By Sgt. Rory Featherston
CHIANG MAI PROVINCE, Kingdom of Thailand (Feb. 19, 2013) -- As a rapidly deployable headquarters element, U.S. Army Pacific's Contingency Command Post, based at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, is capable of providing command and control of small-scale contingency operations at any location throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
During this year's exercise Cobra Gold 2013, scheduled Feb. 11-21, the Contingency Command Post, or CCP, plays a significant role in the daily operations of the staff planning exercise held in Chiang Mai province, Kingdom of Thailand.
According to Command Sgt. Maj. Frank M. Leota, U.S. Army Pacific, the benefit of using the CCP during the exercise is that the U.S. is able to share its assets and work in unison with all of the participating countries -- ultimately increasing the interoperability between partner nations should a real-world contingency occur.
A few scenarios planned for during the STAFFEX are humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, noncombatant evacuation operations and consequence management.
"We know the importance of producing a product that is professional and engaging our friends, partners and allies to ensure that when we do work together (during a crisis), it's under one common goal and one bond," said Leota.
U.S. involvement in Cobra Gold 13 demonstrates commitment to building military-to-military interoperability with participating nations and to supporting peace and stability in the region.
"We try to build partnerships with the different countries that we go out to, letting them know we are here for them if they need us," said UMaster Sgt. Anthley D. Cook, noncommisioned officer-in-charge of the communication and information center at the CCP.
Cook added that through a multitude of community relations events and subject-matter-expert exchanges, the U.S. is able to reinforce its commitment to the prosperity of its regional partners.
Cobra Gold 13 includes humanitarian and civic assistance projects, a staff exercise and field training exercises. Joint and multinational training is vital to maintaining the readiness and interoperability of all participating military forces.