RAYONG PROVINCE, Thailand (Feb. 29, 2024) - Army Chaplain (Capt.) Songkran Waiyaka, battalion chaplain for the 53rd Transportation Battalion of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, demonstrates the lotus pose at the Wat Noen Pha, Feb. 29, 2024. Before commissioning as an Army chaplain, Waiyaka served as an ordained Buddhist monk for more than 20 years. Waiyaka returned to his native Thailand to participate in Joint Exercise Cobra Gold 2024 (CG24). CG24 is a Thailand and United States co-sponsored exercise conducted annually in the Kingdom of Thailand. CG24 will be held from Feb. 27 –
RAYONG PROVINCE, Thailand (Feb. 29, 2024) - Army Chaplain (Capt.) Songkran Waiyaka, battalion chaplain for the 53rd Transportation Battalion of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, demonstrates the lotus pose at the Wat Noen Pha, Feb. 29, 2024. Before commissioning as an Army chaplain, Waiyaka served as an ordained Buddhist monk for more than 20 years. Waiyaka returned to his native Thailand to participate in Joint Exercise Cobra Gold 2024 (CG24). CG24 is a Thailand and United States co-sponsored exercise conducted annually in the Kingdom of Thailand. CG24 will be held from Feb. 27 – Mar. 8, 2024, with seven full participants (Thailand, United States, Japan, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia), three limited participants (Australia, India, and China), and ten Multinational Planning Augment Team (MPAT) participants. Cobra Gold is an important element of the United States and participating nations’ regional military-to-military engagement efforts to maintain readiness and increase the capability, capacity and interoperability of partner nations while simultaneously reinforcing commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
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Keywords: .., 2024, army, buddhism, buddhist, chaplain, cobra, exercise, gold, joint, thailand
