CHONBURI PROVINCE, Thailand -- The commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, Gen. Thanchaiyan Srisuwan, Mr. Glyn T. Davies, U.S. Ambassador to Thailand, and Lt. Gen. Lawrence Nicholson, commander, III Marine Expeditionary Force, led the opening ceremony for Exercise Cobra Gold at the Royal Thai Naval Aviation Division, U-Tapao International Airport, Sattahip district, Chonburi province, Tuesday Feb. 13, 2018. They were joined by the ambassadors of Japan and the Republic of Korea and representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Exercise Cobra Gold is the one of the largest military exercises in the Indo-Pacific region. This is the 37th iteration of the exercise and is co-sponsored by the Royal Thai Armed Forces and the U.S. Armed Forces. The exercise represents the longstanding friendship between the Thai and the American people.

The objective of the exercise is to advance regional security and ensure effective responses to regional crises by bringing together a robust multinational force to address shared goals and security commitments in the Indo-Pacific region. Exercise Cobra Gold 18 supports a stronger military relationship between the Royal Thai Armed Forces and other nations.

This year, Exercise Cobra Gold has seven countries fully participating: Thailand, United States of America, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Republic of Korea and Singapore.

This year the exercise will take place from Feb. 13-23 and will focus on three major components; a Command Post Exercise (CPX), Field Training Exercise (FTX), and Humanitarian Civic Assistance (HCA) exercise.

Cobra Gold seeks to improve the capabilities of participating nations to plan and conduct combined and joint operations; build relationships among participating nations across the region; and improve interoperability over a range of activities, including enhancing maritime security and responding to large-scale natural disasters.