Thailand’s annual Cobra Gold war video games have seen the largest attendance by the US in a decade. The international army exercise started yesterday and runs to March 10.
The unprecedented attendance by the US military is regarded as a part of Washington’s efforts to construct ties with a key security partner as geopolitical competition with China is on the rise.
According to Brunswick News, the Cobra Gold navy drill is the most important joint army exercise in Asia and involves 30 international locations. The drill has been working for greater than four decades. Now, greater than 6,000 US navy personnel might be attending the warfare games.
America’s envoy to Thailand, Robert Godec, says Admiral John Aquilino, the highest commander for the Indo-Pacific region can be collaborating, signalling renewed US-Thai security ties.
“Cobra Gold helps construct interoperability, advances our widespread interests, and serves as an illustration of our dedication to our allies and partners in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
Previously, Washington’s criticism of the 2014 coup by Prayut Chan-o-cha saw dwindling numbers of US navy joining the drills. But, this year’s attendance numbers present a strengthening of the Thai-US relationship.
Frugal , a lecturer at Thailand’s Naresuan University, says the rise in attendance is a significant growth. He says the US’ elevated attendance is part of Washington’s “dance” to balance its values and geopolitical pursuits with the rise of China.
“By rising the number of US troops back into Cobra Gold, this re-calibrates US-Thai relations extra on a par with China. So there’s extra of a hedging policy for Thailand in terms of attempting to create a stability between the 2 nice powers that matter most to Thailand.”
Currently, China is the largest source of annual overseas investments in Thailand and Chinese vacationers stay key to its tourism trade..g