Military ranks of the Thai armed forces

Rank structure

Head of the Armed Forces

Chom Tap (จอมทัพ) is Head of Forces. There can only be one Chom Thap at a time, and per the Constitution of Thailand, the title is held by the incumbent King of Thailand.

"Chom Tap" is a title, not a rank, so while the title's holder (the King) may dress in the uniform of any service branches, the rank insignia worn is no different from other servicemen.

General Classifications and Details

Military Ranks can be classified deeper than officer-enlisted, in which there are four tiers of commissioned officers and two for noncommissioned officers. This tiering is consistent across all three service branches, only with different naming scheme.

In semi-formal manners, Commissioned officers (Nai Tahan Sanyabat, นายทหารสัญญาบัตร) are also called Nai Tahan (นายทหาร). Noncommissioned officers (Nai Tahan Pratuan, นายทหารประทวน) are also called Nai Sib (นายสิบ).

Ranks below Chom Pon use Thai alternate numbers. The ranks' name are a combination of the tier name, minus the word Nai (นาย), which means "Master", if any when present, and the numerals.

All Commissioned Officer ranks are granted by royal decree. Commossioned Officers below the General Officer ranks may be issued Waa Ti Yos (ว่าที่ยศ, "Acting Rank"), by the Minister of Defence. Acting rank holders are entitled to the same rights as the rank holders, including the rank insignia and decorations, only pending grant of rank by royal decree.

Commanding Officers with a rank no less than Lieutenant General, or the Minister of Defence, may issue noncommissioned officer ranks.

Dismissal from ranks can only be done by those with the authority to issue them, that is, a royal decree for commissioned officer ranks, and commanding officers (Lieutenant General or higher) for noncommissioned officer ranks.

Flag Officers

Chom Pon (จอมพล) is the highest rank, and is the only rank in its tier (Chom Pon-tier ranks) across the t. It is the five-star officer rank. In present, it is only worn by the King of Thailand. No officers have been appointed to this rank since 1973. The five-star rank have never existed throughout history of Royal Thai Police.

Directly below Chom Pon-tier is the tier of Nai Pon (นายพล), or General officers. There are four ranks within this tier, ranging from four stars to one star. However, only the top three ranks (General, Lieutenant General, Major General) are currently used, and the one-star rank of Brigadier General (and the equivalent ranks in the Navy and Air Force) is not awarded to any officer. The Royal Thai Police historically had a one-star rank, but has since been abolished.

In present, General officers are only promoted as they are assigned to an office. Acting Ranks are not issued. This practice is consistent throughout the Armed Forces and Police Force.

The tier of Nai Pon is Nai Pon Ruea (นายพลเรือ) in the Navy, Nai PonAkat (นายพลอากาศ) in the Air Force, and Nai Pon Tamruaj (นายพลตำรวจ) in the Police Force.

Commissioned Officers

Officer ranks below the Nai Pon are Nai Pan (นายพัน) and Nai Roi (นายร้อย) ranks, each tiers with three ranks.

The tier of Nai Pan is Nai Nawa (นายนาวา) in the Navy, Nai Nawa Akat (นายนาวาอากาศ) in the Air Force, and Nai Pan Tamruaj (นายพันตำรวจ) in the Police Force. The tier of Nai Roi is Nai Ruea (นายเรือ) in the Navy, Nai Ruea Akat (นายเรืออากาศ) in the Air Force, and Nai Roi Tamruaj (นายร้อยตำรวจ) in the Police Force.

Officers with the Colonel rank are classified further into regular paygrade and "Special paygrade". This "Special paygrade" is equivalent to the general officer paygrade, Colonels receiving this paygrade are considered senior to regular-paygrade Colonels, and can be identified with a special insignia also worn by General officers. This practice of Special paygrade Colonel is also consistent into the Navy, Air Force and Police Force, however, only the Army and Police branch have special insignia for Special paygrade recipients.

Noncommissioned Officers

Below the officer ranks are the enlisted ranks. There are two tiers among the enlisted ranks, Ja Nai Sib (จ่านายสิบ) and Nai Sib (นายสิบ), a term also colloquial to NCOs in general. There are also three ranks within each tier.

The tier of Ja Nai Sib is Pan Ja (พันจ่า) in the Navy, and Pan Ja Akat (พันจ่าอากาศ) in the Air Force. The tier of Nai Sib in the Ja (จ่า) in the Navy, Ja Akat (จ่าอากาศ) in the Air Force, and Nai Sib Tamruaj (นายสิบตำรวจ) in the Police Force.

For Sergeant Major First Class, there are two paygrades, the regular paygrade and the special paygrade. The special paygrade SM1 are considered senior to regular paygrade counterpart, and again, this practice is consistent into the Navy and Air Force. The Police Force, however, has a separate rank for the higher paygrade.

Enlisted Private, after completing the term of mandatory conscription, may be temporarily enlisted as a noncommissioned officer, known as สิบตรีกองประจำการ.

Private

The Private rank name in Thai is consistent across all three service branches, which is Phon Tahan (พลทหาร). It is also the only rank for Private.

It is also possible for the Police Force to enlist conscripts, with the rank Phon Tamruaj (พลตำรวจ), in lieu of mandatory military conscription in Thailand. However, this practice is currently abandoned. Instead, all police personnel are required to go through examinations and attend dedicated training facilities (Royal Thai Police Cadet Academy for Officers, and Training Centers for Enlisted). Upon graduations, graduates are commissioned or enlisted into the Police Force, as Police Second Lieutenant (for officer) or Police Lance Corporal (for Enlisted).

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Student officer ranks

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

There is a special rank (Army: Special Sergeant Major 1st Class (); navy: Fleet chief petty officer (); air force: Special flight sergeant 1st class ()) which is an honorary rank given to senior enlisted members who are deserving of recognition above and beyond that of the highest enlisted rank. There is no difference in the rank insignia worn, and they do not outrank the normal highest enlisted rank, although in a group situation they will normally be assigned control. They receive a higher salary.

Royal Thai Police

The Royal Thai Police (RTP) is sometimes considered as the fourth armed service of Thailand (๔ เหล่าทัพ), but reports directly to the Prime Minister rather than to the Ministry of Defense.

The Royal Thai Police share the same rank system as the Royal Thai Army but the particularities of the police are the star representing the commissioned officer and the crown over the star. The Royal Thai Police uses the eight-pointed silver star and the silver crown with a halo on top, while the Royal Thai Army uses the five-pointed gold star and the gold crown with no halo for its officer shoulder boards.

Officers

Non-Commissioned Officers

Volunteer Defense Corps (Thailand)

The Volunteer Defense Corps (กองอาสารักษาดินแดน; abbreviated VDC) is a Thai paramilitary under the authority of the Department Of Provincial Administration, Ministry of Interior. It was founded in 1954 to provide extra military support to the Royal Thai Armed Forces and to protect local civilians living near Thailand's borders. Its ranks mirror those of both the RTA and the RTP.

;Officers

;Enlisted

References

References

1. (1989). "Thailand: a country study". Library of Congress.
2. "Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters English version". Archived from the original on 2009-04-18. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
3. "Police Ranks".
4. "อาศัยอํานาจตามความในมาตรา ๘ ฉ แห่งพระราชบัญญัติระเบียบบริหารราชการแผ่นดิน".
5. "63 Years of Volunteer Defense Corps (Thailand) in 2017 News page 78-79".