War Games in Paradise

[unhappycamper]

War Games in Paradise
February 19, 2009
GlobalPost.com|by Patrick Winn

HAT YAO BEACH, THAILAND -- Before the assault, this tawny-sanded coastline was at peace. In the hazy beyond, the USS Essex appeared only in silhouette.

Then came fighter jets, ripping the sky apart. And amphibious assault vehicles, tearing through the surf. And attack choppers and hovercraft until, finally, this stretch of shorefront belonged to several hundred heavily-armed U.S. and Thai marines.

As with every exercise in Cobra Gold, this dizzying military orchestra was a dress rehearsal. The largest annual display of American military strength on Asian soil, Cobra Gold gives U.S. and Thai troops two weeks to prepare for a slew of worst-case scenarios: weather crises and armed invasions among them.

Roughly 7,200 American troops, 4,000 troops from the Royal Thai Armed Forces and a smattering from Singapore, Japan and Indonesia participate in Cobra Gold, which ended Tuesday. The event has taken place since 1982 and continues a Thai-U.S. military friendship forged in the 1960s, when both countries fought against a communist sweep in Southeast Asia.

Among Cobra Gold's dozen-odd major exercises, few are more intense than the beach storming led by the Iraq-seasoned 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. In roughly one hour, about 500 U.S. and Thai troops proved they can transform a serene beach into an occupied battle zone.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/February-2009/war-games-in-paradise.html?col=1186032310810