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Ministry of Defence (Thailand)

Government ministry of Thailand

Summary

Government ministry of Thailand

Field	Value
agency_name	Ministry of Defence
type	Ministry
nativename_a	กระทรวงกลาโหม
image	Ministry of Defence, Bangkok - Day.jpg
image_size	250px
image_caption	Ministry of Defence HQ building, opposite Temple of the Emerald Buddha
seal	Emblem of the Ministry of Defence of Thailand.svg
seal_width	200px
seal_caption	Emblem of the Ministry of Defence
formed
jurisdiction	Government of Thailand
headquarters	Ministry of Defence HQ, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok
coordinates
budget	233,300 million baht (FY2020)
minister1_name	Gen.Natthaphon Narkphanit
deputyminister1_name	Adul Boonthamcharoen
chief1_name	Gen.Sanitchanok Sangkhachan
chief1_position	Permanent Secretary
website

The Ministry of Defence (Abrv: MOD; ; ; It is assumed that the word Kalahom may directly translate to Ministry of Places of Fire Worship.), is a cabinet-level government department of the Kingdom of Thailand. The ministry controls and manages the Royal Thai Armed Forces to maintain national security, territorial integrity, and national Defence. The armed forces of Thailand are composed of three branches: the Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy, and Royal Thai Air Force.

Although the King of Thailand is the Head of the Royal Thai Armed Forces (), his position is only nominal. The ministry and the forces are administered by an appointed politician, the Minister of Defence, a member of the Cabinet of Thailand.

History

Main article: Chatusadom

Military training course at the Ministry of Defence HQ with the supervision of Prince [[Chakrabongse Bhuvanath]] (centre) in 1963

Initially, the Ministry was called Krom Kalahom () and its head was called Samuha Kalahom (), and it was charged with the protection of the southern border. It was founded in the Ayutthaya period and was retained throughout the Rattanakosin period. The ministry in its current design was formed in 1887, by the order of King Chulalongkorn, to create a permanent military command. This was a result of the increasing threat posed by Western powers. The ministry was first housed in an old horse-and-elephant stable opposite the Grand Palace. A new European-style building was erected to house it. At first the ministry only commanded the army (founded in 1847), but then it incorporated the navy (founded in 1887), and finally, the air force (founded in 1913).

In 1914, King Vajiravudh determined that the act providing for invoking martial law, first promulgated by his father in 1907, was not consistent with modern laws of war nor convenient for the preservation of the external or internal security of the state, so it was changed to the modern form that, with minor amendments, continues to be in force.{{cite web

Ministry of Defence HQ at [[Sanam Chai Road]], Bangkok

Office of the Permanent Secretary for Defence at Si Saman Rd., [[Nonthaburi

Prime Minister and Minister of Defence [[Prayut Chan-o-cha]] welcomes Secretary of Defense [[Lloyd J. Austin III]] at Ministry of Defence HQ in 2022

Structure

Ministry level

Minister: Phumtham Wechayachai
- Deputy Minister: General Natthaphon Narkphanit
  - Permanent Secretary: General Sanitchanok Sangkhachan

Royal Thai Armed Forces HQ level

Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters
- Chief of Defence Forces: General Songwit Noonpakdee

Royal Thai Armed Forces level

Royal Thai Army
- Commander-in-Chief: General Phana Khlaeoplotthuk
Royal Thai Navy
- Commander-in-Chief: Admiral Jirapol Wongwit
Royal Thai Air Force
- Commander-in-Chief: Air Chief Marshal Punpakdee Pattanakul

Departments

Departmental organisation

Office of Minister of Defence
Office of the Permanent Secretary for Defence
Royal Thai Armed Forces

Other agencies

Defence Technology Institute (Public Organisation)
The War Veterans Department
Bangkok Dock Company

Budget

Organisation	FY2018	FY2019	FY2020
Office of the Permanent Secretary	9,250	10,063	10,300
Headquarters	16,802	17,352	17,900
Defence Technology Organization	1,227	1,240	1,300
Army	107,457	111,377	113,700
Navy	43,835	45,485	47,300
Air Force	39,931	41,609	42,900
Totals	218,503	227,127	233,300

The military augments its budgets through its ownership of golf courses, racetracks, boxing stadia, and radio and television stations.

List of ministers

Main article: List of defence ministers of Thailand

References

(March 1993). "“กลาโหม” แปลว่า “สถานบูชาไฟ” ทำไมมาเป็นชื่อกระทรวง?!?!". Silpawattanatham.
[https://www.mod.go.th/%E0%B8%96%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A1-%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%9A.aspx ประวัติความเป็นมาของกระทรวงกลาโหม]
[https://tds.rta.mi.th/data/teaching45/502%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B7%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%992%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%94%20%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%AB..pdf การจัดระเบียบราชการกระทรวงกลาโหม]
(20 December 2018). "Thailand's Budget in Brief Fiscal Year 2019".
(3 December 2019). "Prawit defends army spending". Bangkok Post.
(30 November 2019). "Thanathorn gives up parliament roles". Bangkok Post.
(30 November 2019). "FFP boss queries army wealth". Bangkok Post.

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

ministry-of-defence-(thailand) military-of-thailand defence-ministries government-ministries-established-in-1887 government-ministries-of-thailand

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