Thailand to host US-led military exercise

BEIJING - The US-led annual multinational exercise Cobra Gold 2012, the largest such military endeavor in the Asia-Pacific to date, is due to start in Thailand on Tuesday.

The 10-day exercise, which will involve around 13,000 military personnel from 17 nations, is designed to advance regional security among "nations sharing common goals and security commitments in the Asia-Pacific", according to the US military.

Full participating nations include Thailand, the US, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia.