Thai-Cambodian conflict pits a well-equipped US ally against a weaker adversary with strong China links

Numbers favor Thailand

Thailand’s military dwarfs that of neighboring Cambodia, both in personnel and weaponry.

Thailand’s total of 361,000 active-duty personnel spread across all branches of the kingdom’s military is three times Cambodia’s. And those troops have at their disposal weaponry their Cambodian counterparts could only dream of.

“Thailand has a large, well-funded military and its air force is one of the best equipped and trained in Southeast Asia,” the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) wrote in its “Military Balance 2025” look at the world’s armed forces.

Meanwhile, a 2024 ranking of the military capabilities of 27 regional nations by the Lowy Institute places Thailand at 14th, to Cambodia’s 23rd.