By Asia-Pacific Defense FORUM Staff

Exercise COBRA GOLD 2002 brought together 21,000 troops from Thailand, Singapore, and the U.S. for one of the largest exercises in the Asia-Pacific region. Here, Thai and U.S. Marines share training in howitzer pre-firing procedures

At the opening ceremony at Naval Air Station Utapao, Thailand, on 14 May 2002, the armed forces of Thailand, Singapore, and the United States marked the beginning of the 21st annual COBRA GOLD exercise — one of the largest military exercises in the Pacific region.

Eighteen countries sent observers. They were Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Fiji, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tonga, and Vietnam. The observers will help their respective nations consider eventual participation.

COBRA GOLD Exercise Commander Lt. Gen. Archawin Svetasreni of the Royal Thai Army, Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Wallace C. Gregson of the U.S. Marine Corps, and Assistant Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Chua Chwee Koh of the Singapore Army welcomed the observers. "I feel proud to receive observers from 18 countries here today," said Lt. Gen. Archawin.

"There has been a 100-percent increase in multinational observer teams since 2001," noted Royal Thai Air Force Col. Pom Sorasant, pointing out that Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Russia, Tonga and Vietnam joined as observers this year. "We are pleased with the growth in international interest and the strong increase in observer participation."

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Roger Brautigan, the U.S. exercise director, told the participants, "The goals of this exercise are two-fold. First, we will strengthen the already close relationship between the Kingdom of Thailand, Singapore, and the United States. Second, we will further demonstrate our combined commitment to ensuring regional security. This year, in particular, we will focus on peace enforcement, noncombatant evacuations, amphibious operations, and we’ll conduct antiterrorism training and numerous live-fire exercises."

COBRA GOLD supports regional peace and helps strengthen the ability of the Royal Thai Armed Forces to defend Thailand or respond to regional contingencies. As in the past, the exercise included land, air, and sea operations and assisted Thai citizens through combined Thai-U.S. medical and civil engineer projects.