CHANTHABURI, Thailand, Feb 27, 2014 – Exercise Cobra Gold 2014 concluded Feb. 21 following a multilateral combined arms live-fire exercise at Royal Thai Navy Tactical Training Center Ban Chan Krem, Kingdom of Thailand.
Cobra Gold is the largest multinational and multiservice exercise in Southeast Asia, which takes places annually throughout the Kingdom of Thailand. This year’s iteration included forces from the U.S., Kingdom of Thailand, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia and several other observer countries.
“We are very delighted by Cobra Gold 2014,” said W. Patrick Murphy, the deputy chief of mission at U.S. Embassy Bangkok. “We congratulate the Kingdom of Thailand for partnering with us again this year, the 33rd year of this joint exercise. It is very much a multidimensional exercise with many different components and we contribute from the (U.S.) our Marines, sailors, airmen and soldiers. (The U.S.) had almost 4,000 of our troops here this year with their counterparts from Thailand, so this year was a big success and I am quite confident that next year, Cobra Gold 2015, will also be a great success.”
The Cobra Gold exercises improve the capability to plan and conduct combined-joint operations, build and strengthen relationships between partner nations and promote interoperability across the range of military operations.
“We’ve seen a lot of collective efforts by various allied countries participating and it has been proven we can work together, interoperate and produce a successful result,” said Royal Thai Gen. Thanasaka Patimaprakorn, the chief of defense forces for the Royal Thai Armed Forces.
CG 14 is designed to advance regional security and ensure effective response to regional crises by exercising a robust multinational force from nations sharing common goals and security commitments in the Asia-Pacific region.
“The first thing that strikes me is the amount of commitment in troops, material and equipment that you see demonstrated in Cobra Gold,” said U.S. Marine Brig. Gen. Richard L. Simcock, II, the executive agent senior representative of CG 14 and deputy commander of Marine Corps Forces Pacific. “What you are seeing is an enduring commitment here in Thailand and the region by the participating nations.”
Cobra Gold provides an opportunity for allied nations in the Asia-Pacific region to operate and work together so they can respond more efficiently and effectively to potential crises in the future.
“It is these types of exercises that prepare countries to work together.” said Murphy. “Last year, many countries were able to respond to the very devastating typhoon in the Philippines, (which included) previous Cobra Gold participants; most notably, the Kingdom of Thailand.”