Bangkok - Cobra Gold, an annual Thai-US military exercise involving more than 11,000 troops, kicked off Wednesday in northern Thailand, marking nearly 30 years of the joint manoeuvres.

"Cobra Gold is unparalleled in preparing our militaries for the real-world priorities of peace support, stability and reconstruction, humanitarian assistance, and combat operations," US deputy chief of mission James Entwistle said in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand.

Thailand and the US have held joint military exercises for the past 28 years, demonstrating the importance the US places on the kingdom as a strategic partner.

This year's exercise will involve 7,000 US soldiers and 4,000 Thai troops from the army, navy and air force.

The exercise, which has taken on peacekeeping operations in recent years, will also include troops from Singapore, Indonesia and Japan as well as observers from a dozen other countries.

"This week, Thai, American, Singaporean, Indonesian and Japanese service members will take part in a staff planning exercise designed to enhance skills needed for peace and stability operations," Entwistle said.

"This is especially important in an age where all of us have growing commitments to the United Nations to support peace operations," he added.

During the first week of the exercises, Thai, US, Japanese, Singaporean, and Indonesian specialists will undertake humanitarian projects to assist Thai citizens in Chiang Mai, Tak and Sukhothai provinces.

Elsewhere, Thai and US forces plan to conduct more conventional military exercises using equipment from the US, which is the main supplier for the Thai military.

"This will include live fire and maneuver training involving US Army Strykers and US Marine Corps Light Armored Vehicles," Entwistle said. "Naval forces will train together in the Gulf of Thailand." (dpa)