30 nations join Cobra Gold 2026 to strengthen military ties in Thailand
2026-02-25 - 06:53
RAYONG — Thailand and the United States on 24 February 2026 officially opened the 45th edition of the annual Cobra Gold joint military exercise at U-Tapao Naval Airfield in Ban Chang district, Rayong, with more than 8,000 personnel from 30 countries taking part. The opening ceremony at 09:00 was co-chaired by General Ukrit Boontanon, Thailand’s Chief of Defence Forces; US Ambassador to Thailand Sean K. O’Neill; and Lieutenant General Matthew McFarlane, Commanding General of America’s First Corps. Ambassadors and senior representatives from Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan and Malaysia also attended. Cobra Gold, the largest multinational military exercise in mainland Asia, is co-hosted annually by the Royal Thai Armed Forces and US Indo-Pacific Command. This year marks a “heavy year” format, with seven full participants: Thailand, the United States, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia. China, India and Australia joined as additional participants. Key leaders with the U.S. Army and Royal Thai Armed Forces conduct the opening ceremony for Exercise Cobra Gold 2026 on Camp Red Horse, Rayong, Thailand, Feb. 24, 2026. The U.S. and Thailand hosted the 45th annual Cobra Gold from Feb. 24 to Mar. 6, with 8,000 troops from 30 nations participating in military training and humanitarian projects. The exercise strengthened regional partnerships and demonstrated U.S. commitment to Indo-Pacific security. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Isabella Mancini – U.S. Embassy Bangkok) Ten countries are taking part under the Multinational Planning Augmentation Team (MPAT) framework — Bangladesh, Canada, Fiji, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand and the Philippines — while another 10 countries joined the Combined Observer Liaison Team (COLT), including Brunei, Germany, Jordan, Laos, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. The main exercise runs from 23 February to 6 March 2026. This year’s concept focuses on Combined Joint All Domain Operations (CJADO), integrating command post exercises (CPX) and field training exercises (FTX) through a central Operations Center. The drills cover land, maritime and air operations, with expanded emphasis on space and cyber domains, including geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) and signals intelligence (SIGINT). Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations remain a key component. One of the major activities is a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Demonstration (HADR DEMO), aimed at enhancing multinational rapid disaster response capabilities. The demonstration includes participation by search and rescue dog units under the K9 USAR Thailand team. Photo – U.S. Embassy Bangkok In a Facebook post, the US Embassy in Bangkok said Cobra Gold 2026 strengthens peace through shared strength with allies and partners, enhances interoperability, integrates advanced technologies and improves readiness to address future challenges across the Indo-Pacific region.