The Ministry of Defence plans to cut back the number of service personnel by 700 over the next three years and will restructure the military, expecting to save up to 34 million baht.
Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang said such details were decided upon at a Defence Council meeting on Thursday in which the council agreed on an initial phase of downsizing the armed forces over the 2025–2027 fiscal years.
Mr Sutin's goal of downsizing the forces had been raised during a debate on the budget bill for the 2024 fiscal year on Jan 4. He said he had issued a new regulation focused on early retirement that aims to reduce the number of high-ranking officers in the three military branches by 50%, or about 380, by 2027.
Rear Admiral Thanitpong Sirisawetsak, Defence Spokesman, said on Thursday that the committee also agreed on combining some divisions to reduce work redundancy.
One example is the Office of the Secretary of the Reserve Personnel Committee and the Recruitment Division, Department of Defence Resources, which are expected to be combined with the Ministry's Office Permanent Secretary.
R Adm Thanitpong said the committee also planned to reform some military structures, such as the Defence Information and Space Technology Department, in order to make the work more cohesive with the Military Cyber Centre, which will soon be elevated to become the Military Cyber Command.
Some organisations will be transformed, such as the Asean Office of Defense Policy and Planning, which will become the Office of International and Asean Cooperation, while the Royal Initiative Project and Security Coordination Centre will turn into the Royal Initiative Project Development Office.
In related news, Mr Sutin said he had ordered the Judge Advocate General's Department to amend regulations related to servicemen's job descriptions.
The order follows a viral video posted by a former conscript on March 10, who depicted his navy life as an officer's indentured house servant, which included him washing his boss's wife's underwear.
There must be an official work description for conscripts required to work at the residences of their superiors, he said.