A Thai Marine demonstrated how to handle a cobra to the US Marines during a jungle survival training as part of the Cobra Gold military exercise in Ban Chantaklem, Chantaburi in February 2020. (Photo by Royal Thai navy)

 

Hosted by Thailand for the past four decades, the Indo-Pacific multination war games known as Cobra Gold make headlines every year – not just for military affairs but also for their history, politics and wildlife conservation.

 

The upcoming Cobra Gold 2022 is in the news because it has been scaled down for a second year running and military-ruled Myanmar has been left out.

 

Formally launched in 1982, these wargames have their roots in 1956 when the Thai Navy and the US Marines held a joint amphibious landing to forge military ties between the two countries. The exercises back then were known as “Operation Teamwork”.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/cobra-gold-2022-scaled-down-and-no-cobra-sacrifices/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-02-21

 

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What does "soldiers slurping blood from decapitated snakes during Cobra Gold training"  have to do with wildlife conservation? Did they used to replace the heads after the blood slurping and let the snakes go?

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Formally launched in 1982, these wargames have their roots in 1956 when the Thai Navy and the US Marines held a joint amphibious landing to forge military ties between the two countries. The exercises back then were known as “Operation Teamwork”.

Very apt...