RAYONG – On February 27, 2024, at 09.30 a.m., Thailand Chief of Defence Forces General Songwit Noonpakdee, U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Robert F. Godec and Commanding General of I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord Lieutenant General Xavier T. Brunson presided over the Cobra Gold 2024 Opening Ceremony at the Royal Thai Naval Airbase, Royal Thai Air Fleet in Rayong province.
Also attending the ceremony were Ambassador of Singapore to Thailand, Ambassador of Indonesia to Thailand, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Thailand, Ambassador of Japan to Thailand, and Ambassador of Malaysia to Thailand.
Cobra Gold is the largest and longest-running joint military exercise in Southeast Asia, co-hosted annually in Thailand by the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. This year’s exercise is the 43rd iteration with seven countries participating in the main drills – Thailand, the United States, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Malaysia.
Two additional countries are joining the humanitarian assistance trainings – the PRC and India; and one additional country is joining the Command Post Exercise – Australia. Ten countries are joining the Multinational Planning Augmentation team (MPAT) – Bangladesh, Canada, France, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Fiji, United Kingdom, and Brunei; and 10 countries are joining the Combined Observer Liaison team (COLT) – Cambodia, Laos, Brazil, Pakistan, Vietnam, Germany, Sweden, the Hellenic Republic (Greece), Kuwait, and Sri Lanka.
There is a total of 30 participating countries and 9,590 participating personnel. The objectives of the exercise are to develop good military relations between participating allies; to enhance the capacity of conducting joint and multilateral operations by adapting mobilization in various emergencies; and to practice following standard operating procedures for a multinational force.
The exercises will be held from February 27-March 8, 2024, with the following main exercises:
1.The Command Post Exercise (CPX) is a total force training exercise to handle all domain operations – land, sea, air, cyber, and space. This year’s exercise is based on a completed operations order (OPORD) and concept of operations (CONOP) developed from the procedure which the director of the Joint Operations Division chose based on the Military Decision Making Process-Multinational (MDMP-M), a product of last year’s STAFFEX.
2.The Humanitarian/Civic Assistance (HCA) includes multipurpose building construction projects in five sites and the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Tabletop Exercise (HADR-TTX) which shows the role of the military in responding to natural disasters at regional and international levels. The HADR-Demo showcases station-by-station operations including search and rescue, emergency response, medical evacuation, chemical leak response, and firefighting.
3. The Field Training Exercise (FTX) includes cross-training exercises, and field training for the army, navy, and air force. These include an amphibious exercise, strategic airborne operations, non-combatant evacuation, and a live fire exercise.
Cobra Gold 2024 increases the capacity of participating troops from Thailand and allies though the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and military technologies. It increases the experience of joint and multilateral operations for the Thai and allied forces, and the capacity and efficiency of disaster management and mitigation.
It also strengthens bonds between soldiers from Thailand and other participating nations, as well as the locals in exercise locations. CG24 builds a good image of Thailand in the eyes of our allies and the international community.
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