Keeping the peace is the priority. More than 200 personnel from Thailand, the United States and other countries gathered for the opening ceremony of the 44th Cobra Gold military exercises in Thailand with commanders saying readiness helps keep peace in the region.

“We share a goal in this region: to prevent war by remaining ready together,” said Gen. Ronald P. Clark, the commander of U.S. Army Pacific. “Preventing war requires many thanks, so thank you to Thailand for putting in the effort this year for the 44th annual Cobra Gold Exercise.”

Thailand is the U.S.’s oldest treaty ally in Asia and the Pacific and the two began holding Cobra Gold bilateral military exercises in 1982. Since then, the exercises have gone multilateral, expanding to include dozens of countries at times. Some have been participants, while others have been observers.

Cobra Gold is the largest joint and combined military exercises in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. Embassy in Thailand said they are “a concrete example of the strong alliance and strategic relationship between Thailand and the United States.”

While the trainings include amphibious landings and jungle survival techniques, their focus has shifted in recent years from combat drills to providing humanitarian and disaster relief.

Asia and the Pacific is the region with the highest number of natural disasters. The largest U.S. military operation in the Indo-Pacific region this century was the disaster relief provided to Indonesia by the U.S. Navy and Marines in 2005 in the aftermath of the Asian Tsunami.

“This year, Cobra Gold 2025 will focus on three primary events,” the U.S. Army website said. “A command-and-control exercise, humanitarian civic assistance projects and a field training exercise. Approximately 30 nations will participate either directly or as observers.”

“Cobra Gold is the longest-running international military exercise in the world,” said Robert F. Godec, U.S. Ambassador to Thailand. “It affirms the enduring Thai and U.S. security partnership and is a pillar of our commitment to the region.”