented by over 11,000 soldiers. Troops from seven countries, comprising Thailand, the US, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia, are partaking in all events while China and India are participating in the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise. Ten other countries are attending as part of the Multinational Planning Augmentation Team and a further ten are part of the Combined Observer Liaison Team.
The annual Cobra Gold features such activities as the command post, field training and humanitarian civic assistance exercises. This year, three new events have been added, namely the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counter terrorism and land mine destruction exercises.
Cobra Gold, which is the largest multinational military drill in Southeast Asia, is conducted on an annual basis under the collaboration between Thailand and the US. This year’s event is the 37th iteration of the exercise.
National News Bureau Of Thailand | Thailand hosts Cobra Gold 2018 in eastern region