SAF wraps up Cobra Gold military exercise in Thailand

SINGAPORE – Nearly 250 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) servicemen across the air, sea, land and digital services joined the armed forces of several other countries in an 11-day military exercise in Thailand.

During Exercise Cobra Gold, the SAF, led by Chief Guards Officer Wong Pui Chuan, who is also commander of the 21st Singapore Division, carried out training drills dealing with traditional and non-traditional threats, as well as the planning and coordination for a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operation.

The exercise was held from Feb 25 to March 7 in Thailand’s Korat province. Other participating armed forces included those of Thailand, the US, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea.

This marked the first time that the Republic of Singapore Navy’s Endurance-class landing ship tank RSS Endeavour worked alongside the navies from South Korea, the US and Thailand in conducting ship-to-shore manoeuvres.

Meanwhile, personnel from the Digital and Intelligence Service took part in a cyber defence exercise, which involved defending a network from simulated cyber attacks, said the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) in a statement on March 7.

A team of combat engineers from the army also participated in a multinational Engineer Civic Assistance Programme, constructing a multipurpose building for a school located in another province some 188km away.

The SAF has taken part in Exercise Cobra Gold – one of the largest multinational exercises in the Asia-Pacific region – since 2000.

Co-hosted by the Royal Thai Armed Forces and the US Indo-Pacific Command, 2025’s iteration marks the 44th time the exercise has been conducted, with Mindef describing it as “promoting mutual understanding, friendship and professionalism amongst the participating armed forces”.