As current army chief Gen Theerachai Nakwanich is due to retire this September, speculation has been overwhelming about who will be his replacement.
The race to be army chief has heated up. At this stage, there are several potential candidates for the top post.
One of them is army chief-of-staff Gen Pisit Sitthisarn, who is known to have close ties with Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, the "elder brother" of the Burapha Phayak or the "Tigers of the East" military clique.
Gen Pisit has held key positions including at the 1st Division, King's Guard, and is also counted as a Wong Tewan member and a key member of the 11th Infantry Regiment King's Guard, known as the "Raab 11 Connection" under Education Minister Dapong Ratanasuwan and Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya.
The former is Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's close friend while the latter is his favourite aide. An alumnus of the Class 17 of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School (Afaps), Gen Pisit has almost two years before he must retire from the army in September 2017.
However, Gen Pisit has quite a few flaws. He has never been a regional army chief, in particular of the 1st Region Army, considered as a prerequisite for being army commander. This is regarded as his weakness despite his experience as chief of a commanding unit.
Another disadvantage is that Gen Pisit is not a favourite choice of Gen Theerachai. This is because of the former's image as an aide of ex-army chief Udomdej Sitabutr who is known for not having close ties with Gen Theerachai. Besides, Gen Pisit is also a member of the troubled Rajabhakti Foundation, which was founded by Gen Udomdej.
These disadvantages may affect his candidacy for the army chief position. Therefore, army observers are focusing their attention on another candidate, assistant army chief Gen Chalermchai Sitthisat who has gained the trust of Prime Minister Prayut.
Gen Chalermchai has solid experience in the special warfare unit, considered by many to be the "fifth army." This means Gen Chalermchai is an outstanding contender. A member of the Afaps Class 16, he will retire in 2018.
His close relationship with Prime Minister Prayut is also his strength. The prime minister is always seen chatting with the general whenever they meet at an army function.
The only disadvantage of Gen Chalermchai lies in the fact that he is not from the dominant Burapha Phayak clique or the Queen's Guard. For this reason, many military men in the Eastern Tiger clique believe both Gen Prawit and Gen Prayut may not allow the power shift from the Burapha Phayak clique to other units. This is all the more notable with the country's politics at a turning point, and when the government needs trustworthy people in top positions.
Another candidate who should not be ignored is the 1st Region Army chief Lt Gen Theppong Thippayachan. There are reports that men in the Burapha Phayak and the Queen's Guard factions want Lt Gen Theppong to join the race and succeed Gen Theerachai as army boss.
In addition, speculation is rampant that Lt Gen Apirat Kongsompong, leader of the 1st Army Corps, is likely to take over the position of commander of the 1st Region Army in the mid-year military transfer as the incumbent Lt Gen Theppong will be promoted to the position of general so he can compete with Gen Pisit.
As one of the army's five tigers, Gen Chalermchai will not be left out in the cold. It is expected that he may be promoted to the position of supreme commander.
For Gen Pisit, despite his lack of experience as a regional army chief, he is still a strong candidate given his high profile in other commanding units.
More importantly, by having Gen Pisit as their pick for the top army post, the big brothers of the Burapha Phayak can rest assured that the dominant clique can maintain power.
Wassana Nanuam is a senior news reporter covering military affairs for the Bangkok Post.