The Defence Ministry is planning to request 600 million baht from the central budget to fund its early retirement scheme over the next three years.
Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang said the scheme is part of the plan to downsize and streamline the armed forces, the first phase of which will be implemented between 2025-2027.
Under the scheme, any soldiers aged 50 and over who wish to retire early will be given a higher rank right at the end of their service, which would give them better retirement benefits.
In order for the scheme to work, the government will need an additional 200 million baht each year to cover the added benefits for those who are retiring early.
While the 600-million-baht budget request may seem high, the government would have to spend over four billion baht to cover the monthly wages of soldiers who could have retired early under the scheme, said Mr Sutin.
In the first phase of the downsizing plan, 1,713 redundant posts will be scrapped. The budget used to fund those position holders would be diverted to more productive things, he said.
In related news, Mr Sutin, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Minister of Education Surasak Phancharoenworakul, and Minister of Higher Education Science, Research, and Innovation Supamas Isarabhakdi on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the development of armed forces' human resources.
Mr Sutin called the MoU an opportunity for all branches of the armed forces to develop their human resources.
Enlisted soldiers will receive job training under the supervision of the Thailand Professional Qualification Institute (TPQI). The ministry will also offer an 11,000-baht minimum salary for enlisted soldiers.
The ministry is keen to change people's perspective about joining the armed forces from a time-consuming process to a period of self-development for soldiers, said Mr Sutin.