Cobra Gold 2009

February 4, 2009

Cobra Gold 2009

U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission James F. Entwistle and Deputy Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces General Montree Sungkasap today officially opened the annual joint/combined military exercise COBRA Gold 2009 (CG09) at the Hotel Pang Suan Kaew in Chiang Mai province.  Singaporean Ambassador Peter Chan Jer Hing, Japanese Deputy Chief of Mission Yuji Kumamaru, and Indonesian Ambassador Mohammad Hatta also attended the CG09 opening ceremony.

During the opening ceremony, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Entwistle said, “This week, Thai, American, Singaporean, Indonesian and Japanese service members will take part in a staff planning exercise designed to enhance skills needed for peace and stability operations.  This is especially important in an age where all of us have growing commitments to the United Nations to support peace operations.” (Full remarks in English || Thai)

Cobra Gold is a regularly-scheduled joint and combined multilateral exercise held in the Kingdom of Thailand.  CG09 is one of the largest exercises involving U.S. forces in the Pacific Command (PACOM).  Approximately 7,000 U.S. service members will participate in this year’s COBRA GOLD exercise.  Participating Thai forces will number approximately 4,000 and will include elements of the Royal Thai Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.  

Learn more about the role and strategy of the U.S. PACOM here.