ROYAL THAI ARMY.

The Royal Thai Army (Thai: กองทัพบกไทย) is the army of Thailand responsible for protecting its sovereignty. It is the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. The army was formed in 1874, partly as a response to new security threats following the Bowring Treaty with Britain, which opened up the country for international trade.
Contents[hide]
1 History
2 Command and Control
2.1 List of Commanders
3 Organization
3.1 Field Organization
3.2 Tactical units
3.3 Royal Guards
4 ATLAS
5 Equipment
6 Small Arms
7 Aviation
7.1 Known aviation bases
8 Rank and insignia
9 Procurement News
9.1 Troop Fighting Weapon
9.2 Military Vehicle
9.3 Army Aviation
10 See also
11 References
12 External links
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[edit] History
Main article: Military history of Thailand
[edit] Command and Control
The Royal Thai Army is commanded by the Commander of the Royal Thai Army (ผู้บัญชาการทหารบกไทย); the current Commander is General Anupong Paochinda, who was appointed in 2007. The Royal Thai Army Headquarters is located in a building on Ratchadamnoen Nok Road in Bangkok, Thailand.
Commander-in-Chief: General Anupong Paochinda
Deputy Commander-in-Chief: General Jiradech Kotcharat
Assistant Commander-in-Chief: General Theerawat Boonyapradap
Assistant Commander-in-Chief: Lt. General Viroj Buacharoon
Chief of Staff of the Army: Lt. General Prayuth Jan-ocha
[edit] List of Commanders
Main article: List of Commanders of the Royal Thai Army
[edit] Organization
[edit] Field Organization
The Royal Thai Army is divided into 4 Army Regions:
First Army Region - headquartered in Bangkok and is responsible for the country's western and central provinces including the capital city.
1st, 2nd, 9th and 11th infantry divisions, and
1st Development division.
Second Army Region - headquartered in Nakhon Ratchasima and is responsible for the northeastern quadrant.
3rd, 6th and 12th infantry divisions, and
2nd Development divisions.
Third Army Region - headquartered in Phitsanulok, responsible for the northern and northwestern parts of the kingdom.
4th infantry division,
1st armor division, and
3rd development division.
Fourth Army Region - headquartered in Nakhon Si Thammarat, responsible for southern Thailand.
5th infantry division, and
4th development division.
[edit] Tactical units
Altogether the army is organized into the following Tactical Units:
7 infantry divisions (including 5 tank battalions),
1 armoured division,
1 cavalry division (a light armour division),
2 special forces divisions trained and geared for small unit special and airborne operations,
1 field artillery division, and
1 air defense artillery division.
8 independent infantry battalions,
3 airmobile companies provided the ground force units with battlefield support.
The Royal Thai Army also controls at least one television network, the Thai Global Network.
[edit] Royal Guards
Main article: Royal Guards (Thailand)
[edit] ATLAS
The Army Tactical Level Advanced Simulation (ATLAS) is an interactive, distributed, constructive simulation used to conduct military Command Post Exercises (CPX) within the RTA. ATLAS utilize a continuous terrain model, incorporates HLA 1516, and displays 1:250,000 1:50,000 and Satellite Imagery. ATLAS was developed between 2002 and 2005 through cooperation with RTA Command and General Staff College (CGSC).