Chargé d’Affaires Michael Heath and General Pornpipat Benyasri, Thailand’s Chief of Defense Forces, presided over the February 25 opening ceremony for Cobra Gold 2020, an annual, multilateral exercise co-hosted by Thailand and the United States. Maj. Gen. Pete Johnson, U.S. Army Pacific Deputy Commander, joined CDA Heath at the ceremony.
2020 marks the 39th iteration of Cobra Gold, bringing together 29 nations to address regional and global security challenges and to promote international cooperation and stability across the Indo-Pacific region.
This year, Cobra Gold will increase the ability of participating nations to work together on complex multilateral joint combined air, ground, and sea operations, as well as the delivery of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The exercise will also build relationships across the region and improve interoperability across a wide range of security activities. #FriendsPartnersAllies
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Pete Johnson, U.S. Army Pacific deputy commander representing U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, shakes hands with an Indonesian soldier during the opening ceremony of exercise Cobra Gold 2020 (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Julio Rivera)
