The 36th iteration of the multilateral exercise Cobra Gold kicked off in Sattahip, Thailand, February 14.
Cobra Gold is a Thailand/United States co-sponsored, combined task force and joint theater security cooperation exercise conducted annually in the Kingdom of Thailand. CG 17 will be held Feb. 14-24, with up to 29 nations participating.
U.S. Marines embarked aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20) attended the opening ceremony off Exercise Cobra Gold 2017 (CG 17).
Apart from U.S. and Thai forces, CG17 is joined by Singapore Defence Forces, Indonesian National Defence Forces, Japan Self-Defense Force, Malaysian Armed Forces and Republic of Korea Armed Forces.
This year’s Cobra Gold will address regional and global security challenges and will promote international cooperation and stability within the region.
The exercise will focus on multinational combined joint operations to deal with both traditional and non-traditional threats, such as having militaries work together in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
“Training with America’s allies and partner nations makes us all better prepared and more responsive should a contingency occur,” said Capt. Nathan Moyer , Green Bay’s commanding officer. “We look forward to demonstrating the capabilities of this awesome ‘blue-green’ team as we work at sea and ashore during Cobra Gold and throughout our time on patrol.”
Cobra Gold is the largest theater security cooperation exercise in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region and is an integral part of the U.S. commitment to strengthen engagement in the region.