More than 300 steps lead to the legendary 638 year-old Wat Phra That Doi Suthep over looking the city of Chiang Mai Thailand, location this year's Exercise Cobra Gold 09.
	Sgt. First Class Stephanie Carl, U.S. Pacific Command, learns how to husk rice from her counterpart Lt. Col. Saniroj of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, at the Huai Hong Khrai Royal Development Study Centre an initiative to improve the quality of life of the Thai people.

We have been here in Thailand for Exercise Cobra Gold now for almost three weeks.  This year's exercise, which runs from 4 February to 17 February, is taking place in the northern city of Chiang Mai, a beautiful mountainous city.  This year marks the 28th year of this exercise that brings U.S. and Thai military forces together to promote mutual understanding and to practice and validate procedures in forming an efficient and capable multi-national force staff and headquarters.

Thailand is one of our oldest friends.  For more than 175 years the U.S. has had ties with the Kingdom of Thailand.  In fact, the King of Thailand offered President Abraham Lincoln elephants to help cultivate the farmlands of a growing agricultural United States.

Exercise Cobra Gold 09 hosted five primary nations with participants from Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and U.S. military forces.   Additionally, observers and collation forces from more than 15 nations participated in CG09.  All in all, more than 11,000 participated in this year's exercise which included a staff exercise with a focus on advancing planning and execution of complex multinational operations.  The exercise also included a field training exercise that included the use of the Stryker Light Armored Vehicle, the first time this tactical vehicle has been introduced to Cobra Gold.

This dynamic exercise also included a UN Staff Exercise, a Global Peace Operations Initiative, Senior Leader's seminar, a Non Combatant Evacuation Exercise, and Humanitarian Civic Action projects that included the building of six engineering projects (schools and medical clinics) and seven medical capability exercises that provided medical, dental, and veterinarian services to hundreds of Thai citizens in locations throughout the Kingdom of Thailand.

Sharing of information and creating partnerships was the theme of CG09.  While this exercise provides an opportunity for all militaries to experience how the other forces use tactics, techniques and procedures, it also provides a rich environment to share personal accounts which develop mutual understanding of cultures.  Most importantly, we are collectively forging and in many instances re-forging friendships and partnerships with not only our Thai counterparts, but also with our Japanese, Indonesian and Singaporean counterparts.   It is this forging of friendships and partnerships at the individual level up through the ranks that will bear fruit down the road if we ever have to operate together in a real contingency.

Forging relationships provided the participants to learn about the beautiful culture of our host nation.  During our stay in Thailand, we had the opportunity to take a field trip to the Royal Development Study Centre of Huai Hong Khrai, one of six centers located throughout the Kingdom.  These centers, established by His Majesty the King, provide a one-stop-service where people can learn methods and techniques in various fields in order to learn occupational training which is appropriate for local conditions – each center serves as a living natural museum.

We also had the opportunity to visit one of the most important monasteries in Chiang Mai, the 638 year-old Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, located on a mountain top overlooking the city.  Here a dragon staircase with more than 300 steps leads to the sacred Wat where a relic of Budda is enshrined.

Exercise Cobra Gold demonstrates our collective ability to conduct combined/joint operations, which builds upon each nation's military forces strengths, but also demonstrates the strong and capable partners in this vital region.  The U.S. is committed to continuing these friendships and to maintaining stability and security in the Pacific region.

LTC Cynthia T