Blue Strike, a joint military exercise kicked off by China and Thailand

Blue Strike is the name of joint military exercise conducted by the Chinese (People’s Liberation Army Navy) and Thai navies (Royal Thai Navy) . It has been held 4 times in 2010, 2012, 2016, and 2019. The first three were joint drills in the Chinese and Thai marines. In 2019, the training was upgraded to joint naval training. This video will take you through two joint training sessions in 2016 and 2019.
 
The “Joint Strike-2016” China-Thailand marines joint training got underway at Sattahip naval base on May 21. At the opening ceremony of the joint training, Chinese marines demonstrated military skills such as cudgel and long knives, while Thai marines presented a Muay Thai performance. Revolving the theme of joint humanitarian relief actions of Chinese and Thai marines, this drill involved joint amphibious training in counter-terrorism scenarios, evacuations in conflict-affected areas, disaster relief, tactical maneuver, and cooperative communication, among other subjects. More than 1000 personnel participated in the exercise.
 
China-Thailand “Blue Strike-2019” joint exercise was held in Thailand from May 2nd to 8th. The joint training exercise consisted of two phases: mixed professional training and comprehensive actual-combat exercise. It involved 7 ships, and more than 1,000 officers and soldiers from China and Thailand. The exercise featured many activities, including teaching demonstrations, tabletop exercises, recreational and sports activities, ship tours, etc.; more than 10 joint training courses on maritime practice were completed.
 
In addition to joint training, soldiers of the two countries also took part in many cultural and sports activities, such as basketball, football, and tug-of-war. The “Blue Strike” joint drills have improved the tactical skills of both sides, and deepened the friendship between the Chinese and Thai navies as well.