We spoke with LTG Benjamin R. Mixon about this year's Cobra Gold exercise in Thailand. (Transcript is here.) Cobra Gold has been a tremendously important exercise for the US and our allies in Thailand for a long time now, but since the Tsunami of 2004 it has gained in regional importance. All the area's nations saw how much good could be done by the US military's approach to disaster relief, and Cobra Gold has often had a role to play in training for such relief since then. In 2008, when Burma was struck by a terrible storm, the heavy lift capacity we had in the area for Cobra Gold played a direct role in helping the people of that nation. Not only training for relief operations, but actually carrying out a relief operation became the order of the day. The exercise is also improving regional cooperation among the allies who watch over the Malacca Straits, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand are all present this year. I asked LTG Mixon if Malaysia -- the absent partner, but a nation that guarded its independence fiercely through the Cold War period, and continues to remain steadfastly apart from US military efforts -- had expressed any interest in attending in the future. He replied that indeed they have, and that there are some early talks underway. He thought that Malaysia was even sending observers this year, which is a highly positive sign. For the full interview, follow the transcript link above.
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Posted
Feb 04 2010, 10:01 AM
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