RAYONG, Thailand – The joint multinational military Exercise Cobra Gold 2026, held annually in Thailand, has successfully concluded after two weeks of intensive training, humanitarian efforts and cultural exchanges.
The United States and Thailand co-hosted the 45th annual Exercise Cobra Gold, bringing about 8,000 troops from 30 nations together to participate in military training and humanitarian civic assistance projects from Feb. 24 to March 6. Cobra Gold allows allies to strengthen their partnership by working together and demonstrates the U.S. commitment to regional security in the Indo-Pacific.
“The region’s security is dependent upon and determined by all of us,” said Gen. Ukris Boontanondha, chief of Defense Forces Thailand.
Cobra Gold is the largest joint exercise in mainland Asia. It is a testament to the enduring U.S.-Thai alliance and a powerful platform for building partner military capabilities. The exercise exemplifies the U.S. commitment to advancing improvements in multinational speed of crisis response, mission effectiveness and combat capability.
“The U.S.-Thai alliance is one of America's oldest and most enduring defense partnerships,” said U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Sean K. O’Neil during the opening ceremony.
Washington National Guard and Thailand are partners in the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program.
O’Neil highlighted the partnership, saying, “Cobra Gold would not be possible without our Thai allies.”
This annual exercise, co-sponsored by the Royal Thai Armed Forces and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, brought together a robust multinational force to address shared goals and security commitments. Some of the partner nations were Thailand, the United States, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea and Singapore. Multiple other nations were limited participants or observers.
“What makes Cobra Gold 2026 unique is its the 45th iteration,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Prendergast, commander of the 40th Infantry Division, California Army National Guard. “It’s great to bring all these multinational players in to build partnership, readiness and regional stability.”
Cobra Gold 2026 included more than 15 training events with the goal of strengthening the partnership between the U.S. and Thailand, while also improving regional security by investing in readiness, posture and advanced capabilities to increase combined deterrence in contested environments.
The Cyber Exercise, or CYBEREX, was part of Cobra Gold that brought together more than 150 cyber personnel from eight participating nations, all working together against a fictitious enemy seeking to disrupt computer systems and gain the upper hand in combat.
A scenario simulated during CYBEREX involved coordinated cyberattacks shutting down an air defense radar and an electrical grid within moments. An air traffic control tower was overwhelmed in a distributed denial-of-service attack. Logistics were interrupted, the flow of information was staunched and a cruise missile slipped past and hit its target.
The opposing force for the exercise was made up of participants from all partner nations. They employed a curated set of recent, common exploits and attack types to replicate what cyber personnel may face in a real-world scenario.
“Tactical Cyber Operations have operational-level impact. It’s really important to translate tactical cyber operations into the operational level,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Paul Lucero, assistant director of operations, with 262d Cyberspace Operations Squadron, 252d Cyberspace Operations Group, 194th Wing, Washington Air National Guard. “If not, it’s cyber doing it for the sake of cyber, not to support the commanders’ mission.”
Lucero said this year's theme for the CYBEREX was integration, translation and realism.
“It's no longer a matter of if you will be breached,” Lucero said. “It is when.”
U.S. Army National Guard Capt. Antonio Montez, aviation liaison officer at Cobra Gold 2026, said the exercise presents an opportunity for U.S. service members to work jointly with national forces, leveraging each other's assets and expertise to overcome whatever problems are thrown at them.
“The benefit of being a Guardsman is that we have these long-standing relationships with a lot of the Thai military already from the state partnership exchanges,” Montez said. “Having these relationships already has us working with a good flow, and we can better overcome these problems that we encounter.”
Prendergast also enjoyed the engagement with the Royal Thai Armed Forces partners.
“They are welcoming, they want to build readiness and partnership. It’s just great to be with them on all the different events, from the [command post exercise] to the marine strike, to the amphibious landing, to the counter amphibious landing, our Thai partners have truly been wonderful to work with,” Prendergast said.
Exercise Cobra Gold 2026 reinforced the U.S.-Thailand alliance and demonstrated the collective commitment of 30 nations to a free and open Indo-Pacific through enhanced interoperability, rapid crisis response and shared humanitarian values. The enduring partnerships and friendships forged on the training fields and in the communities will continue to strengthen regional security and readiness for years to come.
Even as units return home in the coming days, military planners already are looking to Cobra Gold 2027 to continue building on this regionally important exercise. As Boontanondha said during the opening ceremony, “Cobra Gold 26 is more than just training, it’s forging everlasting friendships.”
Contributing to this report: Sgt. Matthew Sprowl and Spc. Christopher Chavero