Cobra Gold

  • Thailand News

    Cobra Gold military exercise introduces Muay Thai training

    Cobra Gold, the annual joint military exercise, kicks off today, and for the first time, it will feature Muay Thai training as an essential component. The decision is an integral part of the government’s strategy to elevate the Thai martial arts as a symbol of the nation’s soft power. The Defence Ministry announced that the 43rd iteration of Cobra Gold…

  • Thailand News

    Thai and US navies kickstart mission to salvage sunken HTMS Sukhothai

    A joint military exercise between the Thai and US navies initiated a challenging mission yesterday, involving a squad of 49 divers to salvage the sunken HTMS Sukhothai over 19 days. The operation is part of the Cobra Gold military exercise hosted in Prachuap Khiri Khan. Admiral Adoong Pan-iam, the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) commander-in-chief, visited the mission base, the US…

  • Thailand News

    US deploys over 4,000 for Cobra Gold 2024 military drills in Thailand

    A deployment of over 4,000 personnel aboard the USS Somerset and USS Miguel Keith is on the horizon for the upcoming Cobra Gold 2024, a joint military exercise taking place in Thailand from February 26 to March 8. The American soldiers form a significant part of the 9,590-strong contingent from 30 nations participating in these annual drills. The announcement came…

  • Thailand News

    US Army officer dies during Cobra Gold military exercise in Thailand

    UPDATE The US Army officer who was found dead at a Thai army camp in Lop Buri province, central Thailand, on Tuesday morning has been identified as 37 year old Maj. Andrew Cotter. Cotter was taking part in the multinational military exercise Cobra Gold. Yesterday, US and Thai officials said that no foul play was suspected. Superintendent of Mueang Lop…

  • Hot News

    Thailand’s Cobra Gold war games sees largest US attendance in decade

    Thailand’s annual Cobra Gold war games have seen the largest attendance by the US in a decade. The international military exercise started yesterday and runs to March 10. The unprecedented attendance by the US military is thought to be part of Washington’s efforts to build ties with a key security partner as geopolitical competition with China is on the rise.…

  • World News

    Thailand says Myanmar observers will not participate in Cobra Gold exercises

    Myanmar military observers will not participate in this year’s 41st Cobra Gold military exercise, which will take place from February 20 to March 5, according to Lt Gen Chitchanok Nujjaya, Director of Joint Operations. He said the decision was made by both Thailand and the US since there was not enough time to prepare for Myanmar’s participation. Although there were…

  • Thailand video news

    Thailand News Update| Pork prices to lower while oil prices to rise

    A tale of two different inflation trends today in Thailand.Firstly, the prices of food staples…. pork, chicken and eggs…. are poised to drop as this years Chinese New Year celebrations wind up… this according to the Internal Trade Department.The director-general told the media yesterday that prices, especially for pork, chicken and eggs, would be expected to decline now that Chinese…

  • Thailand video news

    Thailand News Update | Thailand to target Saudi tourists to Pattaya

    Around 2,500 travellers flew into Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday… the first day of the rebooted Test & Go program. The passengers arrived on 46 different flights. Just some quick maths suggests that’s around 54 people per flight… glad I’m not running those airlines.Most of the arrivals came from Malaysia and Singapore, and a few from European destinations as well.To be clear,…

  • Thailand News

    Cobra Gold military exercise downsized this year due to Omicron spread

    Thailand’s annual Cobra Gold military exercise, where Thai soldiers train the US and other foreign troops on jungle survival skills, is being scaled down this year due to the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The large, multinational military exercise has been known for its snake decapitating demonstration where soldiers drink the fresh blood from the headless snake before…

  • Events

    Cobra Gold expected to be back to normal by 2022

    The military exercise known as Cobra Gold is expected to be back to it’s normal size by 2022. This massive joint military training operation between Thailand and the United States has been scaled down due to concerns over Covid-19. The exercise is one of the longest running military training events in the world that is has been held annually since…

  • Thailand News

    No drinking of snake blood at this year’s Cobra Gold military exercise, PETA says

    The controversial practice of decapitating snakes and pouring the blood into soldiers’ mouths is apparently no longer part of the jungle survival training for US and other foreign troops at Thailand’s annual Cobra Gold military exercise. PETA, or the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has been calling for an end to the snake blood exercise and the killing…

  • Thailand News

    Pattaya prepares for around 2,000 US soldiers to visit for Cobra Gold

    Despite Thailand’s record high Covid-19 count, around 1,000 to 2,000 United States soldiers are still expected to travel to Thailand in August for the annual Cobra Gold multinational military exercise, which is co-sponsored by the US. Thai soldiers teach American and other foreign soldiers jungle survival skills, from identifying edible plants to decapitating snakes, drinking the blood, and then cooking…

  • Thailand News

    PETA calls for Thai and US militaries to stop killing animals in Cobra Gold training

    Animal rights activists are urging PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to stop the practice of soldiers drinking snake blood and killing live animals during the Cobra Gold multinational training exercises which are held in Thailand and co-sponsored by the United States. PETA, or the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, also filed a petition with the US government to stop the…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | More Thai Airways debt, Korean soldier, TripAdvisor warning | November 12

    Today’s Thailand News Today coming to you from the 17th floor of The Thaiger Bangkok offices. Thai Airways adds another 21.5 billion baht in debt in Q3 report Thai Airways has accumulated more losses, on top of a decade of annual losses, for the latest quarter. At the moment the national airline’s debt is four times higher than last year’s…

  • Covid-19 News

    Thai health officials investigate South Korean military officer Covid-19 case

    Thai health officials are trying to determine how the South Korean military officer, who tested positive for Covid-19 after returning home from Thailand’s annual Cobra Gold training, became infected with the virus. So far, it’s a mystery. Local health authorities investigating the case are asking South Korean authorities for more information about the officers whereabouts to figure where exactly the…

  • Events

    US ships arrive for Cobra Gold 2020

    Ships from the US Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) have arrived in Thailand in preparation for Exercise Cobra Gold 2020. Cobra Gold is a multi-country war game conducted every year in Thailand. Cobra Gold 2020 will be held starting Tuesday and run to March 6. Rear Admiral Fred Kacher, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 7, had this to say: “Working with…

  • Thailand News

    Cobra Gold troops drink blood from decapitated cobras in annual jungle ceremony

    Thailand and US military forces have joined in the opening ceremony for the annual Cobra Gold military exercise. Cobra Gold is the largest biggest military exercise of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region with 29 nations taking part as participants or observers. The military activities will run until February 22, including disaster relief training, military field training and humanitarian assistance…