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At the opening ceremony, U.S. Ambassador to Thailand, Darryl N. Johnson, described the history and development of the exercise. “For over two decades, COBRA GOLD has been the foundation of a wide-ranging U.S. and Thai military exercise program. Each year, COBRA GOLD renews the U.S. commitment to support the security of our friends and allies in the Asia-Pacific region. COBRA GOLD is constantly evolving to meet the national security needs of both of our countries. “This year’s COBRA GOLD is most notable for its inclusion of small Mongolian and Philippine contingents in the Command Post Exercise [CPX], joining the Singaporeans, who are back for the fifth time. What started as a bilateral naval exercise in the early 1980s has transformed into a multinational, multifaceted event, promoting regional stability and security. “A second element worth noting is that the core of the COBRA GOLD CPX scenario – multilateral peace enforcement and peacekeeping operations in coalition environments – is a current international priority, as ongoing efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq demonstrate. Four of the five countries involved in COBRA GOLD – Thailand, the Philippines, Mongolia, and the U.S. – provided coalition contingents in Iraq to help promote peace, stability, reconstruction, and humanitarian assistance. . . . “Most of the activities will be centered here in Nakhon Ratchasima [also known as Korat]. . . . Elsewhere, Thai Air Force and U.S. Marine pilots and planes will be operating out of Udon Thani, conducting air-to-air training, providing close air support to units operating on the ground. Thai and U.S. Army Special Forces will be on the ground together in Lopburi. In Utapao and Sattahip, andfurther out in the Gulf of Thailand, naval units are working together to learn how to conduct carrier-based helicopter operations, maritime patrolling, and mine counter measures. “The skills our troops acquire in COBRA GOLD have direct, real-world applicability. Many of the U.S. Marines who participated in COBRA GOLD 2002 and 2003 are now in Iraq. Thai units which have participated in various U.S.-Thai joint exercises are better able to help restore security and conduct civic outreach activities in Southern Thailand. “Whether the security threat is domestic, as in the case for Southern Thailand, or transnational terrorism, as in the case of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S. and the 2002 Bali [bombings] in Indonesia, like-minded countries in the international community must come together and protect ourselves, our societies, and our citizens from the menace of militants and terrorists who seek to destroy the fabric of our free societies. “The United States very much appreciates the high level of military, intelligence and law enforcement cooperation that Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, and Mongolia, as well as many of the observer nations here, have provided to the international coalition against terrorism since September 11, 2001. Multilateral exercises such as COBRA GOLD are essential to help us train and work together to defeat those terrorists and eliminate their networks in Southeast Asia and around the world.”
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