Defence to reduce ranks of older officers
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The Defence Ministry plans to cut the number of its older Army officers by 20 per cent though a retirement project which could help the country save some Bt1 billion. The project will be submitted for Cabinet's consideration on July 2.
Ministry spokesman Col Thanatip Sawangsaeng announced after the Defence Council’s meeting yesterday that Minister ACM Sukhampol Suwannathat had a policy to adjust the force’s size to meet the demands of its missions. As a result, the number of retiring Army officers would be reduced by more than 50.
Currently, the ratio of Army personnel aged over 50 stands at 26.6 per cent. When the project was implemented from 2008-2013, 20,000 officers joined it.
To be eligible for this scheme that pays retirees 10-15 times their final salary, officers must have served the country for over 50 years and have had at least two years remaining in service, he said. The latest project will start from October 1 this year to October 1, 2017.
So far, 10 per cent of the 5,901-strong force had expressed interest in joining this scheme, he said. If those interested amounted to beyond 10 per cent, the ministry would first consider those serving permanent positions in warfare or warfare support, because such duties require younger manpower.
Regarding the budget, the agency would take from its own funds Bt1.892 billion to pay the retirees in chunks, while another Bt2.726 billion would be sought from the government to pay for pensions, he explained.
