Ambassador Michael George DeSombre participated as the U.S. co-chair at the Humanitarian Civic Action Site 4 Dedication Ceremony on March 5 at Ban Krang (Phra Khao Chaiyasit) School in Phitsanulok. He joined Thai co-chair Royal Thai Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Chalermphon Srisawasdi, Singaporean co-chair Ambassador Kevin Cheok, and III Marine Expeditionary Force Commander Lt. Gen. H. Stacy Clardy. The ceremony dedicated a school multipurpose building, which will also be used by the community, planned and constructed by military engineers from Thailand, Singapore, and the U.S. In addition to this project, another six school multipurpose rooms have been built throughout Thailand by the partner nations during Cobra Gold 2020.
2020 marks the 39th year in the Cobra Gold exercise, which brings 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 strengthen regional collaboration, increasing the ability of participating nations to work together on complex multilateral land, sea, and air operations.