Cobra Gold 09 comes to an end

By Sgt. 1st Class Jason Shepherd, United States Army, Pacific Public AffairsFebruary 17, 2009

Cobra Gold 09 comes to an end
U.S Ambassador to Thailand, Eric G. John, Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander, U.S. Pacific Commander, and Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara, Thailand Chief of Defense Forces, join together in a ceremonial clasp of hands, a symbol of unity, to officially end... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- Hundreds of people gathered here to celebrate the end of yet another successful Cobra Gold exercise Feb. 17.

U.S Ambassador to Thailand, Eric G. John, joined Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander, U.S. Pacific Command, and Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara, Thailand Chief of Defense Forces, in the ceremonial clasp of hands, a symbol of unity, to officially end the exercise.

"This exercise is the U.S.'s signature exercise in the Asia-Pacific region,Aca,!A? John said. Aca,!A"We welcome all nations working together. Cobra Gold preserves peace and security by allowing knowledge-based training to support regional partnership."

For the last three weeks, Thai, Japanese, Indonesian, Singaporean and U.S. armed forces have taken part in the 28th annual Cobra Gold Exercise, a regularly scheduled combined, joint multi-national exercise focused on maintaining and improving military relationships among the participating nations.

Aca,!A"There is a great pleasure in having a successful multi-national exercise,Aca,!A? said Lt. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, commanding general, United States Army, Pacific. Aca,!A"Cobra Gold 2009 has been a great achievement. One that is recognized for its hard work, diligence, expertise, and teamwork with professional partners that have shared the same desire to work towards peace and stability in this region."

This year, United States Army, Pacific had the lead in the exercise, which brought together Marines, Soldiers, sailors and airmen from all around the world.

Now that this yearAca,!a,,cs exercise is over, planning will begin immediately for Cobra Gold Aca,!a,,c10.

Aca,!A"I feel confident that the Cobra Gold Exercise will develop into wider training,Aca,!A? said Jaggabatara, "to become an important mechanism in enhancing cooperation and friendship among allied countries, in order to guarantee security in this region, contributing to creating peace and readiness in conducting various operational missions when requested.Aca,!A?

Related Links:

U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) Website