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| US Marines come ashore during an amphibious assault Exercise |
By Prashanth Parameswaran
Asia’s largest annual multinational military exercise kicks off.
On Tuesday, the United States and Thailand kicked off the 2016 iteration of the annual Cobra Gold military exercises – Asia’s largest multinational drill – amid lingering concerns by Washington about its ally’s democratic future.
Royal Thai Army Supreme Commander, General Sommai Kaotira, and U.S. Ambassador to Thailand, Glyn Davies, launched the 35th iteration of the annual exercise – which began as a bilateral drill between Washington and Bangkok – at the Royal Thai Navy Command Center in Sattahip district in Chonburi province.
According to a statement by the Thai government, this year 8,564 personnel from seven nations – United States, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea – are participating in the exercise, with a further 21 nations participating in reduced roles as is customary. Nine other countries participated in multinational planning while nine others sent observers.
Read the full story at The Diplomat