BANGKOK – Indo-Pacific army chiefs met online and exchanged experiences in the control of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Thai army commander-in-chief Gen Apirat Kongsompong said the Indo-Pacific Landpower Conference occurred on May 20-22 and it was its first online version. The meeting gathered army chiefs from 25 countries including the United States and Australia. They discussed experiences in and cooperation on COVID-19 control and on the occasion the US praised Thailand for its disease control measures during the Cobra Gold 2020 military exercise.
“They praised us for our disciplines and measures imposed during the drill. The US commander complimented us in the conference, saying we did very well with social distancing, personnel checks and the 9pm curfew that the Thai army had earlier implemented,” Gen Apirat said.
“The conference is very useful for exchanged experiences and participants agreed that the joint exercises of the friendly armies will continue.”
The Indo-Pacific Landpower Conference replaced the annual LANPAC Symposium & Exposition that had been organized for eight times since 2013. The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) hosted the conferences to create balance in the region.
The latest conference also studied successful COVID-19 control measures of South Korea. (TNA)