By Chelsea Robin | 2026-03-04

More than 8,000 service members from 30 countries are participating in Cobra Gold across Thailand, the world's longest-running multinational military exercise and the largest of its kind in mainland Asia.

Established in 1982 as a US-Thai maritime drill, Cobra Gold is now in its 45th iteration and runs from February 24 to March 6. The Royal Thai Armed Forces and US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) are co-hosting the drill, with the United States contributing over 3,200 personnel.

Cobra Gold has evolved into a multinational, multidomain platform spanning land, sea, air, space and cyber domains.

Core full participants this year include Thailand, the United States, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea. Australia, China and India are joining selected activities.

Cobra Gold underscores the United States' and partners' longstanding alliance and shared commitment to a peaceful, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific region, according to US military officials.

Strategic signal

"Thailand is one of our oldest allies in the Indo-Pacific," said US Army Lt. Gen. Matthew W. McFarlane, the commanding general of America's First Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, at the start of the exercise in Rayong province, Thailand, in February. "Cobra Gold remains a powerful symbol of that enduring friendship."

"Cobra Gold provides a vital opportunity to strengthen interoperability, reinforce longstanding relationships and demonstrate our shared commitment to the Indo-Pacific," said US Navy Cmdr. Adam Peeples, commanding officer of Task Force Ashland, a forward-deployed force of US Marines and sailors aboard the USS Ashland, according to a statement.

Key training events include a complex amphibious assault, a dynamic combined-arms live-fire exercise, rigorous jungle warfare training and a noncombatant evacuation operation exercise, as well as a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear subject-matter-expert exchange. In addition, this year's joint military exercise expanded training to include space operations and enhanced cybersecurity drills.

"Here at Cobra Gold 26, we are sharpening the spear and honing the cutting edge of our combined military power," said US Marine Corps Lt. Col. Matt Bride, the commander of troops for Task Force Ashland, in the same statement.

"These alliances aren't just on paper -- they're built on the sweat and shared determination of our Marines, Sailors, partners and allies, creating an unshakeable foundation for regional security that potential adversaries will recognize."

Indo-Pacific tensions

Speaking ahead of the exercises, Thai Chief of Defense Forces Gen. Ukris Boontanondha noted the complex security challenges in the Indo-Pacific, including geopolitical tensions and confrontations in the South China Sea, the Bangkok Post reported January 27.

The drills remain necessary to address emerging threats, US Ambassador to Thailand Sean O'Neill said at the Cobra Gold 2026 opening ceremony.

"As the world changes, so must Cobra Gold," he said, according to the Bangkok Post. "We must always ensure Cobra Gold adapts to meet new challenges and improves the interoperability we need to defend our sovereignty and prosperity now, and in the future."

In addition to focusing on command and control, field exercises and humanitarian civil assistance, this year's joint military exercise expanded training to include space operations and enhanced cybersecurity drills.

"Cobra Gold has evolved from a bilateral field exercise into a multinational, multidomain platform integrating command post exercises and field training exercises, expanding into space and emerging domains, and increasing operational complexity," Thai naval Capt. Yuttana Sangma, Thailand's liaison officer to INDOPACOM, told Indo-Pacific Defense Forum.

"At its core, Cobra Gold remains an anchor of stability in the Indo-Pacific," he said. "It demonstrates that Thailand is a reliable and predictable partner, committed to long-term strategic alignment."

Space and cyber

The US Space Force (USSF) is involved in Cobra Gold for the first time.

Adding USSF guardians to Cobra Gold reflects operational necessity, the evolution of warfare and reinforces the US-Thai alliance, officials said.

"Integrating space into Cobra Gold enhances the exercise by educating Indo-Pacific partners on the operational role of the space domain during conflict," said Capt. Nicholas Braga, the USSF's Korea chief of future operations, in a Pentagon statement in March. "It also opens dialogue on how nations can responsibly develop and integrate space capabilities that contribute to regional stability."

Established in December 2019, the USSF is the US Air Force's newest military service. Guardians are tasked with organizing, training and equipping forces to protect the United States and allied interests in, from and to space.

"Most command and control systems rely on satellites and space-enabled networks," said USSF Maj. Jonathan Brydie, a military exchange program embed assigned to the Joint Force Space Component, Headquarters Joint Operations Command.

"Space superiority is now as vital as air superiority in modern conflict. Maintaining awareness of the space environment allows us to protect those systems and ensure the joint force can operate without disruption."

Additional participants

Cobra Gold's scale is reflected in the breadth of participating nations supporting the exercise at multiple levels.

Bangladesh, Canada and the Philippines are supporting operational planning and coordination as part of the Multinational Planning Augmentation Team.

Meanwhile, Germany and Vietnam are participating on the Combined Observer Liaison Team.