Capturing the Fury: Close-Up Photos of Asia’s Largest Joint Military Exercise, Cobra Gold
A total of 9,500 soldiers from 33 countries, including the U.S., South Korea, Thailand, and Japan and China, participated in the exercise, with the mission of "Protecting our own people from contingencies on the Korean Peninsula and in China and Taiwan!
During the exercise period, various training scenarios were conducted. One of them was the NEO (Non-combatant Evacuation Operation) carried out on March 3rd, with Japan taking a leading role. This operation involves safely evacuating one’s own citizens caught in conflicts or disasters abroad back to their home country, a mission considered crucial by all countries in the current climate of frequent terrorism and regional disputes.
In Japan, it’s referred to as “evacuation of Japanese nationals” and is stipulated in Article 84 of the Self-Defense Forces Law. The Central Readiness Regiment of the Ground Self-Defense Force, responsible for guiding evacuees, and the Air Support Group of the Air Self-Defense Force, operating transportation aircraft, specialize in this mission. Both units participated in this exercise.
In the event of contingencies on the Korean Peninsula or in the Taiwan Strait, the first challenge would be swiftly evacuating Japanese nationals from South Korea or Taiwan back to Japan. Transporting tens of thousands of people amidst conflict is no easy task, making cooperation with other countries indispensable.
While such training is conducted annually within Japan, “Cobra Gold” provides a more practical setting for its implementation, positioning it as a crucial aspect among the numerous multinational military exercises conducted throughout the year.
This time, about 250 members of the Self-Defense Forces from Japan, the United States, and Thailand, along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, participated. It’s unlikely that those fleeing for their lives would have their passports on them. Hence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also needs to practice methods of identifying individuals and issuing temporary passports. Additionally, the roles of evacuees were portrayed convincingly by Japanese volunteers residing in Thailand.
The highlight of the 11-day exercise was the live-fire exercise CALFEX conducted on March 8th. While primarily held between the US and Thailand, this year, the South Korean Marines participated. Surprisingly, after Japan, South Korea shows significant enthusiasm for participating in “Cobra Gold.” It seems that both the US and Thailand aspire to conduct multinational live-fire exercises in the future.
