With the participation of 9,570 military and humanitarian personnel from several countries, Cobra Gold 2024 is deemed the largest military exercise in Southeast Asia.
The 43rd Cobra Gold will feature joint military training exercises to promote readiness against many kinds of national and international threats. New training programmes added this year include those on aerospace and cyber threats, both of them recent topics in the news.
Military forces from seven nations will take part in the main war exercises this year – Thailand, United States, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, and Malaysia. Personnel from 30 other countries will participate on the sidelines in humanitarian aid exercises and as observers.
The exercise is scheduled to take place through March 10 across various locations in Thailand including the provinces of Lopburi, Chanthaburi, Sa Kaeo, and Rayong.
The opening ceremony on Tuesday was co-presided over by Thailand’s Chief of Defence Forces General Songwit Noonpakdee, US ambassador Robert F Godec, and the commander of US I Corps Lt General Xavier Brunson.
In his welcoming speech, the US ambassador thanked the Royal Thai Armed Forces for hosting the 43rd edition of Cobra Gold. He added that the US Navy is ready to support the Thai counterpart in the limited salvaging mission of HTMS Sukhothai, a US-built corvette that went down in the Gulf of Thailand during a storm off Prachuap Khiri Khan province on December 18, 2022.
Songwit told participants that he believed the military exercise would help upgrade various aspects cooperation among partnering countries, especially in response to threats that come via land, sea, air, space, and cyber systems.
