A U.S. Navy Landing Craft Air Cushion, or LCAC, carries ground vehicles toward Hat Yao beach in Chonburi, Thailand, as part of an amphibious assault drill for Cobra Gold on Feb. 26, 2026. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
HAT YAO, Thailand — Dozens of amphibious vehicles, ship-to-shore vessels and other landing craft swarmed a remote beach in Thailand on Thursday, the first major drill of the 45th Cobra Gold multinational military exercise.
As amphibious vehicles approached the shore, pre-set pyrotechnics exploded, while other waterborne vehicles deployed smoke screens, simulating battlefield conditions. Once ashore, swarms of U.S. Marines — along with their Thai, Singaporean and South Korean counterparts — stormed the beach.
The amphibious landing was the first large-scale drill of this year’s Cobra Gold, which officially kicked off Tuesday with an opening ceremony in nearby Rayong province.
South Korean marines gather on Hat Yao beach in Chonburi, Thailand, following an amphibious assault drill for Cobra Gold on Feb. 26, 2026. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
Two Thai armored wheeled amphibious vehicles approach Hat Yao beach in Chonburi, Thailand, as part of an amphibious assault drill for Cobra Gold on Feb. 26, 2026. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
The annual exercise, led by the U.S. and Thailand, brings together approximately 8,000 troops from 30 countries, according to a Wednesday news release from U.S. Army Pacific. Other major participants include Indonesia, Japan and Malaysia.
“Our nations share a commitment to stability, prosperity and a peaceful region where all nations can thrive,” said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, I Corps commander, in the release. “This exercise is a testament to that commitment. It shows the world that we stand together.”
Among this year’s highlights are new levels of cyber warfare training, Gen. Ukris Boontanondha, Thailand’s defense forces chief, said in the release.
Though not immediately obvious to onlookers at Hat Yao beach, new technologies were also deployed during Thursday’s amphibious landing, a staple event for Cobra Gold.
The assault included the first integration of a U.S. Army multi-domain task force space system, deployable tech used to monitor communications signals throughout the approximately six-hour event, said Andrew Emslie, space integrator for Pacific Multi-Domain Training Experimentation Capability, or PMTEC.
“When you talk about electromagnetic warfare, an adversary would be looking to deny our capabilities — our ability to talk, communicate, all that kind of stuff,” he told Stars and Stripes from Camp Red Horse after the event.
U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters land on Hat Yao beach in Chondori, Thailand, during a Cobra Gold amphibious assault exericse on Feb. 26, 2026. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
Amphibious armored personnel carriers from the United States, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea deployed smoke before landing on Hat Yao beach in Chonburi, Thailand, Feb. 26, 2026. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)
The system detects interference and helps determine whether it’s friend or foe, allowing users to then tackle the situation appropriately — either asking an ally to cut communication or identifying the source of an enemy signal — Emslie said.
Cobra Gold began in 1982 as a maritime exercise by the U.S. and Thailand. Since then, it’s evolved to cover nearly all aspects of warfare and is considered the longest-running international military exercise in the world, according to U.S. Army Pacific.
“Thailand is one of our oldest allies in the Indo-Pacific,” McFarlane said in the release. “Cobra Gold remains a powerful symbol of that enduring friendship.”
