Thailand and the United States, alongside 28 partner nations, began Southeast Asia’s largest and longest-running military exercise, the 45th Cobra Gold, on Tuesday (24 February) in Rayong province, Thailand.
The exercise involves more than 8,000 personnel and focuses on Combined Joint All-Domain Operations, integrating land, sea, air, space, and cyber capabilities through both command post and field training exercises.
Officials emphasised the importance of space and cyber as critical dimensions of 21st-century security.
“This exercise will emphasise military capabilities in joint multi-domain operations consisting of land, sea and air, and importantly space and cyber. It will also focus on integrating knowledge and training methods to align with the current global situation,” Thailand’s Chief of Defence Forces, Ukris Boontanondha, said during the opening ceremony.
He later officially declared Cobra Gold 2026 open, with troops standing at attention against a backdrop of national flags.
“Cobra Gold Exercises demonstrate our commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and our partners and allies. You can interpret our presence here as our commitment to our strong partnership, especially with our Thai allies, and to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region,” Matthew McFarlane, commanding general of the U.S. Army I Corps, told reporters.
Cobra Gold 2026 was hailed as a clear demonstration of the enduring friendship between the United States and the Kingdom of Thailand.
Seven nations form the core participants of Cobra Gold 2026 are Thailand, the United States, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Malaysia.
Three additional countries - China, India and Australia - are also taking part in the exercises.
A further ten nations will rotate into activities under the Multinational Planning Augmentation Team (MPAT), including Bangladesh, Canada, Fiji, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand and the Philippines.
Ten countries will participate as observers through the Combined Observer Liaison Team (COLT): Brunei, Germany, Jordan, Laos, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
This year marks the 45th iteration of the exercise, which organisers emphasised is not ceremonial but a practical, scenario-based training platform designed to deliver real operational outcomes and reinforce U.S.-Thai military cooperation.
The exercise is intended to enhance interoperability, provide joint training with partner nations to address shared security threats, and support defence-industry employment in both Thailand and the United States.
The 45th anniversary coincides with the United States’ upcoming 250th Independence anniversary, with commemorative activities planned throughout 2026 in the United States, Thailand, and globally to underscore cooperation with allies and partners.
Organisers said the United States will continue strengthening partnerships under President Donald Trump, while promoting innovation and ushering in what they described as a new era of diplomacy.
The military drill is set to run until 6 March.
West Africa's Al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on military position...
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies...
Morocco booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada, ending the co-host's historic run in the tourna...
Kyrgyzstan’s ex-second in command, Kamchybek Tashiev, has been convicted of plotting to overthrow the country’s President Sadyr Japarov. Tashiev a...
Russia's Defence Ministry has said its forces are clearing the town of Lyman in Donetsk of Ukrainian forces, Moscow's state news agency Tass reported...
West Africa's Al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on military positions in Mali on Saturday (4 July) and said it had seized control of at least five of them.
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Morocco booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada, ending the co-host's historic run in the tournament.
Kyrgyzstan’s ex-second in command, Kamchybek Tashiev, has been convicted of plotting to overthrow the country’s President Sadyr Japarov. Tashiev and Japarov had ruled the Central Asian nation in tandem since 2020, until the former was unexpectedly ousted in February.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has raised its forecast for the rapid emergence of a strong El Niño, warning the climate pattern is likely to drive higher global temperatures and intensify extreme weather in the months ahead.
India is investigating a data breach at Tata Electronics that exposed sensitive documents linked to Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, marking the government's first public comments on the incident.
International politicians and religious leaders have paid respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei throughout the day, ahead of his six day funeral ceremony which begins on Saturday. His casket is currently on display at the Iman Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
Germany has requested urgent talks with China's ambassador following reports that Chinese authorities trained Russian soldiers, adding fresh strain to relations between Beijing and Europe amid the war in Ukraine.
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
West Africa's Al Qaeda affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on military positions in Mali on Saturday (4 July) and said it had seized control of at least five of them.
Russia's Defence Ministry has said its forces are clearing the town of Lyman in Donetsk of Ukrainian forces, Moscow's state news agency Tass reported. Meanwhile, Russian attacks killed at least six people across three Ukrainian regions on Friday, regional officials said.
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to use next week's NATO summit in Ankara to advance his push for greater European responsibility in security, with a bilateral meeting planned with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as Paris seeks closer coordination with key allies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on the 250th anniversary of American independence, saying Russia and the United States share a special responsibility for maintaining global security as the world's two largest nuclear powers.
China said on Saturday it had launched a coast guard patrol east of Taiwan, prompting a strong protest from Taipei, which accused Beijing of illegally expanding its authority and undermining regional stability.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment