Military from 27 countries taking part
Thailand’s Supreme Commander General Somai Kaotira and American Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Glyn T. Davies together presided over opening ceremonies for Cobra Gold 2016 at the Royal Thai Marine Corps in Sattahip. Other VIP guests included the Ambassadors of Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Indonesia.
General Somai Kaotira said that the Cobra Gold Exercise is the biggest joint exercise for army, navy and air force in South East Asia, and the 35th Cobra Gold 2016 is hosted by Thailand and America this year. The practice is mainly focused on strengthening stability and cooperation between each participating country as well as solving issues regarding conflict and creating international peace.
General Sommai Kaotira, the Chief of Defence Forces, and Glyn T. Davies, the U.S. Ambassador to Thailand, shake hands to signify the beginning of Cobra Gold 16 at Sattahip Naval Base, Thailand February 9, 2016.
Cobra Gold 2016 takes place February 9-16, 2016, with 27 participating countries in total. The 7 main countries include Thailand, USA, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, with China and India taking part in conducting humanitarian civic action projects.
The participating countries’ ambassadors welcome all Cobra Gold 16 members to the exercise during the opening ceremony.
Other countries participating include Australia, Canada, France, England, Italy, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia and the Philippines.
A further nine countries will act as observers: Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Chile, the Netherlands, Brunei, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
There are 8,875 soldiers involved in the exercise and they will use the grounds of the Central and Eastern Region of Thailand.
The Royal Thai Marine Recruit Company represents the seven countries participating in Cobra Gold 16 during the opening ceremony.
