Royal Thai, US Marines practice entry methods

III Marine Expeditionary Force
Story by Cpl. Adam Miller

Date: 02.15.2014
Posted: 02.19.2014 00:58
News ID: 120794
Royal Thai, US Marines practice entry methods

BAN CHAN KREM, Kingdom of Thailand – Royal Thai and U.S. Marines conducted methods of entry training Feb. 15 at Ban Chan Krem, Kingdom of Thailand during Exercise Cobra Gold.

The purpose of the training was to demonstrate to Royal Thai Marine infantrymen and combat engineers the Marine Corps explosive ordinance disposal’s tactics, techniques and procedures for breaching an entryway.

“Today’s training was intended to show how EOD units prepare, construct and detonate some of their breaching charges and explain their underlying fundamentals,” said 2nd Lt. Christopher B. Snyder, a platoon commander with Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force. “Additionally, they went over how the breaching team is supposed to operate, including the roles and responsibilities of each member of that team.”

Exercise Cobra Gold is a multinational and multiservice exercise, which takes place annually in the Kingdom of Thailand and was developed by the Thai and U.S. militaries.

“We wanted the Thai Navy EOD members to train with us so we could show them some of our capabilities and what we do to employ explosive methods of entry,” said Sgt. Jakob W. Schulz, an EOD technician with 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III MEF. “We built a variety of explosive breaching charges to demonstrate for the other Marines and the Thais the variety of options and capabilities there are to breaching an entryway.”

The U.S. Marine Corps’ EOD mission is to support Marine operating forces, national security strategy, and force protection by locating, accessing, identifying, rendering safe, neutralizing, and disposing of hazards from foreign and domestic chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high yield explosives; unexploded ordinance; improvised explosive devices; and weapons of mass destruction that present a threat to operations, installations, personnel, or materiel, according to the Marine Corps Reference Publication 3-17.2C.

“It is important to (stay current) with the latest technology and application of that technology,” said Royal Thai Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Kemjaer Nakprom, an EOD technician. “(U.S. Marine Corps EOD) has a lot of experience and can teach us a lot. At the same time, we are here to hopefully teach them something too.”

Cobra Gold, in its 33rd iteration, is designed to advance regional security and ensure effective response to regional crises by exercising a robust multinational force from nations sharing common goals and security commitments in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Each unit that participated in the exercise brings something to the table,” said Snyder. “Whether it’s the Thai or (U.S. Marine) EOD teams, the infantrymen or the combat engineers, we all have something to offer and I think we can all get the job done better as a result of this type of training.”