Press Releases
February 4, 2009
Remarks by Deputy Chief of Mission James Entwistle
Cobra Gold 2009 Opening Ceremony
February 4, 2009
General Montree, distinguished guests, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen:
It is a pleasure to be here to open the 28th year of the Cobra Gold Exercise. We in the U.S. government are excited about the opening of Cobra Gold, our premier training event in Thailand, which for close to thirty years has been the most visible symbol of U.S.-Thai military cooperation. In recent years, the exercise has evolved from a bilateral joint exercise to a multinational showcase event that enhances the ability of regional partners with Thailand in a leading role.
It is worth noting that the core Cobra Gold exercise scenario – multilateral peace enforcement and peacekeeping operations in a coalition environment – reflects international realities. Multi-national responses to regional crises are likely to be the norm in the future; it is therefore vital that friends train together in order to better address future requirements. Cobra Gold is unparalleled in preparing our militaries for the real-world priorities of peace support, stability and reconstruction, humanitarian assistance, and combat operations.
We have much to look forward in the coming days. 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.
At the same time, in locations all over Thailand, soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines will improve their ability to operate jointly and in a multinational environment. Together, our forces will conduct a wide variety of operations ranging from non-combatant evacuation operations to full spectrum combined arms operations. This will include live fire and maneuver training involving U.S. Army Strykers and U.S. Marine Corps Light Armored Vehicles. Naval forces will train together in the Gulf of Thailand. Our aircraft will conduct training with their counterparts in the Thai Air Force, Navy, and Army in a variety of aviation missions.
Simultaneously, Thai, Japanese, Singaporean, Indonesian, and U.S. specialists will undertake an impressive series of humanitarian projects designed to improve their abilities while assisting Thai citizens in Chiang Mai, Tak, Sukhothai, and elsewhere.
Cobra Gold this year is truly a regional affair, with representatives from more than twenty countries participating, observing, or supporting. We welcome our friends from around the world. We are most grateful for the gracious hospitality our Thai hosts have shown to all of us in for once again organizing this crucial exercise.
I would like to highlight how critical Cobra Gold is to the U.S.-Thai bilateral relationship. Last year we celebrated 175 years of friendship between our nations and, as we look to the future, the U.S.-Thai military alliance will certainly continue to be the cornerstone of the relationship. With the inauguration of President Obama it is only natural to take a moment to imagine the future of the relationship. We are extremely excited about the future of our bilateral relationship as the strong U.S.-Thai bonds, founded on cooperative activities such as Cobra Gold, will surely be strengthened as the new President and administration engage Thailand and the rest of Asia.
In closing, I would like to stress that Cobra Gold, the capstone event of our military cooperation, has prepared our militaries well for a range of missions, from disaster relief, as demonstrated during tsunami relief operations just a few years ago, to real-world combat capabilities. We are proud of the achievements it has produced in the past and look forward to another successful exercise.
Thank you.
#008/09