Marines with Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, exit an amphibious assault vehicle during an amphibious assault rehearsal for exercise Cobra Gold 2013, Feb. 13. The amphibious assault combined the capabilities of Company A, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, and Royal Thai Marines in a bilateral attack. Exercise Cobra Gold is an annual event that includes numerous multilateral exercises ranging from amphibious assaults to non-combatant evacuations. The training aims to improve interoperability between the United States, Kingdom of Thailand, and many other participating countries. The 31st MEU is the only continuously forward-deployed MEU and is the Marine Corps’ force in readiness in the Asia-Pacific region.