United States Air Force in Thailand The United States Air Force deployed combat aircraft to Thailand from 1961 to 1975 during the Vietnam War . Today , USAF units train annually with other Asian Air Forces in Thailand . Royal Thai Air Force Bases are an important element in the Pentagon ' s " forward positioning " strategy . Vietnam War . During the Vietnam War , about 80 % of all USAF air strikes over North Vietnam originated from air bases in Thailand . At its peak in 1969 a greater number of Airmen were serving in Thailand than were serving in South Vietnam . Under Thailand ' s " gentleman ' s agreement " with the U . S . , the bases were considered Royal Thai Air Force bases and were commanded by Thai officers . Thai air police controlled access to the bases ; U . S . air police who helped them did carry guns . Command of the American units , however , remained with U . S . wing commanders and their Seventh Air Force / Thirteenth Air Force headquarters . Out of the Thai bases flew the most extraordinary air - combat team that had ever been assembled . At Udorn , just 40 minutes by air from Hanoi supersonic , unarmed RF - 101 and RF - 4C photo - reconnaissance jets launched and flew missions over target areas immediately before and after a raid to photograph the damage so assessments of attacks could be made . Udorn also hosted three squadrons of F - 4C / D & E Phantoms which flew escort , sweep , and Air Combat Patrol missions to protect other U . S . strike aircraft . From Korat , Takhli and Ubon came the Republic F - 105 Thunderchiefs and F - 4C and F - 4D Phantoms that actually delivered the bombs and also General Dynamics F - 111 s with terrain - following radar from Takhli . ( During the deployment of the F - 111s three crashed soon after arriving at Takhli and the F - 111 fleet was grounded to investigate the problem ) . From U - Tapao airfield on the Gulf of Siam , the largest airfield in Southeast Asia , came the Boeing B - 52 s and the four - engine Boeing KC - 135 Stratotanker refuellers that took to the air and refueled the aircraft just before and after they hit North Vietnam . From Takhli flew EB - 66 electronic - warfare jets with special equipment that can detect the " fingerprints " of enemy radar in the sky and then send out a signal that fouls up the screen below . Flying out of Takhli , F - 105s armed with radar - guided Shrike missiles had the job of knocking out SAM sites . Finally , from Nakhon Phanom came every pilot ' s best friend : the air - rescue - and - recovery team . Flying ungainly looking , green and brown HH43 and CH - 3 helicopters , or " Jolly Green Giants , " R . & . R . pilots had even gone into Hanoi ' s outskirts to rescue downed fliers . These are the major bases the USAF operated from in Thailand : The circumstances surrounding the creation of these bases and the American deployment is a long and complex tale . Its origins lie in the French withdrawal from Indochina as a result of the 1954 Geneva Agreement , nationalism and the Cold War . Lao Civil War . Throughout the 1950s , Laos had been embroiled in Civil War , and by the early 1960s , the conflict was threatening to spread into Thailand . Major fighting broke out in December 1960 and spread far enough to cause casualties among Thai civilians living along the Mekong River . The United States Embassy in Vientiane was burned to the ground and fighting raged in and around the city . Western governments recognized different leaders , with military aid being provided to the communist Pathet Lao forces by the Soviet Union . In December , the U . S . Air Attaché photographed a Soviet Il - 14 cargo plane transporting supplies to communist forces near Van Vieng . On 23 December , communist forces fired on an American VC - 47 passenger transport . The plane , which was carrying the Air Attaché , was struck by . 50 caliber rounds but was able to land safely . It was the first American aircraft in Southeast Asia to be fired upon . Thailand was a constitutional monarchy and traditionally maintained a pro - western stance in foreign affairs . The fighting in Laos was of great concern to the Thai government . The government feared that should Laos would fall to the communists , the " Domino Theory " would place the entire region , including Thailand , in jeopardy . Northeast Thailand housed a community of Vietnamese mixed in with Chinese throughout the country . Some of the Vietnamese wanted to move to communist North Vietnam , but they were not necessarily communist sympathisers . Indeed , attempts by North Vietnamese communists to organize the Vietnamese in Thailand were dealt with strongly by the Thai government . The Royal Thai Government began flying reconnaissance missions over Laos on 19 December 1960 with some RT - 33 photo jets . United States Pacific Command ( CINCPAC ) ordered American technicians to assist the Royal Thai Air Force in processing and analyzing the film . On 19 January 1961 , PACAF had identified 25 airfields , 49 lines of communication routes and 19 urban targets . A few weeks later , HQ USAF authorized the release of these photographs to the governments of Laos and Thailand . On 23 March 1961 Pathet Lao Anti - aircraft Artillery opened fire on an American C - 47 as it flew over the eastern portion of the Plaines des Jarres , shooting the plane down . It was one of the first USAF aircraft shot down over Indochina , and marked the beginning of combat action by the USAF from bases in Thailand . Origins of U . S . military presence in Thailand . The official American military presence in Thailand started in April 1961 when an advance party of the USAF 6010th Tactical ( TAC ) Group arrived at Don Muang at the request of the Royal Thai government to establish an aircraft warning system . Also in April 1961 , a small detachment of F - 102 " Delta Daggers " from the 509th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron , based at Clark AB , Philippines were sent to Don Muang under " Operation Bell Tone " . Their mission was to bolster the defense capabilities of the Royal Thai Air Force . For the next several years , a minimum of four F - 102 interceptors were kept on alert at Don Muang . Then in November 1961 , four RF - 101C reconnaissance aircraft of the 45th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron stationed at Misawa AB , Japan and their photo lab arrived at Don Muang . The RF - 101s were sent to assist Royal Thai AF RT - 33 aircraft in performing aerial recon flights over Laos . The RF - 101s stayed until May 1962 , then returned for a second deployment during November and December 1962 . These small detachments received logistical support from their home bases outside of Southeast Asia . Circumstances in the region , however , were leading to drastic changes in the US position . On 29 April 1961 , the Joint Chiefs of Staff instructed CINCPAC to move 5 , 000 troops and air elements to both Udon Air Base and Da Nang Air Base . It was believed these forces were going to take action in Laos . Also , in South Vietnam , the numbers of Communist insurgents continued to increase . More American military advisers were being dispatched to the country , but their reports indicted a need for stronger measures to be taken . In addition , one of U . S . President John F . Kennedy ' s advisers indicated the need for deterring guerrilla action in northeast Thailand was more pressing than affairs in Vietnam , and Thailand should take precedence . Vice - President Lyndon B . Johnson recommended that Thailand be given US $ 50 million in military aid . Two milestones occurred early in 1962 . The " Military Assistance Group in South Vietnam " was renamed U . S . Military Assistance Command , Vietnam ( MACV ) on 6 February . The other being a joint communication from Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Thai Foreign Minister Thanat Koman on 6 March in which the United States " firm intention . . . to aid Thailand , its ally and historic friend in resisting communist aggression and subversion " . As a result , the " Military Assistance Command , Thailand ( MACT ) " was set up on 15 May 1962 at Don Muang . On 23 July 1962 fourteen nations signed the Geneva Accords of 1962 which contained the following provisions : The treaty was signed the Soviet Union , South Vietnam , China , North Vietnam and the United States , among others . But North Vietnam continued moving heavy weapons into Laos to support the communist rebel Pathet Lao . Of the 10 , 000 North Vietnamese troops in Laos at the time of the agreement , 6 , 000 remained in the country in violation of the accords . In spite of the agreement , fighting continued in Laos , with North Vietnamese troops hidden in Pathet Lao - held areas . Near the end of August a USAF RF - 101 reconnaissance aircraft was fired on by radar - guided Anti - aircraft warfare ( AAA ) batteries while flying above the cloud cover . Both sides violated the Geneva Accords . Gulf of Tonkin Incident . On 31 July 1964 , the Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurred . It was a pair of alleged attacks by North Vietnamese torpedo boats on two American destroyers , the USS " Maddox " and the USS " C . Turner Joy " . The attacks supposedly took place in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam . As a result , President Johnson ordered additional forces to the area to support the government of South Vietnam . Additional USAF forces were dispatched to Thailand . This marked the beginning of large scale United States military operations in Southeast Asia . The " Secret War " in Laos . Thailand was a member of SEATO . While supposedly maintaining an air of neutrality , it was deeply concerned about the fighting in neighboring Indochina . Over the centuries , Thai governments had managed to avoid foreign domination with a policy of accommodation with the predominant power in Asia at the time . By 1965 , the increasing amount of American aircraft deployments to Thailand was jeopardizing policy . The Royal Thai government ' s desire to avoid publicity led to the formation of a policy to downplay the United States ' presence and not draw attention to its tactical air units in Thailand . This is why so little information about the USAF in Thailand was made public during the Vietnam War . Much of that information remains unavailable , being considered sensitive to the Thai government . The Thai government prohibited photographing of American personnel and military aircraft , with the exception of official archive photography taken for documentation and official release . American news agencies , such as United Press International and Associated Press , were prohibited from filing stories about American military activities . Attacks on US bases and personnel were suppressed and any personnel wounded during military action in Thailand did not receive recognition of or awards for their wounds . Military information officers were instructed that no mention was to be made of operations from Thai facilities , no names of bases were to be mentioned and no mention of operational activities were to be released . The report " Snakes in the Eagles Nest " gives a partial account of combat operations in Thailand during the Vietnam War . USAF combat sorties from Thailand flown into both North Vietnam and South Vietnam grew as the Vietnam War expanded in the 1960s . In addition , combat missions were flown aiding friendly forces in Laos and , starting in 1970 , Cambodia were also flown . The missions flown over Laos are today referred to as the Secret War . Although the existence of the so - called " Secret War " was sometimes reported in the U . S . , details were largely unavailable due to official government denials that the war even existed . The denials were seen as necessary considering that the US had signed agreements specifying the neutrality of Laos . US involvement in Laos was considered necessary because North Vietnam had effectively conquered a large part of the country and was equally lying in public about its role in Laos . Despite these denials , however , the Secret War was actually the largest U . S . covert operation prior to the Afghan - Soviet War , with areas of Laos controlled by North Vietnam subjected to three million tons of bombing , representing the heaviest U . S . - led bombing campaign since World War II . USAF withdrawal from Thailand . The United States ended its involvement in Southeast Asia by treaty and disengagement rather than by military victory . After the fall of Saigon in 1975 , relations between Washington and Bangkok turned sour . In May 1975 , the Royal Thai Government asked the United States to remove all of its combat forces ( 27 , 000 troops , 300 aircraft ) by 1976 . The USAF bases were closed and the last USAF personnel left Thailand in June 1976 . The removal of U . S . Military forces was accomplished by United States Marine Detachment BLT 1 / 9 out of Okinawa , Japan . After the Cold War . Starting in 1998 , the USAF returned to Korat RTAFB for " Cope Tiger " , an annual , multinational exercise conducted in two phases in the Asia - pacific region . Cope Tiger involves air forces from the United States , Thailand and Singapore , as well as U . S . Marines deployed from Japan . The flying training portion of the exercise promotes closer relations and enables air force units in the region to sharpen air combat skills and practice interoperability with U . S . Forces . Pilots fly both air - to - air and air - to - ground combat training missions . American pilots fly ( A - 10A / OA - 10A ) , F - 15C / D Eagles , F / A - 18C Hornets , F - 16C Fighting Falcons , E - 3B Sentry Sentry Airborne Warning and Control Systems ( AWACS ) , and KC - 135 Stratotankers . Royal Thai Forces fly F - 16 Fighting Falcons , F - 5E Tigers and Ground Attack L - 39 s Singapore forces fly Northrop F - 5 and F - 16 Fighting Falcons . Other Republic of Singapore Air Force aircraft types used on Cope Tiger include AS - 532 Cougar and CH - 47 Chinook helicopters Grumman E - 2 Hawkeye AEW aircraft , and Lockheed C - 130 Hercules tanker aircraft . More than 1 , 100 people participate , including approximately 500 U . S . servicemembers and 600 servicemembers from Thailand and Singapore . War on Terrorism . Thailand is an important element in the Pentagon ' s new strategy of " forward positioning , " establishing sites where United States forces can store equipment and from which they can come and go as needed . Despite Thailand ' s neutrality on the war in Iraq , the Thai government allowed U - Tapao RTNAF to be used by American warplanes flying into combat in Iraq , as it had earlier done during the war in Afghanistan . In addition , U - Tapao may be where Al Qaeda operatives have been interrogated , according to some retired American intelligence officials .