The armed forces have been ordered to conclude their procurement programmes this month as part of the preparatory work ahead of the prime minister's planned visit to Washington late next month.
Defence spokesman Kongcheep Tantravanich said the military is working on the details before the trip. The order was made by Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon Monday.
Gen Prawit instructed the military to prioritise procurement programmes in line with the military development blueprint and asked them to focus on the US-manufactured products, he said.
As part of the military modernisation and strengthening scheme, Maj Gen Kongcheep said the armed forces are required to make lists of weapons and equipment and what needs to be acquired to enhance their capabilities.
The procurement programmes have to take into consideration the military capabilities of neighbouring countries, possible threats as well as reform. The programmes are expected to be finalised by the end of this month, he said.
As Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha plans his official visit to Washington, the defence procurement plan will be necessary if military cooperation is on the agenda, he said.
The military is expected to look into past procurement programmes and what is needed, including hardware and other systems, he said.
Not all the US-made weapons were paid for, as some were supplied as part of direct aid projects, he said.
The military will itemise what they have and what they want. Already having US-made helicopters in their possession, the talks may be about logistics support and spare parts. Some equipment will be useless if there are no spare parts, said Maj Gen Kongcheep.
The defence minister's order was made during Monday's Defence Council meeting attended by the armed forces leaders.
Maj Gen Kongcheep said the Defence Ministry's efforts to scale down the armed forces are making progress. The military is well-equipped to handle security challenges and threats in the region.
He said Thailand is considering buying more from China, and will discuss problems encountered in the procurement programmes. "We'll talk to China about maintenance and spare parts and transfer of technical know-how," said Maj Gen Kongcheep.
Gen Prawit has laid down a policy requiring the military to undergo restructuring covering personnel, management, human resource development and procurement programmes, he said.
Maj Gen Kongcheep said the ministry has reviewed security and completed drafting a national defence strategic plan 2017-2036, which aims to prepare the military for its role in enhancing regional security.
The ministry has drawn up two plans involving the management of the forces. One involves reforms and restructuring of the Defence Ministry for 2017-2026 and the other deals with enhancing the ministry's capabilities for 2017-2026, he said.
Maj Gen Kongcheep said the ministry has revamped 18 systems including setting up several agencies such as the Cyber Centre, the Armed Forces' Disaster Mitigation Training Centre and the para-marines unit in the restive South.
A law on the military reserve force has been enacted and a five-year master plan for the reserve force been drawn up. The number of specialists and operation officers will be reduced by 2.5% per year until 2028, he said.
The ministry has drafted a national defence industry bill for 2015-2020 and proposed a bill on setting up a national defence technology institute, which is intended to promote defence research and cut back the country's reliance on exports, he said.
Security ties and cooperation have been pursued with other countries, leading to the setting up of the Asean Centre of Military Medicine. Cooperation agreements have also been signed, said Maj Gen Kongcheep. The ministry has come up with a plan to combat corruption for 2015-2017. The plan is being reviewed in preparation for a new one being adopted until 2021, he said.
Meanwhile, Gen Prawit's order has raised critics' concerns over the transparency of budget spending in the armed forces.
Surachart Bamrungsuk, a political scientist from Chulalongkorn University, said it was not clear whether weapon procurement will actually be discussed during the meeting between the PM and the US president. But the government needs to justify if it will buy more weaponry from the US, as doing so can cause financial problems for the country.
Prof Surachart said the US's invitation stemmed from tension on the Korean Peninsula and the White House's stance towards Thailand's military government is not clear. "The US might want to create the image of having many allies in Asia against North Korea. But Thai leaders might want to seek legitimacy [as a military government] and procure weapons from the US. The expectation from both sides from the meeting might be contradictory," he said.
Prapat Thepchatree, director of Asean Studies at Thammasat University, said it is normal for leaders to use such an occasion to talk on various topics including military and security issues.
Thailand, which in recent times has moved towards China, now has a good chance to revive the long-standing relationship with the US, he said.
However, Prof Surachart doubted whether that would work.
"If Thai leaders are very close to China, it's not certain Thailand can go back to being that close to the US, as it may affect the relationship that Thai leaders are trying to build with China," Prof Surachart said.