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.
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