• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

CTF 76 Deploys for Cobra Gold 2006

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060512-02
5/12/2006

By Journalist 3rd Class Adam R. Cole, Task Force 76 Public Affairs

WHITE BEACH NAVAL FACILITY, Okinawa (NNS) -- Ships and units of Commander, Task Force (CTF) 76 with embarked elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) left here May 5 for the multinational U.S.-Thai joint exercise Cobra Gold 2006 to be held in the Kingdom of Thailand, May 15-26.

USS Patriot (MCM 5) and embarked personnel from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5, Detachment 51, started toward Thailand as well after a brief port visit in Brunei.

The 25th iteration of Cobra Gold, named for the snake that is ever-present during survival training in the Thailand jungle, is set to integrate five countries: the United States, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Japan. In addition to the five main participating countries, the Royal Thai government has invited several nations to participate in various roles during the exercise. The following countries have been invited: Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, China, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Russia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tonga, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam.

The exercise is meant to promote regional peace and foster interoperability between participating nations. Featured operations include a computer-simulated staff exercise and numerous field training exercises, as well as a sweeping array of humanitarian/civic assistance projects and exercise-related construction projects. U.S. forces will work one-on-one with Royal Thai Armed Forces in the field; Singapore will join the two nations and all five countries will participate in the computer-simulated peace-keeping scenario.

“Exercise Cobra Gold 06 is an example of the CNO’s (Chief of Naval Operations) vision of the '1,000 ship Navy.' Operating with five of our key Asian partners and participating in a multinational exercise demonstrates our collective ability to react rapidly, as a multination coalition, in response to a crisis situation,” said Rear Adm. Victor G. Guillory, commander, Amphibious Force, U.S. 7th Fleet, whose staff will conduct the command post exercise and whose naval assets will provide the sea-based platform for Navy and Marine Corps training. “This and other exercises we conduct in the region strengthen our partnerships with other nations, and provides well-skilled forces in response to contingencies and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.”

Multinational humanitarian efforts in response to the December 2004 Indonesian tsunami were much more efficient and effective due to the strong ties developed as a result of this annual exercise, said Guillory. This type of unified effort will be even stronger in the future, he added.

A key component of this year’s exercise is the Global Peace Operations Initiative. Its goal is to train and equip 75,000 peacekeepers worldwide by the year 2010. A portion of the field training and computer simulations will focus on this element.

In addition to the training, Sailors of CTF 76 ships participating in the exercise will have the opportunity to participate in community service projects at schools in Rayong and Canterbury. There, Sailors will perform renovation tasks for the schools, interact with students, and deliver school supplies and clothing gathered from their respective crews.

Also part of Cobra Gold 06, Royal Thai Navy (RTN) and U.S. Navy Seabees will partner to build a pavilion at a health clinic in Rayong. Overseeing the project is CTF 76 Reservist Lt. Cmdr. Dana Partridge, whose civilian occupation is plant manager for Guardian Industries Rayong. Guardian is supplementing manpower and overhead costs to complete the project. Partridge and his company completed a similar project in 2005, when Seabees of both countries overhauled and restored a lunch facility at a Rayong school.

“This exercise offers a dynamic arrangement of opportunities to build even closer ties with our allies while providing a tremendous opportunity for civic assistance,” said Guillory. “I have full confidence that our Sailors and Marines, like they have done so many times before, will act as dignified ambassadors of this task force, this Navy and this nation throughout the exercise.”

Task Force 76 is the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious force and is headquartered at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, with an operating detachment in Sasebo, Japan.