PM should ponder reform in the institution he just left

Monday’s parade at the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy was to bid farewell to Prayut Chan-o-cha as he retired but also a further 261 generals. 

It is an astounding number of retiring generals for an army of some 250,000 personnel. One is compelled to wonder how many are still on the payroll. A quick comparison with the US with an army of five times the size at 1,369,532 people is staggering, as the total number of active generals is capped at 230 (from one-star to four-star officers).

Furthermore, the number of four star officers is capped at only seven. This gives a ratio of one general to every 5,954 servicemen. The total figure of serving Thai generals is shrouded in considerable mystery and difficult to obtain, though it was reported in 2012 that “Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat has asked military top brass to reduce the number of generals in the armed forces, a daunting task considering there are 1,600 of them, the second highest in the world.”

So, working on a pro-rata basis using number of personnel in each of the armed services and assuming each arm uses similar criteria to assess the need for generals that would give the Army the lion’s share at 1,093, plus a ratio of one general to every 229 servicemen.

One wonders if the Thai taxpayer is getting value for money and whether the Royal Thai Army is serving Thailand in the best manner given the way it is interwoven with the economic fabric of the nation. Highly professional and respected armies, in the developed world, concentrate solely on military professionalism and shun non-military matters to the point of aversion. Let us hope that we shall see a renaissance in this important element of the Thai nation as its importance is undeniable and in honouring its own motto “For the Nation, Religions, King, and People” it will become as respected as it deserves.

Fred Morrice

Bangkok