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| US Military Deploys 6,000 Troops To Thailand For Asia's Biggest War Games |
International Military - The United States (US) military has deployed about 6,000 troops to Thailand for joint war games with various countries, Friday. The Indonesian military took part in the Cobra Gold war games, one of the largest joint maneuvers in Asia.
Now in its 42nd year, Cobra Gold brings together thousands of troops from the US, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia for multi-day training. Washington has been seeking to strengthen military alliances in the Asian region in the face of China's increasingly assertive military behavior.
US, Thai and Bangkok troops launched a joint amphibious operation near a naval base in eastern Thailand, where fighter jets roared overhead and tanks rumbled in the sand.
Military personnel from Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan also took part in the maneuvers which included Air Force, Army and Navy exercises and featured jungle survival courses.
With about 6,000 troops, the size of the US delegation is four times the number they are sending to similar war games in 2022.
Last month, the United States and the Philippines agreed to resume joint patrols in the disputed South China Sea, and struck a deal to give US troops access to four more military bases in the Philippines. South Korea and the United States recently also supported joint military exercises after a year of weapons tests by North Korea. The planned joint drills have angered Pyongyang, which sees them as rehearsals for invasion.
"While we all speak [with] different languages, we are united by common bonds in our pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is the essence of Cobra Gold," US Marine captain Jonathan Coronel told reporters. (4/3/2023).
"Thailand, US and South Korea: we have good cooperation in the region," said Cherngchai Chomcherngpat, commander of the Royal Thai Navy. "It's very important to train together... If there is tension in this area, we know each other."