When Signaller Naris Suwanmuk was called into an office by his troop commander, he feared he had done something wrong.

But within weeks the 24-year-old battlespace communications specialist from the 3rd Combat Signal Regiment was flying to Thailand, tasked to be a linguist for an ADF deployment on Exercise Cobra Gold.

“I was surprised, but they saw on PMKeys [the ADF personnel management system] I could speak Thai,” he said.

“They are delighted to have me here because as a Thai-Australian, son of Thai immigrants, I have that knowledge and background. I know what is being an Aussie and the Army, but with a Thai background as well.”

Signaller Suwanmuk, whose family migrated to Australia from a town on the northern Thai-Laos border, said his family’s pride in his service had grown since being told about his critical role as a linguist in the Indo-Pacific region’s largest military exercise.

“I always wanted to be in the military as a kid growing up in Canberra, influenced subtly by my family who were in the Thai military,” he said.

“My uncle and my dad were both in the Thai armed forces, but what led me to actually join was finding that purpose, having discipline and doing something that was greater than yourself; being part of an organisation that is bigger than yourself.”

He said Cobra Gold had gone some way to exploring that purpose.

“As a Thai person, they [Thais] see that firstly, and that creates trust because they know they can talk and interact with a fellow Thai. And, secondly, they see [that] me and my dual language can be a key bridge,” Signaller Suwanmuk said.

“Cobra Gold has been an opportunity to build interpersonal relationships and use my existing Thai language skills to build those relationships and make a difference by bridging the gap.”