Training with the Royal Thai Army during Cobra Gold 17

By Spc. Brandon Fox, Company A, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment

I'm surprised at the level of training here in Thailand and with the Thai Soldiers’ level of knowledge. Our experience here has been more of a critique and coaching method instead of something from the ground up such as the crawl, walk, and run method. The Thai military training isn't too different than ours. It's more as if our training complements each other because their training model is so similar.

Two Royal Thai Army soldiers rappel from a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter Feb. 15, 2017, Thailand. This was part of Exercise Cobra Gold 17, the largest Theater Security Cooperation exercise in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.  (U.S. Army photo by Major Kelly Haux)

 I've enjoyed the training because of the opportunity to learn from each other and see each other, the U.S. and the Thai Soldiers, from a different point of view. In that way, this type of training is good in building relations with our allies. None of us knows what the future holds or what is right around the corner and this type of training with other nations helps us prepare for an uncertain future. 

A Royal Thai Army Soldier treats a simulated sucking chest wound Feb. 15, 2017, Thailand.   Cobra Gold 17 emphasizes coordination on civic action, such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, seeking to expand regional cooperation and collaboration in these vital areas. (U.S. Army photo by Major Kelly Haux)

If I were to tell other soldiers what to expect to learn or take away from this type of training experience with a foreign military it would be to, first enjoy the unique experience. You'll never have or rarely have another opportunity to train in another country and with their military forces. 

Secondly, always go into the training with an open mind and be open to what your counterparts can teach. 

Lastly, keep up the enthusiasm for training. That type of energy feeds off of each other; we're not here to prove anything to the Thai Soldiers but to show each other what we do. That type of enthusiasm is easily seen here when all of us are working together and supporting one another as Soldiers – you can see it in the Thai soldiers and how enthusiastic they are to train with Americans.

Spc. Fox, sitting at the driver's seat of a humvee during Cobra Gold 17

What do you think? Do you have any experiences related to the above topic? Let us know in the comment section.