The United States may be backtracking on threats to move Southeast Asia's largest joint military exercise from Thailand in response to the military's takeover in May.
American soldiers, Thai officers and troops from five other countries participate in February’s Cobra Gold joint military exercise in Chanthaburi. The drill involved mock warfare on land, in the water and in the air as well as live-fire exercises. - Thanarak Khoonton
German press agency dpa reported Monday that the US has submitted a letter to Thailand's junta saying it will resume the Cobra Gold war games, based in Chon Buri, jointly with Thailand next year.
Thailand, however, has not yet responded to the letter, dpa said.
Thai Air Force Air Chief Marshall Prajin Juntong told Reuters in June that moving the exercise to Australia as the US military hinted at was "no problem at all."
"The Royal Thai Air Force trains with other international friends, including Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia," Prajin told Reuters.
Cobra Gold is an annual military exercise between the US and its Asian allies. It has been hosted by Thailand 33 times, most recently in February. Also participating this year were Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and, for the first time, the People's Republic of China.