South Korea Joins Thai-US Cobra Gold 2024’s Amphibious Exercise

Exercise
South Korean amphibious assault vehicles fire smoke screen during the Cobra Gold joint military exercise on Hat Yao beach in Chonburi province, eastern Thailand, Friday, March 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

CHONBURI – On March 1, 2024, Cobra Gold 2024’s amphibious exercise took place at Naval Training Field No. 15 in Hat Yao, Sattahip district, Chonburi province.

At 10 a.m., Admiral Adung Phan-iam, commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Navy; Rear Admiral Christopher D. Stone, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group Seven, Task Force 76, Amphibious Force of the United States Navy; and Rear Admiral Cho Choong-Ho, commander of Mine/Amphibious Flotilla Five of the Republic of Korea, visited the site of exercise.

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South Korean soldiers land with an amphibious assault vehicle during the ongoing Cobra Gold joint military exercise on Hat Yao beach in Chonburi province, eastern Thailand, Friday, March 1, 2024.(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

During the amphibious exercise, naval ships and an amphibious combat unit seized an opposing force’s beachhead. The unit used naval artillery to fire a volley while aircraft simultaneously provided airborne support to decrease the opposing force’s ability to return fire.  After reaching the beachhead, the amphibious combat unit breached the opposing force’s territory and secured the beachhead.

Participating in this year’s exercise were Thai, U.S., and Korean forces, with the United States’ USS Somerset, F-16 fighters, and other equipment; the Royal Thai Navy’s HTMS Surin and HTMS Mannai, marine corps’ amphibious combat unit and vehicles, and patrol aircraft Type 1 (T-337 or Cessna O-2); and the Republic of Korea’s ROKS No Jeok Bong (LSTII-689) and KAVV amphibious vehicles.

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The amphibious exercise aimed to build the capacity of participating military forces during allied joint operations, in order to bolster the Royal Thai Armed Forces’ confidence in all domain operations. The exercise also strengthened the bonds among allies, ensuring continual national security.

The Cobra Gold 2024 military exercise is one of the biggest activities of its type in the Asia-Pacific region with 30 nations taking part as participants or observers.

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