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US-Thailand military exercises to go ahead despite coup
Washington Post - February 8, 2015
The Obama administration suspended military aid and exchanges with Thailand after the military coup in May. Thailand is still under martial law and its military junta has shown little willingness to relinquish power, but the US administration has decided to set aside political objections to the coup temporarily and proceed with the annual exercise, called Cobra Gold.
It is billed as one of the largest multinational military exercises in the world and has been jointly led by Thailand and the US for more than three decades. This year's version will feature about 13,000 troops from two dozen Pacific nations, including Japan, Indonesia and South Korea.
The Obama administration was reluctant to pull out, fearing it could jeopardise Washington's longstanding military ties with Thailand, an ally for nearly two centuries. It also worried that a break with Thailand would drive the generals closer to China, which is jousting with the US for influence in south-east Asia.
At the same time, US officials are wary of being seen as endorsing or co-operating with the Thai junta and its ruler, Prayuth Chan-ocha. In contrast to previous years, the Pentagon has downplayed its involvement in this month's exercise, which begins on Monday
Melinda Sweeney, an embassy spokeswoman, said US officials "decided this year to proceed with a significantly refocused and scaled-down Cobra Gold 2015 exercise, in light of the Thai military's ouster of the civilian government".
This year's exercise would place a greater emphasis on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, she said. A large-scale amphibious landing exercise had been cancelled, she added, though she acknowledged some live-fire training would still take place. The US troop contingent of 3600 is down from 4300 last year.
In the past, the Defence Department trumpeted Cobra Gold as one of its most important joint military exercises. Journalists were taken into the jungle to see survival training courses, with Thai instructors teaching US Marines how to drink cobra blood and eat insects.
The US military was also planning to proceed next month with another joint exercise with Thailand, known as Cope Tiger, Ms Sweeney said. Cope Tiger is an air exercise involving dozens of aircraft and air-defence units. About 160 US troops participated in the last Cope Tiger, in March 2014, at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base. The Singapore Air Force also took part.
The Obama administration reacted sternly at first last May when the Thai generals deposed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. It was the second military coup to take place in the country since 2006. US officials suspended about $US4.7 million ($6 million) in military aid, cancelled some small-scale exercises and halted an officer exchange program.
"While we value our long friendship with the Thai people, this act will have negative implications for the US-Thai relationship, especially for our relationship with the Thai military," Secretary of State John Kerry warned at the time.
The Pentagon, however, has been hesitant to cut ties. US military commanders prize the access they have to the Royal Thai Navy Air Field at U-Tapao, which has one of the longest runways in Asia.
Before the coup, US defence officials had worked hard to cultivate Thailand, culminating in a 2012 visit by then-Defence Secretary Leon Panetta to Bangkok, where he signed an accord to upgrade the military alliance.
Since the coup, US officials have tried to walk a fine line. Last month, a senior US diplomat, Daniel Russel, became the highest-ranking Obama administration official to visit Bangkok since the junta took charge. In a January 26 speech, he lauded the history of US-Thai relations but also criticised the generals for their undemocratic ways.
"I'll be blunt here," Russell said. "When an elected leader is deposed, impeached by the authorities that implemented the coup, and then targeted with criminal charges... the international community is left with the impression that these steps could be politically driven."
Mr Russell's remarks angered the junta, which demanded a formal explanation from the US embassy.
A few days later, the Thai generals issued a more pointed response. General Prayuth met China's defence minister in Bangkok, discussed how to expand military co-operation with China, and thanked him for "understanding the political situation in Thailand".
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