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3rd MLG Marines, sailors depart

US Marine Corps News

1/21/2011 By Lance Cpl. Kris B. Daberkoe , Marine Corps Bases Japan

NAHA PORT, Okinawa — Personnel and equipment from 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, were loaded on a high speed vessel and departed from the Naha Military Port en route to the Kingdom of Thailand Jan. 18, where they will participate in Exercise Cobra Gold 2011 next month.

Cobra Gold ’11 is an annual Thai/U.S. co-sponsored joint and multinational exercise. Participating nations include Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea and Malaysia.

The focus of the training evolution is to maintain and improve military-to-military relationships among the U.S. and the other countries participating in the exercise.

For a small contingent of personnel aboard the HSV, Cobra Gold ’11 presents a unique set of missions. These 80 service members, from various elements of 3rd MLG, will form a combined joint civil military operations task force and will be working with their multi-national counterparts to conduct nine different medical and dental civic assistance projects.

“The purpose of the medical civic assistance projects are to build a rapport with (our allies) and increase stability throughout the region,” said Chief Petty Officer Mercedes Hargrove, chief petty officer-in-charge of medical civic action projects for Cobra Gold ‘11.

“The medical civic assistance projects are just one part of the overall picture,” said Cmdr. Steven Kriss, group surgeon, Headquarters Company, Combat Logistics Regiment 37, 3rd MLG and officer-in-charge of the group’s medical civic assistance projects during Cobra Gold ‘11. “It is important that our militaries learn to work with each other, and train for the day our services are needed to answer a call for help.”

This year will mark the 30th iteration of Cobra Gold, which also consists of a staff exercise and field training exercise events.

The CJCMOTF is scheduled to conduct humanitarian civic aid projects in the Khon Kaen, Tak, Chantaburi, Lampang and Pichit provinces in Thailand.

The exercise is scheduled to take place Feb. 7-18.