LOPBURI, Thailand – Royal Thai 1st Special Forces Division and U.S. Special Operations Detachment – Pacific (SOD-P) attended a Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) Joint Planning Process (JPP) course before exercise Cobra Gold 24 in Lop Buri, Kingdom of Thailand, Feb. 19 through Feb. 22, 2024.

The JSOU JPP course focused on aspects of special operations forces’ (SOF) integration for Cobra Gold 24. The JPP determines how to use military capabilities in time and space to achieve objectives within an acceptable level of risk.

“JPP allows a commander and the staff to analyze a situation, assess what the mission is and then put on paper what each of the subordinate units have to do in order to accomplish the mission,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kyle Brown, source intelligence analyst assigned to SOD-P. “We’ve really been able to come together and focus on the mission.”

Kingdom of Thailand soldiers saw JPP from an operational level for the first time.

“Normally we use JPP at the tactical level,” said Lt. Khunanon Kumchan, assigned to Royal Thai 1st Special Forces Division. “It’s good to focus on the operational level because it’s a much bigger picture and more complicated, but it’s good that we trained with the U.S. because they have a lot of experience to share.”

The JSOU JPP course was important to Thai and U.S. SOF participants, helping to understand each other’s missions and goals.

“We can’t separate into Thai only and U.S. only,” said Kumchan. “When we come together we can have a shared understanding of what we’re doing here, and it’s that shared understanding that helps us work towards our goals.”

There were some challenges while operating in a classroom environment but both the Thai and U.S. forces were able to synergize and work together.

“The communication barrier can be difficult to overcome,” said U.S. Army Col. Dave Coughran, commander of SOD-P. “However, time and proximity ultimately leads to synergies. We’re excited to apply those during the exercise itself.”

The U.S. remains committed to the Kingdom of Thailand, promoting military-to-military relations, as well as advancing interoperability and coordination with the Royal Thai Armed Forces, to promote

regional security and stability.

“Working together is very good because we can strengthen ourselves and our allies for bigger, more complex objectives,” said Kumchan. “We can continue to build our friendship and partnership that way.”

Joint Exercise Cobra Gold, now in its 43rd year, is a Thai-U.S. co-sponsored training event that builds on the longstanding friendship between the two allied nations and brings together a robust multinational force to promote regional peace and security in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.