The Royal Thai Armed Forces and Thailand’s Entry into ASEAN Community

Nearly 48 years ago, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8th of August 1967 in Bangkok, The Kingdom of Thailand, with the adoption of the ASEAN Declaration, which currently consists of 10-member countries, including Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, The Republic of Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Republic of the Philippines, Republic of Singapore, The Kingdom of Thailand and The Socialist Republic of Vietnam. All member countries mutually agrees on a common consensus for the new establishment of the ASEAN - Community, which are intended to promote regional peace, stability and neutrality, and that it finds a solution to resolve disputes and reduce conflicts by peaceful means, along with a free trade in this region. Every member country in the ASEAN – Community will cooperate fully with all ASEAN’s activities, both bilaterally including the Exchanges of Education and Training or the Bilateral Talks/Meetings, and multilaterally including the Talks/Seminars in views of political, security, economical, social and cultural aspects. By this means, it should have reconciled any differences arisen among its member countries. The ASEAN - Community has emphasized this regional collaboration into “Three Pillars”, which are the ASEAN Political and Security Community - APSC, the ASEAN Economic Community – AEC and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community – ASCC. The ASEAN Charter was mutually signed by the ASEAN member countries on 20th November 2007, and it has served as a firm foundation in achieving the ASEAN - Community by providing legal status and institutional framework for ASEAN. It also codifies ASEAN norms, rules and values; sets clear targets for ASEAN; and presents accountability and compliance for people of ASEAN as its centre, which significantly laid down a firm foundation for the new upcoming ASEAN Community by the end of 2015. Thailand as one of the member countries has expressed its full support, has pushed forward and most importantly, has prepared itself for the entry into the ASEAN - Community within all 3 pillars, and in every dimension. The government is committed to encourage all their agencies and mechanisms in every sector, including public and private sectors and civil society that they will properly be well aware, be alert and be prepared for their new upcoming roles in the ASEAN - Community in accordance with a new changing environment and upcoming regional context in the near future. The Ministry of Defence as the primary organization responsible for Thailand’s national security, has significantly contributed and associated much with the plan for the establishment of the ASEAN Political and Security Community, which is considered as one of the 3 pillars for the promotion and support of peace and stability in the region, for the promotion of peaceful living environment, for peaceful solutions of disputes and conflicts, for the building of common rules and values, for the mutual responsibility in security building and finally, for the interaction with other countries outside the ASEAN. In view of the rapidly changing order of the global and regional security aspects, including both traditional threat and non-traditional threat, along with the establishment of the ASEAN - Community, the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) as the primary organization for national security deems it necessary to penetrate into all dimensions of security aspects, both directly involved with military operations, and with military operations other than wars. As specified in the Kingdom of Thailand’s constitution, it remains the RTARF’s duty to extend its full support to uphold and to follow 3-strategic concepts as stated in the Ministry of Defence (MOD)’s Defence Plan, including the Active Defence, the Security Cooperation and the United Defence. Apart from that, the RTARF is determined to work within the framework set forth by the Government, the MOD, the Chief of Defence Forces, and that is to uphold our national interest, Thailand’s Vision, the National Security Policy (Year 2015 – 2019), the Kingdom of Thailand’s Constitution (Temporary Version Year 2014), the MOD’s and the RTARF’s authorized power and the Mutual Agreements made among the RTARF and its Allied Armed Forces, substantially leading to the formulation of policies and actions in force preparation and the use of active force. This allows the RTARF for the preparedness in every aspect in accordance with the defence strategies as mentioned above. As the RTARF has become a part of the APSC, it would be able to strengthen, promote and enhance the defence cooperation with the armed forces and other security agencies of the neighboring countries for a stronger ties in every dimension, which in turn, this will result in quick response to all types of threat in a timely, save and unified manner, and in accordance with the Security Cooperation Strategy laid down in the MOD s Defence Plan. To this end, all of these would have been succeeded by the strengthening of ties between the Allied Armed Forces and the ASEAN Armed Forces, as well as the RTARF’s preparedness to fully become a part of the APSC.

RTARF’s Preparation for Thailand’s Entry into the ASEAN - Community According to the Government’s policy, the MOD’s strategic concepts, the RTARF’s mission and its vision of “the RTARF is committed to guarantee national security, to become a reliable resort for Thai people, and is recognized by the international arena”, the RTARF deems it necessary to maintain a certain characteristic so called, “the Multi - Purposes Armed Forces”, in which this capability consists of the multi – ability approaches to efficiently perform and bring complete success to all kinds of tasks/operations at the same time, including war-fighting role, development role and security cooperation role in the region. This requires the RTARF’s preparation in every area, and this must comply with and is based on those multi-tasks. Thus, the RTARF has not only been prepared itself for the entry into the ASEAN – Community alone, but rather it has progressively been adjusted and improved to justify those multi-tasks. These adjustments have gradually been made in certain areas of Policy, Structure, Personnel, Arms Equipment, Budget and Management, along with the development of integrated plan and operations to reach its goals. In return, the RTARF should then be prepared for the entry into the ASEAN - Community in the following areas: 1. Policy : The RTARF has emphasized abundantly to the strategic concept of security cooperation among the neighboring countries, ASEAN and its allies, applying military attaché diplomacy together with defence diplomacy for transparency in national defence, for confidence building, and for reduction of mistrust arisen among the countries in this region. This, in turn, will build trust, enhance security cooperation and good ties among our neighboring countries, ASEAN member countries, allies and international organizations, both bilaterally and multilaterally. In addition, the RTARF will put a good use of all available resources and mechanisms to keep order for surrounding environment, and to maintain peace, stability, wealth, growth, happiness and prosperity all together. The RTARF will further restore the relationship with its neighboring countries and find peaceful solution for every dispute and conflict, and participate more in international missions and expand its roles in international arena, including participations in UN Peace-Keeping Operations, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and Rescue Missions, Maritime Security, Anti-Terrorism and Humanitarian Mine Clearance Operations. To this end, all these factors will lead to the integration of the ASEAN – Community successfully. 2. Structure, Personnel, Arms Equipments and Budget : are major mechanisms and resources utilized by the RTARF to push forward the aforementioned policy into concrete outcome. The RTARF has adjusted and adapted its organizational structure at an operational level in preparation for international cooperation tasks and for the integration of the ASEAN - Community, by establishing International Cooperation Division, Office of Policy and Plans, Directorate of Joint Operations since April 2013. This new division consists of ASEAN section, which takes responsibility solely for all ASEAN’s matters, working in parallel with ASEAN Division, Office of Policy and Strategy, Office of Policy and Planning, Ministry of Defence, while other Joint Directorates and all other subordinate units under the RTARF are committed to this same policy and working side by side with other ASEAN member countries in a unified manner. In addition, the RTARF has progressively adjusted and developed all areas of personnel, arms equipment, budget, management and all action plan in compliance with this policy and guideline, these include Education and Training Development, the Use of English and ASEAN Languages for the RTARF’s personnel, the Adjustment on Joint Staff and Armed Services Staff Courses in preparation for foreign officials from other ASEAN member countries, the Establishment of RTARF ASEAN Strategic Studies Centre, Strategy Map/Roadmap and the RTARF 5-year Integrated Action Plan (2015-2019) in compliance with the MOD’s Defence Plan and Policy, the Budget Allocation Plan for a more efficient Output/Outcome. All of these will fully support the upcoming ASEAN - Community for this year.

RTARF’s Plan and Significant Progress for the Support of the Entry into the ASEAN Community 1. The RTARF’s activities for cooperation enhancement between the RTARF and other ASEAN member countries are significant. Subsequently, this cooperation should have been applied bilaterally and multilaterally, including Talks/Conferences to enhance more cooperation at all levels, Exchanges of Education and Training Courses, Seminar, Intelligence Exchange, Exchange of Military Visits at all levels such as ASEAN Chief of Defence Forces Informal Meeting (ACDFIM), ASEAN Military Intelligent Informal Meeting (AMMIIM), ASEAN Chief of Services Meeting, Informal ASEAN Shooting Competition and Armed Services Cooperation Talks/Meetings. 2. Prepare guidelines for security cooperation with superpower countries, allies and the ASEAN member countries (2015-2020), and prepare RTARF’s ASEAN’s 2015 defence strategy as a guideline for security cooperation among the RTARF, the ASEAN member armed forces and the Allied Armed Forces. 3. The adjustment for Defence Plan and Border Protection Task Force’s Missions, in compliance with the upcoming 2015 ASEAN - Community for force preparation, which is compatible with international standard including forces, arms equipment and personnel. This, in turn, will support the solution for the ASEAN disputes and conflicts in a broader view through the ASEAN Charter or other useful mechanisms. 4. The Memorandum of Understanding and Agreement with its allies and the ASEAN member countries, in form of security cooperation in all areas, bilaterally and multilaterally including the MOU on Joint Malacca Straits Surveillance, MOU on Joint Logistics and Eyes in the Sky for instance. 5. The setting up of a new mechanism to drive the cooperation made under the ASEAN’s framework and adjust existing rules and regulations to become more suitable resources for the upcoming ASEAN - Community. The RTARF itself has been reorganized to become more modern forces in response to the RTARF’s mission for the integration of Thailand into the APSC. As a result, the RTARF has established a new division at an operational level on April 2013, responsible solely for this cooperation, working under the ASEAN’s framework and so called International Cooperation Division, Office of Policy and Plans, Directorate of Joint Operations. 6. The enhancement of Joint Training among the ASEAN members countries, bilaterally and multilaterally, including Cobra Gold Joint/Combined Training Exercises, Thailand – Malaysia Joint/Combined Training Exercise, Humanitarian Training and Disaster Relief and Rescue Training (AHEx) and Anti-Terrorism Training for instance. 7. The promotion and support for security cooperation with the neighboring countries (Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Malaysia) at all levels, including High Level Committee Meeting, Regional Border Committee Meeting, Township border Committee Meeting, Senior Staff Talks: SST with ASEAN armed Forces such as Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and the Meetings with other allies outside the ASEAN, including Joint Australia – Thailand Defence coordination Committee Meeting, THAI – TAC, Joint Coordinated Operations and Exercise Sub-Committee Meting, Senior Staff Talks with Pakistan and Canada for instance. 8. The establishment of Defence Attache Office, accredited to every ASEAN country, serves for the purpose of coordinating close cooperation among the ASEAN countries. At present, the RTARF has already established the Office of Defence Attache in every ASEAN country, and the latest office is Office of Defence Attache in Brunei since July 2014. As already mentioned, the RTARF together with the 3-Armed Services, related organizations from public and private sectors, along with other international organizations have been working together for the purpose of the security cooperation building among the ASEAN countries, driven in a unified manner under the APSC’s pillar, and in compliance with the Government’s and MOD’s policies. To this end, the RTARF and all 3-Armed Services have confidently been prepared for the entry into the ASEAN - Community by the end of the year 2015.