Exercises Military Diplomacy

[Bilingual] China and Thailand to Hold 'Strike-2026' Joint Army Training

【双语】中泰将举行“突击-2026”陆军联训

PLA Daily (解放军报) 9 May 2026

Summary

The PLA and Royal Thai Army will conduct their eighth iteration of the bilateral 'Strike' joint training exercise in Thailand in late May 2025, focusing on mountain and jungle counter-terrorism operations with mixed teams training in combat casualty care, unmanned equipment operation, and live-fire shooting. The exercise continues an established pattern of PLA Army engagement with Southeast Asian partners under a counter-terrorism framework and provides incremental evidence of PLA efforts to build interoperability with ASEAN militaries, though the announcement contains no new doctrinal or capability signals beyond prior iterations.

Translation

On the afternoon of May 9, Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, Deputy Director of the Ministry of National Defense News Bureau and Ministry of National Defense Spokesperson, released information on recent military-related matters.

Jiang Bin: In mid-to-late May, the China-Thailand "Strike-2026" joint army training will be held in Thailand. This joint training focuses on the subject of joint mountain and jungle counter-terrorism operations, with both sides forming mixed teams to conduct training in subjects including combat casualty care, unmanned equipment operation, and live-fire shooting. This is the 8th time the two countries' armies have held this series of joint training, aimed at continuously deepening bilateral friendship and cooperation and enhancing joint counter-terrorism operational capabilities.

Jiang Bin: China-Thailand Strike 2026 joint army training will be held in Thailand in mid-and-late May. Focusing on the theme of Joint Counter-terrorism Operations in Mountains and Jungles, Chinese and Thai troops will form mixed teams to train on such subjects as combat casualty care, operating procedures for unmanned equipment, and live-fire shooting. Strike 2026 will be the eighth iteration of its kind between the two armies, which aims to continuously deepen bilateral friendship and cooperation, and enhance the troops' capabilities in joint counter-terrorism operations.

Original Chinese

5月9日下午，国防部新闻局副局长、国防部新闻发言人蒋斌大校就近期涉军问题发布消息。蒋斌：5月中下旬，中泰“突击-2026”陆军联合训练将在泰国举行。此次联训以山地丛林联合反恐为课题，双方混合编组进行战场救护、无人装备操作、实弹射击等课目训练。这是两国陆军第8次举行该系列联训，旨在不断深化双方友谊合作，提升联合反恐行动能力。 Jiang Bin:China-Thailand Strike 2026 joint army training will be held in Thailand in mid-and-late May. Focusing on the theme of Joint Counter-terrorism Operations in Mountains and Jungles, Chinese and Thai troops will form mixed teams to train on such subjects as combat casualty care, operating procedures for unmanned equipment, and live-fire shooting. Strike 2026 will be the eighth iteration of its kind between the two armies, which aims to continuously deepen bilateral friendship and cooperation, and enhance the troops' capabilities in joint counter-terrorism operations.