“Phumtham” inspects the Royal Thai Army Headquarters

Big Aun' inspected the Royal Thai Army, admiring the troops' ability to quickly help people affected by disasters, and adjusting the structure of troops to support various forms of disasters, supporting the procurement of additional equipment to be in line with situations that may occur in the future. Mr. Phumtham Vejjayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, traveled to officially inspect the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters (RTAHQ) to acknowledge the mission and past performance results, as well as to provide policies for operations and to boost the morale of the unit's personnel. He was welcomed by General Songwit Noonpakdee, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces (C-in-C) and senior commanders. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense paid homage to the monument of King Naresuan the Great and inspected the combined honor guard of the three armed forces before receiving a briefing on the missions of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters in the fiscal year 2025. L ater, he visited the International Counter-Terrorism Operations Center to receive a briefing on the mission to solve the problem of terrorism, both in times of crisis and threats, through the coordination of operations between the armed forces and the Royal Thai Police, adhering to the principles of the National Readiness Plan, in accordance with the policies of the Ministry of Defense and the National Security Council according to the severity of the situation, in order to protect the interests of the nation, before watching a demonstration of the joint special operations team from the armed forces and the Royal Thai Police in rescuing the hostages. In addition, they traveled to the Army Development Command to view an exhibition of the unit's work in caring for and helping people, including the development of base areas, construction of transportation routes, development of water sources in border areas and security areas, disaster relief, etc. They then visited various military equipment, such as multi-pur pose patrol vehicles, fire trucks with drills, foam and chemical fire trucks, water tower fire trucks with ladders, etc., before viewing an exhibition of products supporting occupational groups and a demonstration of humanitarian mine operations by the National Mine Action Center. After the inspection, Mr. Phumtham said that today he traveled to inspect the Royal Thai Army Headquarters and the Army Development Command for the first time since assuming the position of Minister of Defense. There were meetings and discussions on many important issues. The first issue was the policy to help the people during disasters. It can be seen that in Chiang Rai Province, the Royal Thai Army was the first to arrive and provided assistance, integrating with the armed forces and relevant agencies. We already have military equipment in the area because the Royal Thai Army has organized a comprehensive disaster prevention operation plan in every area, including border areas, including areas where flooding has occurred frequen tly. The second issue is the restructuring of personnel. Sometimes, restructuring personnel does not mean that they have to be cancelled, but they may be adjusted to suit the country's new threats. For example, we are currently facing natural threats, such as Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. We are currently short of equipment such as mud suction trucks and high-pressure water sprayers, which His Majesty the King has graciously granted in the amount of 100 units. Therefore, we must modify or adjust the structure of various equipment to suit the new threats and increase the equipment to be sufficient for each area. We have also ordered to inspect various tools and equipment, which must be able to be moved quickly and increase the number of equipment to be appropriate and in line with the mission effectively. The mission of the personnel is not only about flooding. There are many other missions. If the existing personnel can be adjusted to be in line with the missions in various aspects, it must be done. Any part t hat is not suitable for the mission must be adjusted to create the most comprehensive efficiency. Whatever happens must be adjusted to be the most appropriate. Because the world situation is changing rapidly, the military must also add technology and other matters that can change all the time. We will consider giving allowances to personnel who go to the area to help flood victims to build morale for the personnel. 'I would like to commend the commanders of the Royal Thai Army Headquarters, who have nothing to worry about. I personally believe that the Thai Army can carry out these missions very well. The more we improve efficiency, develop personnel to have knowledge, skills, and increase equipment to provide assistance, the units will develop various areas to work more efficiently,' said Mr. Phumtham. Source: Thai News Agency