When His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn ascends the throne, he becomes the ex-officio head of the armed forces -- the army, the navy and the air force -- as stipulated by the constitution and royal tradition.
Given his military education credentials and background, the Crown Prince deserves such an honour given that he has taken a keen interest in military affairs since he was a boy.
Since he was a young prince, he has been interested in military affairs and visited military units, and paid close attention to the welfare of soldiers and policemen.
After finishing his schooling in Thailand and then at King's Mead School in Sussex, England, and Millfield School in Somerset, also in England, he continued his education at the King's School in North Parramatta, Sydney, Australia, where he underwent cadet training between 1970-1971.
In 1972, the Crown Prince studied at Canberra's Royal Military College, Duntroon, and later enrolled in a bachelor of arts programme at the University of New South Wales' faculty for military studies, which joined with Duntroon to offer bachelor courses in arts, science and engineering.
Under this curriculum, graduates had to pass both military and academic studies. He graduated in 1976.
On Jan 9, 1975, the Crown Prince served as a staff officer at the army's Directorate of Intelligence.
From January-October, 1976, he obtained a scholarship from the Defence Ministry for further military training and studies at the Special Air Service Regiment in Perth, Western Australia. The training included unconventional warfare tactics and advanced navigation training.
With a passion for flying, HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is a qualified military pilot with plenty of flying experience.
Between June-July, 1980, he attended a utility helicopter flying course (Bell UH-1H and Bell UH-1N) offered by Bell Helicopter, and notched up a total of 250 hours of flying time.
Between Sept-Oct, 1980, he also took a helicopter gunship flying course (Bell UH-1H) offered by the Royal Thai Army, and obtained a total of 54 hours of flight time.
Between 1980-1981, the Crown Prince joined a fixed-wing aircraft flight training programme for the SIAI-Marchetti SF 260 MT aircraft, with 172 hours of flying time.
Between 1982-1983, he attended and completed a US Air Force (USAF) conversion course for the F-5 fighter (Special) Class 83 ATW and an USAF advanced fighter training course Class 83 AVW at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, with more than 2,000 hours of flying time, as well as several other flight training courses.
Equipped with modern flying techniques, as well as practical skills and theoretical knowledge, he came top in an air tactical operations competition at an air force gunnery range in Lop Buri's Chai Badan district on April 1, 1987. On May 4, 1994, he became a flight instructor for the F-5 E/F fighter.
On July 12, 2012, the Crown Prince piloted a Thai Airways International charity flight, taking VIP guests to pay respects to Lord Buddha's relics in Khon Kaen. The special flight was held to mark his 60th birthday on July 28 of that year. The special flight TG 8866 was arranged to raise funds for an education scholarship foundation.
View more: Military monarch, The Crown Prince's perseverance, Active involvement in military operations
