The United States Army, in collaboration with the Royal Thailand Armed Forces, announced the completion of this year’s Exercise Cobra Gold, which marked the 40th iteration of the annual Indo-Pacific military exercise.
This year’s training, held from August 3 to 13 in Thailand, was a mixture of in-person and virtual exercises. A total of seven countries took part in the training, most from Asia. Other nations from the region also attended as observers.
Cobra Gold 21 deputy multinational force commander US Army Brig. Gen. Patrick Ellis called the maneuvers an opportunity for the US Army to be with friends, share experiences, and “further strengthen our bonds as military professionals.”
“These bonds run especially deep between the Royal Thai and US Armed Forces. During the past 40 years, Cobra Gold has served as a cornerstone of the Thai-US alliance,” Gen. Ellis added.
The Cobra Gold Exercises
Cobra Gold is one of the longest-running joint military maneuvers in the world and is held every year in Thailand.
The first Cobra Gold took place in 1982 to improve coordination between US and Thai forces. Currently, seven nations participate annually with ten observers in attendance.
Results of the maneuvers have been seen in natural disasters, where a coordinated military response is needed. Examples include the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the Tōhoku tsunami of 2011, and Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.
