SAF Strengthens Multilateral Defence Ties at Exercise Cobra Gold 2026, held in Thailand

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) participated in Exercise Cobra Gold 2026 (XCG26) held in Camp Red Horse, Rayong Province in Thailand from 23 February to 6 March 2026. Co-hosted by the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) and the United States Indo-Pacific Command (US INDOPACOM), the multinational exercise also involved armed forces from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, and the Republic of Korea.

XCG26 focused on the conduct of multilateral joint-operations to deal with traditional and non-traditional threat scenarios, as well as the planning and coordination for a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operation. The SAF contingent, led by Chief Guards Officer/Commander, 21st Singapore Division, Brigadier-General Wong Pui Chuan, comprised 217 participants across all four services. Within the Multinational Combined Task Force, SAF participants undertook various roles, including key exercise appointments and planners, which provided them with various opportunities to exercise with foreign participating nations.

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) participated in the ship-to-shore serials of XCG26, alongside the navies of Thailand, United States and Republic of Korea. During the Command and Control segment of the Command Post Exercise for XCG26, personnel from the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) conducted Incident Handling and Response to defend a network from simulated cyber-attacks. In the HADR segment, SAF personnel assisted in the set-up of the Multi-National Coordination Centre to better coordinate a multi-national military response to a simulated disaster. In addition, a team of combat engineers from the Singapore Army participated in the multinational Engineer Civic Assistance Programme to construct a masonry building for Rak Muang Thai School in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

XCG26 is the 45th iteration in the series and is one of the largest multinational exercises in the Asia-Pacific region, promoting mutual understanding, friendship and professionalism amongst the participating armed forces. The SAF has been a full participant of XCG since 2000.