Royal Thai Army Explained

Unit Name:Royal Thai Army
Native Name:Thai: กองทัพบกไทย
Start Date:8 May 1874 (years)
Country: Thailand
Type:Army
Role:Land warfare
Size:245,000[1]
Command Structure:Royal Thai Armed Forces
Garrison:Royal Thai Army Headquarters, Ratchadamnoen Avenue, Bangkok
Garrison Label:HQ
Nickname:"ทบ." "Thor Bor" Abbreviation of Army
Motto:เพื่อชาติ ศาสน์ กษัตริย์ และประชาชน ("For the Nation, Religion, Monarchy, and People")
Colours:Red and yellow
March:มาร์ชกองทัพบก (Army March)
Anniversaries:18 January
(Royal Thai Armed Forces Day)
Commander1: General Charoenchai Hinthao
Commander1 Label:Commander-in-chief
Identification Symbol Label:Royal Thai Army Flag
Identification Symbol 2 Label:Unit colour
Identification Symbol 3 Label:Aircraft symbol

The Royal Thai Army or RTA (Thai: กองทัพบกไทย;) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces.

History

See main article: Military history of Thailand.

Origin

The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's sovereignty. The army was formed in 1874, partly as a response to new security threats following the 1855 Bowring Treaty with Britain, which opened the country for international trade.[2]

Current

In modern era, the army has a long history of coups d'état and coup attempts. Its leadership continues to see coup-making as one role of the army.[3] [4] [5]

On 22 May 2014 the army deposed the government, appointed military officers to the national assembly, and on 21 August 2014 they elected the army's Commander in Chief, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, as prime minister. The general retired October 2014[6] to concentrate on political reform which he said would take at least a year, following which he promised national elections would be held.[7]

The existence of an information warfare unit participating in a cyber campaign against government critics was leaked to the public in late February 2020.[8] In 2020 Twitter shut down a network of accounts which were engaged in information warfare. According to Twitter "Our investigation uncovered a network of accounts partaking in information operations that we can reliably link to the Royal Thai Army (RTA)."[9] The operation had targeted the political opposition within Thailand. The Thai Army denied that they had been involved in the disinformation operation.[10]

Army components and control

See main article: List of Commanders of the Royal Thai Army.

The number of army generals is unclear. One point of comparison: as of 1 November 2019, the US Army had 322 general officers[11] for a force of 471,990 troops.[12] Saiyud Kerdphol is Thailand's oldest general, a veteran of World War II and Korea who retired in 1983 as supreme commander. During his tenure, general officer numbers were based on the number of troops under their command., only 150–200 four-star generals occupy command positions. Speaking on the topic of army manpower, Saiyud declared that, "Everybody being a general is unbelievable. Full generals don't have a seat to sit in or a job to do."[13]

Command and control

The commanders-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army (ผู้บัญชาการทหารบกไทย) is considered the most powerful position in the Royal Thai Armed Forces.[14] With effect from 1 October 2023, the commander will be General Jaroenchai Hintao.

Structure

The army is organized nationally into four army areas:

The creation of the 15th Infantry Division was announced in January 2005.[18] Defence Minister, General Samphan Boonyanan, was quoted as saying that the new unit, dubbed the "Development Division", would not be a combat unit for fighting Islamic militants, but rather its main mission would be to assist local citizens and develop the region. The military will not ignore its general function of providing safety for the citizens of the region, he added. He said that troops for the new division would undergo training to give them a good understanding of local residents, the vast majority of whom are ethnic Malay Muslims. The division is in fact a transformation of the Pranburi-based 16th Infantry Division. It will now be headquartered at Fort Ingkhayutthaborihan in Pattani, complete with its battalions and companies of military police and communications and aviation personnel, he said. It will also have three separate infantry battalions, one each in Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat. Each battalion will include three companies of medical, engineering, and psychological warfare personnel, he said. The government will allocate a budget of more than 18 billion baht for the division over the next four years.[19]

The 15th Infantry Division is being established as a permanent force to handle security problems in the Deep South. The division is based in Pattani and is expected to have a combined force of around 10,000. The establishment of this new division, approved by the government in 2005, has yet to be completed. As of this writing, some 7,000 troops deployed in the Deep South are affiliated to this division."[20] In 2012, two new combat formations had been approved by the thai government. The new 7th Infantry Division is based at Mae Rim, near Chiang Mai, and the new 3rd Cavalry Division is based at Khon Kaen.[21]

Tactical units

The army is organised into the following formations:

The Army Tactical Level Advanced Simulation (ATLAS) is an interactive, distributed, constructive simulation used to conduct military Command Post Exercises (CPX). ATLAS displays a continuous terrain model, incorporates HLA 1516, and displays 1:250,000 and 1:50,000 maps and satellite imagery. ATLAS was developed between 2002 and 2005 through co-operation with the Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC).

Army Medical Department

See main article: Phramongkutklao Hospital and Phramongkutklao College of Medicine. Army Medical Department (AMED) (Thai: กรมแพทย์ทหารบก) belongs to the service segment of the Royal Thai Army. It is in charge of medical affairs, and providing medical care, both in the field and on base, training personnel in research and agriculture and supervising the other medical divisions within the Royal Thai Army.

AMED observed 111 years of service in January 2011,[22] with 110 years of service having been honoured by issue of a series of commemorative stamps.[23] AMED operates Phramongkutklao Hospital in Bangkok and Ananda Mahidol Hospital in Lopburi, along with smaller hospitals at each fort, as well as Phramongkutklao College of Medicine (PCM).

Air Division

Royal Thai Army Aviation Center (Thai: ศูนย์การบินทหารบก) belongs to the service segment of the Royal Thai Army Areas:

Military districts

The army is divided into districts, whereby the first digit of the district indicates the army (first, second, third or fourth) responsible for its supervision. The names of forts are from locations or influential figures in Thailand's history. These are as follows:

Military district numberProvinces under controlHeadquarters location
11Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut PrakanLaksi, Bangkok
12Prachinburi, Nakhon Nayok, ChachoengsaoFort Chakraphong, Prachinburi
13Lopburi, Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang ThongFort King Narai Maharat, Lopburi
14Chonburi, RayongFort Nawaminthrachini, Chonburi
15Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri KhanFort Ramratchaniwet, Phetchaburi
16Ratchaburi, Samut Songkhram, Samut SakhonFort Phanurangsi, Ratchaburi
17Kanchanaburi, Suphan BuriFort Surasi, Kanchanaburi
18Saraburi, Phra Nakhon Si AyutthayaFort Adisorn, Saraburi
19Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi, TratFort Surasinghanat, Sa Kaeo
21Nakhon Ratchasima, ChaiyaphumFort Suranari, Nakhon Ratchasima
22Ubon Ratchathani, Amnat CharoenFort Sapphasitthiprasong, Ubon Ratchathani
23Khon Kaen, KalasinFort Sripatcharin, Khon Kaen
24Udon Thani, Nong KhaiFort Prachaksinlapakhom, Udon Thani
25Surin, SisaketFort Weerawatyothin, Surin
26Buriram, Maha SarakhamFort Somdej Chao Phraya Kasatsuek, Buriram
27Roi Et, YasothonFort Prasertsongkhram, Roi Et
28Loei, Nong Bua LamphuFort Srisongrak, Loei
29Sakon Nakhon, Bueng KanFort Kritsiwara, Sakon Nakhon
210Nakhon Phanom, MukdahanFort Phra Yod Mueang Khwang, Nakhon Phanom
31Nakhon Sawan, Kamphaeng Phet, Uthai ThaniFort Chiraprawat, Nakhon Sawan
32LampangFort Surasak Montri, Lampang
33Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, LamphunFort Kawila, Chiang Mai
34PhayaoFort Khun Chueang Thammikkarat, Phayao
35Uttaradit, PhraeFort Phichai Dabhak, Uttaradit
36Phetchabun, PhichitFort Phokhun Pha Mueang, Phetchabun
37Chiang RaiFort King Mengrai Maharat, Chiang Rai
38NanFort Suriyaphong, Nan
39Phitsanulok, SukhothaiFort King Naresuan Maharat, Phitsanulok
310TakFort Wachiraprakan, Tak
41Nakhon Si Thammarat (except Thung Song District), PhuketFort Vajiravudh, Nakhon Si Thammarat
42Songkhla, Phatthalung, SatunFort Senanarong, Songkhla
43Nakhon Si Thammarat (only Thung Song District), Krabi, TrangFort Thep Satri Srisunthorn, Nakhon Si Thammarat
44Chumphon, RanongFort Khet Udomsak, Chumphon
45Surat Thani, Phang NgaFort Vibhavadi Rangsit, Surat Thani
46Pattani, Narathiwat, YalaFort Ingkhayutthaborihan, Pattani

Budget

The RTA budget for FY2021 is 107,662 million baht, down from 112,815M baht in FY2020.[24]

List of military engagements

Equipment

See main article: List of equipment of the Royal Thai Army.

Rank structure

See main article: Military ranks of the Thai armed forces.

Businesses and infrastructure

The army owns more than 30 golf courses nationwide. The army also owns boxing stadium, 100 petrol stations, racecourses, hotels, retail and coffee shops, and radio and television airwaves (by one count, the armed forces have ownership in 537 radio and TV stations).[25] In early 2020, the army entered an agreement with the Finance Ministry to turn over to the ministry the management of businesses unrelated to the army's mission.[26] [27] [28] In a related move, army commander General Apirat Kongsompong decreed that retired generals must move out of army-owned housing to free space for serving officers., about 100 retired generals and colonels inhabit army accommodations.[29] Some ex-generals, like PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan were exempted immediately from eviction because of their "contribution to society".[30] The Thai Defence Ministry position is that there is no law prohibiting retired officers from occupying military housing.[31]

In January 2021, the RTA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to study the feasibility of constructing solar farms on 4.5 million rai of army land to generate 30,000 megawatts of electricity. Following up, on 22 February 2021 a meeting was called by the President of Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5 with energy firms interested in winning a piece of what is projected to be a 600 billion baht project. The Energy Ministry was not represented at the meeting. Critics have questioned why the army is involved in energy procurement, in contravention of existing regulations, and why Thailand needs more electricity when it already has 59% reserve capacity and more capacity under construction.[32]

Broadcasting

Radio and television channel list

Free-to-air TV

Satellite TV

Radio

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: The Military Balance 2023. International Institute for Strategic Studies. International Institute for Strategic Studies. 15 February 2023. Routledge. London. 294. 9781032508955.
  2. Web site: The Royal Thai Army | 42nd Military Circle . 42militarycircle.com . 1 October 2010 . 4 August 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140818000648/http://42militarycircle.com/history-2/the-royal-thai-army/ . 18 August 2014 . dead . dmy-all .
  3. News: Achakulwisut . Apinya . Army at the centre of our vicious circle . 23 October 2018 . Bangkok Post . 23 October 2018 . Opinion.
  4. News: The CURSE of an Army always ready to pounce . 23 October 2018 . The Nation . 23 October 2018 . Opinion . https://web.archive.org/web/20181023001032/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30356989 . 23 October 2018 . live . dmy-all .
  5. News: Nanuam . Wassana . Army chief refuses to rule out fresh coup . 19 February 2020 . Bangkok Post . 18 October 2019.
  6. Web site: Thailand's new army chief takes office - DW - 01.10.2010. DW.COM. 3 August 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150714060335/http://www.dw.com/en/thailands-new-army-chief-takes-office/a-6066746. 14 July 2015. live. dmy-all.
  7. News: Thailand's Junta Chief Chosen as Prime Minister. 21 August 2014. 23 September 2014. Voice of America. https://web.archive.org/web/20141006174611/http://www.voanews.com/content/thai-coup-leader-nominated-prime-minister/2422964.html. 6 October 2014. live. dmy-all.
  8. Web site: BBC News. 26 February 2020. อภิปรายไม่ไว้วางใจรัฐบาล : ส.ส. จากพรรคที่เพิ่งถูกยุบกล่าวหากองทัพใช้เงินภาษีทำสงครามจิตวิทยากับผู้เห็นต่างทางสื่อสังคมออนไลน์. BBC News.
  9. Web site: Strangio . Sebastian . Twitter Suspends Sock Puppet Accounts Linked to Thai Military . thediplomat.com . The Diplomat . 9 October 2020.
  10. News: Tanakasempipat . Patpicha . Thai army denies Twitter disinformation campaign after takedowns . www.reuters.com . 9 October 2020 . Reuters . 9 October 2020.
  11. Book: Kapp . Lawrence . General and Flag Officers in the U.S. Armed Forces: Background and Considerations for Congress . 1 February 2019 . Congressional Research Service (CRS) . Washington DC . R44389, v.5, updated . 23 February 2020.
  12. Web site: Active and reserve U.S. military force personnel numbers by service branch and reserve component in 2018 . Statistica . 23 February 2020.
  13. News: Faulder . Dominic . Thailand: Land of a thousand generals . 23 February 2020 . Nikkei Asian Review . 31 December 2019.
  14. https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Thailand-Land-of-a-thousand-generals Thailand: Land of a thousand generals
  15. News: Nanuam . Wassana . Army reshuffle sees loyalists appointed . 3 September 2018 . Bangkok Post . 3 September 2018.
  16. 06BANGKOK3883, 'Southern Violence: The army takes the lead,' 30 June 2006, para 8.
  17. Web site: 3rd Special Forces Regiment (official Thai website). Royal Thai Army 3rd Special Forces Regiment. 14 March 2017.
  18. Robert Karniol, 'Thailand boosts military in troubled south,' Jane's Defence Weekly, 23 February 2005, Vol. 42, No. 8, p. 12
  19. Asia Africa Intelligence Wire, New Thai army regiment to battle southern militants [sic – this is a division], BBC Monitoring International Reports, 16 February 2005.
  20. International Crisis Group, 'Update Briefing: Stalemate in Southern Thailand,' Asia Briefing No. 113, Bangkok/Brussels, 3 November 2010, 3
  21. Interview: Sukumpol Suwanatat, Air Chief Marshal and Minister of Defence, JDW 15 August 2012, Vol. 49, Issue 33, 34.
  22. Web site: 111 Years . Amed.go.th . 4 August 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140809235232/http://www.amed.go.th/ . 9 August 2014 . live . dmy-all .
  23. Web site: 110 Years of Army Medical Department, RTA. Commemorative Stamps . 25 November 2009 . Catalog . SiamStamp . 18 February 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101129085351/http://siamstamp.com/catalogue/index.php?id=888 . 29 November 2010 . dead . dmy-all .
  24. Web site: Thailand's Budget in Brief Fiscal Year 2021 . Budget Bureau . 7 December 2020 . 85 . 2020-10-02.
  25. News: Yonpiam . Chairith . Apirat's vow to reform military misses the mark . 15 February 2020 . Bangkok Post . 15 February 2020 . Opinion.
  26. News: Nanuam . Wassana . Army gives up cash cows . 19 February 2020 . Bangkok Post . 18 February 2020.
  27. News: Nanuam . Wassana . Army to cede schemes to professionals . 14 February 2020 . Bangkok Post . 13 February 2020.
  28. News: Pongsudhirak . Thitinan . Underpinnings of a Thai mass shooting . 14 February 2020 . Bangkok Post . 14 February 2020 . Opinion.
  29. News: Nanuam . Wassana . Retired generals, colonels still occupy about 100 army homes . 21 February 2020 . Bangkok Post . 19 February 2020.
  30. News: Rojanaphruk . Pravit . Retired Soldiers Ordered to Vacate Army Residences—Except Prayut. 14 February 2020 . Khaosod English . 14 February 2020.
  31. News: Overstayers 'not breaking law': Govt . 21 February 2020 . Bangkok Post . 21 February 2020.
  32. News: Sangarasri Greacen . Chuenchom . Firms line up for slice of solar pie . 10 March 2021 . Bangkok Post . 4 March 2021 . Opinion.

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