On 27 February 2024, General Songwit Noonpakdee, Thailand Chief of Defense Forces, Robert F. Godec, U.S. Ambassador to Thailand, and General Xavier T. Brunson, Commanding General of I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord Lieutenant, presided over the 43rd iteration Cobra Gold Opening Ceremony at the Royal Thai Naval Airbase, Royal Thai Air Fleet in Rayong province.

Cobra Gold is one of the largest and longest-running joint military exercise in Southeast Asia. It is co-hosted annually in Thailand by the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in order to enhance the capacity of the armed forces and to develop good military relations among participating countries. The exercises will be held from 27 February - 8 March 2024.

Seven countries are participating in the main drills this year – Thailand, the United States, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Malaysia. There is a total of 30 participating and observer countries with approximately 9,590 participating personnel. This year, the Thai and U.S. navies are currently undertaking a “light savage” of HTMS Sukhothai, which sank in the Gulf of Thailand in December 2022.