A decade later, the United
States staged bombing raids and rescue missions over North Vietnam and Laos from Thailand.
During the Vietnam War, up to 50,000 U.S. troops were based on Thai soil, and U.S. assistance
poured into the country to help Thailand fight its own domestic communist insurgency.11 Thailand
also sent troops to South Vietnam and Laos to aid U.S. efforts. The close security ties continued
throughout the Cold War, with Thailand serving as a solid anti-Communist ally in the region.
More recently, Thai ports and airfields played a crucial role in maintaining the flow of troops,
equipment, and supplies in both the 1991 and 2003 Iraq wars. In 2003, President George W. Bush
designated Thailand as a “major non-NATO ally,” a distinction which allows Thailand to receive more U.S. foreign aid and military assistance, including credit guarantees for major weapons
purchases.12