Photo By Tech. Sgt. Emerson Nunez | Joint multinational space component command members from the U.S., Australia,...... read more read more
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Joint Exercise Cobra Gold, long a cornerstone of U.S. military engagement in the Indo-Pacific, is expanding into the space domain with a multinational staff effort to enhance interoperability and strengthen regional partnerships.
“The goal is to establish a joint, combined, joint multinational component command specifically for space,” said U.S. Army Maj. Garry Stratiev, the 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force U.S. Army Pacific, space operations planner. “It's comprised of eight countries in this piece, and on the U.S. side, we have multiple services, including the Army, Air Force, Space Force, as well as the Navy.”
The countries that are participating fully in the joint multinational component command are the U.S., Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, and Japan.
Exercise Cobra Gold is a longstanding symbol of the U.S.-Thai defense alliance.
The exercise demonstrates a steadfast commitment to enhancing the critical
capabilities and readiness required to address the full spectrum of security challenges in
the Indo-Pacific together.
Over the last 16 years, the nations represented at Joint Exercise Cobra Gold have worked together for the common good to respond to many real-world challenges and crises in the region.
The integration of space capabilities into Cobra Gold reflects the growing recognition of space as a critical operational domain.
“It is an absolute necessity to be able to inform our allies and partners of how we organize ourselves in terms of the space domain in the U.S., and also how we conduct operations,” said U.S. Space Force Maj. Moises Rendon, U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific, Strategy and Plans division chief. “One of our goals is to make sure they have a baseline understanding of the military decision-making process and enough of an understanding of how we integrate space into that planning process.”
This year’s exercise marks the third year the U.S. Space Force has participated in the exercise. Each year, more space components and capabilities are added as the understanding of how space operations and the decision-making process are established.
A key objective is to empower partner nations to develop their space capabilities.
“A lot of countries we've talked to are still setting up their space operations, so they're absolutely interested in partnering up and further enhancing their capabilities, expanding their opportunities to integrate space, and learning how we do it, to set up their programs,” Stratiev said.
Once allies and partner nations establish their space programs, they can take what they learned from working with the U.S. Space Force and build their programs to match the U.S., leading to increased interchangeability and interoperability between nations.
The integration of space operations underscores the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“A free and open Indo-Pacific doesn't just mean that military piece; It also impacts economics, and especially because the Indo-Pacific has one of the largest economies and the most countries involved, we must be able to provide those capabilities free and open to all of our partners and everybody that might need it,” Rendon said. “Space operations are critical to everyday life, and we are helping everyone by showing them how to keep vital systems in place.”
The space component of Cobra Gold reinforces the “peace through strength” approach by fostering multinational cooperation and sharing expertise.
“I think by us working together with our allies and partners in the region, we can further enhance the capabilities we can provide and make it known,” Stratiev said. “The goal is always for us to enable our partners, and in this case, Thailand. It's a Thai lead exercise, and we're just here to do our best to allow them to experience more space operations.”
Through Exercise Cobra Gold, the U.S. and its partners are building enduring relationships and enhancing their ability to operate seamlessly across the space domain, ensuring a more secure and stable Indo-Pacific region.
| Date Taken: | 03.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.05.2025 01:36 |
| Story ID: | 492035 |
| Location: | KORAT, TH |
| Web Views: | 142 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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