RAYONG, Thailand, Feb. 27 -- The humanitarian assistance and disaster reduction (HADR) exercise of Cobra Gold 2023 multinational exercise was kicked off in Rayong, Thailand, on February 24, involving troops from nine countries including China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
During the table-top drills that began on February 24 and 25, seven military and civilian experts from institutions like the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the International Red Cross, and the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA center), among others, gave lectures against the background of flood disaster caused by the tropical storm in a disaster-struck country, with all the participants being divided into eight groups at random.
The Chinese military had sent a 25-person contingent for the exercise, which was selected from a brigade under the PLA 75th Group Army. They will participate in engineering assistance events, HADR tabletop exercise and high-level forum, as well as live drills on first aid, fire rescue, etc. Prior to the exercise, the participating teams had undergone intensified training on more than 10 specialized courses, such as aerial rescue, water rescue, shaft rescue, medical service rescue and engineering construction.
It is learned that the joint exercise will last until March 10, and this marks the 10th consecutive involvement of the Chinese military at invitation since 2014.
