Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai made it clear that he, as the new defence minister, would never attempt to wield the government's executive power over the armed forces but rather work side-by-side with them to ensure they serve the public well in the best interests of society.
Mr Phumtham now expects to officially begin his role on Monday after the government delivers its policy statement in parliament. That is scheduled to take place over the next two days starting on Thursday.
He replaces Sutin Klungsang, who lost his job due to the cabinet reshuffle.
Mr Phumtham said on Tuesday he plans to hold his first meeting with the armed forces leaders over a meal on Monday.
He also expects a briefing from the Ministry of Defence before he addresses the gathering about the government's defence policies. He said he would inspect the guards of honour after the meeting.
He said he would consider approving the list of reshuffled military appointments after talking with the leaders of the armed forces and taking input from ministry executives.
When asked if he felt pressured to rush the decision as the deadline has been set for Sept 15, he said not really. This was based on the logic that all sides were aware the unexpected change of government had led to everything being suspended until the new government officially took office, meaning there could still be delays.
"We will try our best to start working as soon as possible and stick to the deadline. But if, in the end, we miss it ... everyone else should understand," he said.
At last week's meeting of armed forces leaders and defence ministry executives, the list of proposed appointments of replacements was discussed.
At the end of the meeting, the military officials agreed that they had better wait for the new defence minister to have the final say on the reshuffle as certain proposals, including that of the new navy commander, were still up for debate.
