Ambassadors and representatives from participating countries officiating at the opening ceremony of Exercise Cobra Gold 2014.
PHITSANULOK – Cobra Gold 2014 multilateral military drill hosted by Thailand and the United States kicked off Tuesday in the northern Thai province of Phitsanulok.
Service members with the Singapore Armed Forces, Royal Thai Air Force, and U.S. Marine Corps and Air Force work together to lay concrete at the construction site at Ban Tabaek Ngam School in Phitsanulok
The military exercise, code-named Cobra Gold 14, is attended by armed forces from Thailand, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. In addition to the seven member countries, at least 20 countries, including China, Myanmar and Britain, have sent observers to this year’s drill, which is focused on humanitarian assistance under a conflict situation, as well as disaster relief.
Seventeen Chinese soldiers, mainly from the Guangzhou Military Area Command, will participate in humanitarian relief drills.
The Chinese squad will take part in operations at the command and coordination center, engineering assistance, medical aid as well as discussions and exchanges of military medical sciences, according to officers with the foreign affairs office of the ministry.
Around 10,000 military personnel are to take part in the exercise, which will last until Feb. 23.
Cobra Gold began in 1982 as a bilateral military exercise between Thailand and the United States. It developed into a multilateral affair in 2000 when Singapore was invited to join the annual drill.