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| USS Denver LPD-9 (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Bradley J. Gee Amphibious Squadron 11 Public Affairs
GULF OF THAILAND (NNS) -- Austin-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Denver (LPD 9) completed its participation in Cobra Gold 2014 (CG 14) in the Gulf of Thailand, Feb. 16.
CG 14 is a Thai and U.S. co-sponsored multinational exercise conducted annually to promote interoperability and training amongst participating nations. Other nations involved were Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Republic of Korea and Malaysia.
"CG 14 prepares these nations for joint operations with allied forces and familiarizes them with how the U.S. naval forces operate," said Lt. Kwame Ofori, the Denver operations officer. "It builds also on strategic partnerships in the Pacific Fleet and the Seventh Fleet Area of Responsibility."
Denver's participation included sending military planners to a Pre-sail conference at Sattahip Naval Station in Thailand for coordination, which provided an opportunity for nations conducting the exercise to get together and go over a strategy for the sequence of events.
Denver Sailors attended an icebreaker reception, hosted by the Royal Thai Navy, where Sailors from participating nations interacted and were able to get acquainted.
"The Ice-Breaker provided a more relaxed atmosphere filled with entertainment, food, and a chance to further interact with our counterparts from the other countries," said Ofori.
Marines assigned to Combat Assault Battalion Amphibious Assault Vehicle General Support Platoon participated in a coordinated amphibious assault demonstration with the Royal Thai and Republic of Korea navies, consisting of the launch of eight amphibious assault vehicles to secure exercise objectives on the beach.
Denver Sailors, led by Lt. Bethany God and Chief Damage Controlman Carlos Gonzalez, hosted an academic training session for all other participating nations on the flight deck that involved Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) training.
Three Denver Sailors embarked on a Royal Thai Navy landing craft, mechanized (LCM) vehicle during an evolution to observe operations and work with their Thai Navy counterparts.
"The exercises were very successful and I believe that all who participated learned a lot from one another and garnered a greater appreciation for each other's militaries," said Ofori. "Two enlisted Sailors and an officer from the Denver cross-decked on the Thai LCM to conduct training before Denver recovered the LCM in her well."
The 33rd iteration of Cobra Gold was Denver's last time participating in the exercise. Denver, the oldest deployable warship in the U.S. Navy, is scheduled to be decommissioned later this year.