Royal Thai Army


The Royal Thai Army or RTA is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces.

History

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.

Current

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 to concentrate on political reform which he said would take at least a year, following which he promised national elections would be held.
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.

Command and control

The number of army generals is unclear. One point of comparison: as of 1 November 2019, the US Army had 322 general officers for a force of 471,990 troops. 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."
The Royal Army is commanded by the Commander of the Royal Thai Army.
This position is considered the most powerful position in the Thai Armed Forces. As of 1 October 2018, the commander is General Apirat Kongsompong.
The army is divided into four army areas:
The creation of the 15th Infantry Division was announced in January 2005. 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.
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." 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.

Tactical units

The army is organised into the following formations:
The Army Tactical Level Advanced Simulation is an interactive, distributed, constructive simulation used to conduct military Command Post Exercises. 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 2002–2005 through co-operation with the Army Command and General Staff College.

Army Medical Department

Army Medical Department 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, with 110 years of service having been honoured by issue of a series of commemorative stamps. 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.

Air Division

belongs to the service segment of the Royal Thai Army Areas:
The army is divided into districts, whereby the first digit of the district indicates the army that operates it. 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, PhuketFort Vajiravudh, Nakhon Si Thammarat
42Songkhla, Phatthalung, SatunFort Senanarong, Songkhla
43Nakhon Si Thammarat, 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

Battle

Rank structure

Businesses and infrastructure

The army owns more than 30 golf courses nationwide. The army also owns boxing stadia, 100 petrol stations, racecourses, hotels, retail and coffee shops, and radio and television airwaves. 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. In a related move, army commander Generak 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. 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". The Thai Defence Ministry position is that there is no law prohibiting retired officers from occupying military housing.

Broadcasting

Radio and television channel list

Free-to-air TV