U.S. wants joint military drill with Korea, Japan
Published: 03 Feb. 2010, 22:04
The United States military is seeking to organize a trilateral military drill with Korea and Japan.
In a teleconference from Bangkok, Thailand, Lt. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, commander of the U.S. Army, Pacific, yesterday told reporters that Korean military forces will get more chances to join future joint exercises following Korea’s first participation in a multilateral military drill called “Cobra Gold 2010” which is taking place in Thailand.
“We have had discussions with the Korean ground and Japanese Self-Defense Force in organizing multilateral or trilateral military exercises in order to better deal with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” Mixon said.
“There has been interest shown concerning the trilateral exercise and we are also awaiting some ideas and information from both of the armies. We intend to move forward on that as soon as we can.”
Cobra Gold, an annual multilateral military drill co-sponsored by the United States Pacific Command and the Royal Thai Armed Forces, began in 1981. It aims to ensure regional peace and reinforce the ability of Thai forces to defend Thailand or other regional contingencies. The drill, which started on Monday, lasts for 11 days.
“Obviously, Korea is an influential power in the region and we are thrilled to have Korea taking part in this joint exercise for the first time this year,” Mixon said. “It is a good sign that the Korean military is realizing it is an important power that can contribute to building peace and stability within the region.”
Korea, which had been an observer of the Cobra Gold since 2002, has deployed 187 combat marines and 146 seamen as well as a 2,600-ton Korean-made landing ship and eight Korean assault amphibious vehicles for this year’s exercise.
Japan, Singapore and Indonesia also sent forces to take part. An additional 14 countries were observers.
By Lee Min-yong [[email protected]]
In a teleconference from Bangkok, Thailand, Lt. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, commander of the U.S. Army, Pacific, yesterday told reporters that Korean military forces will get more chances to join future joint exercises following Korea’s first participation in a multilateral military drill called “Cobra Gold 2010” which is taking place in Thailand.
“We have had discussions with the Korean ground and Japanese Self-Defense Force in organizing multilateral or trilateral military exercises in order to better deal with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” Mixon said.
“There has been interest shown concerning the trilateral exercise and we are also awaiting some ideas and information from both of the armies. We intend to move forward on that as soon as we can.”
Cobra Gold, an annual multilateral military drill co-sponsored by the United States Pacific Command and the Royal Thai Armed Forces, began in 1981. It aims to ensure regional peace and reinforce the ability of Thai forces to defend Thailand or other regional contingencies. The drill, which started on Monday, lasts for 11 days.
“Obviously, Korea is an influential power in the region and we are thrilled to have Korea taking part in this joint exercise for the first time this year,” Mixon said. “It is a good sign that the Korean military is realizing it is an important power that can contribute to building peace and stability within the region.”
Korea, which had been an observer of the Cobra Gold since 2002, has deployed 187 combat marines and 146 seamen as well as a 2,600-ton Korean-made landing ship and eight Korean assault amphibious vehicles for this year’s exercise.
Japan, Singapore and Indonesia also sent forces to take part. An additional 14 countries were observers.
By Lee Min-yong [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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