i A STUDY OF MILITARY OPERATIONS OTHER THAN WAR (MOOTW) AND HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (HRM) AT THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE Tikhamporn Punluekdej A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Development Administration) School of Public Administration National Institute of Development Administration 2009 ii A STUDY OF MILITARY OPERATIONS OTHER THAN WAR (MOOTW) AND HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (HRM) AT THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE Tikhamporn Punluekdej School of Public Administration Associate Professor………………………………Major Advisor (Juree Vichit-Vadakan, Ph.D.) The Examining Committee Approved This Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Development Administration) Associate Professor……………………………….. Committee Chairperson (Juree Vichit-Vadakan, Ph.D.) Professor………………………………...Committee (Supang Chantavanich, Ph.D.) Associate Professor……………………………..….Committee (Nisada Wedchayanon, Ph.D.) July 2009 iii ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation A Study of Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) and Human Resource Management (HRM) at the Ministry of Defence Author Mr. Tikhamporn Punluekdej Degree Doctor of Philosophy (Development Administration) Year 2009 Since ancient times, military operations have been closely related with the founding and governing of the nation. The missions of the Royal Thai Armed Forces are considered to be the major source of state power and political power, with the RTAF constituting the state’s most important institution for maintaining national sovereignty. The military has participated in a wide variety of activities to create stability and security within the nation, including attempts to change the use of the state’s power. On numerous occasions, the military has been directly involved in defending the country and its territory, as well as in boosting economic conditions, which are vital to the sustained prosperity of the nation. In developing countries, it has always been rather difficult and controversial to define what types of operations belong to the armed forces and what do not. Since the establishment of the country, military leaders have not only been responsible for commanding the armed forces in protecting the country’s integrity, but also for looking after the well-being of the people. Thus, the nation’s survival, prosperity, and military operations are inextricably interwoven. Based on the security problems that emerged during the Cold War, the Ministry of Defence recruited a large number of military personnel. This archaic conception is responsible for the excessive number of personnel in the RTAF, causing not only an ever-increasing budget, but also problems pertaining to human resource management (HRM). Despite the fact that human resources are viewed as a form of capital investment and represent the most important factor in the success of the armed forces’ operations, the Ministry of Defence has no specific unit that is responsible for the iv designation of personnel management policy. At the same time, the armed forces do not possess a plan to deal with the personnel demands created by MOOTW. Furthermore, the armed forces have not arranged for a separate and/or special workforce unit to perform MOOTW. The recruitment and selection of military personnel to conduct MOOTW were done based on the regular field of work or core function of existing personnel. Since MOOTW are always viewed as support missions, performance evaluation and assessment at both the individual and organizational levels are conducted either in a perfunctory manner or, to make matters worse, completely overlooked. Training and development are understood to be an important factor in conducting MOOTW; however, training and development are manifested in the form of learning by doing, which is normally practiced in performing most of the army’s missions relating to MOOTW. For many decades, the development of the armed forces has focused on the “quantity” rather than on the “quality” of military personnel. Thus, if there were an improvement in the armed forces, making them more compact in terms of size, accompanied by an attempt to attract high-quality personnel, there would have to be a concomitant attempt to develop the potential of army staff, to increase their capabilities, to be able to handle various kinds of work, and to effectively work as a team. From the study, it was found that fringe benefits in the form of tools and equipment, transportation facilities, and the camaraderie of the working environment, proved to be genuine motivators in conducting MOOTW. Even though the research revealed that money was not the main motivating factor for military personnel in conducting tasks related to MOOTW, it was still important to the government to find ways to adjust military compensation that reflected the reality of an increasingly high cost of living so that military personnel could experience higher morale and lead a happy life with dignity and pride. In addition, the armed forces must enjoy the “genuine support” of the people; MOOTW will never become successful without the unfailing cooperation of the general populace. In order to gain the support of the public, it is important that MOOTW must be legitimate and responsive to public needs. Moreover, society should have a say in designing and/or shaping the type of armed forces it would most like to have. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Conducting this research was like the road to Damascus to me. It has changed my life, my attitude, and my perspectives towards everything around me. It also served as a tool to test my patience and there were so many times that it drove me to the limit, where giving up seemed to be the most appropriate answer to the stress and difficulty that I experienced time and time again and which never seemed to end. First of all, I would like to express my genuine gratitude and wholehearted thanks to Dr. Juree Vichit-Vadakan, my advisory chairperson, who marvelously introduced me to the whole new experience of qualitative research. Despite her hectic and tight schedule, she always found time for me, providing invaluable comments, innovative suggestions, and unfailing understanding. Her support and encouragement have been fruitful in helping me to achieve my educational goal. Whenever I wear my doctoral robes, I will be thinking of her. A very warm and respectful vote of thanks to Dr. Supang Chantavanich whose professional guidance made the qualitative work much easier, more realistic, and more practical. Her congenial and munificent smiles always eased my pain and raised my spirits. Special thanks are also humbly extended to Dr. Nisada Wedchayanon. Her authentic expertise in human resource management not only inspired me in the first place, but also kindled my interest in studying the topic of my dissertation with all due seriousness. There are not enough words to thank my mother, Mrs. Sureerat Punluekdej, who patiently and quietly waited for the completion of my study. She never bothered me with the most odious question people loved to ask me all the time: “When are you going to finish your studies?” Her unconditional love and spiritual support over these many austere years helped me pick myself up from rock bottom, a state of mind from which I thought I would never recover. Tikhamporn Punluekdej July, 2009 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v TABLE OF CONTENTS vi LIST OF TABLES x LIST OF FIGURES xi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background of the Study 1 1.1.1 Doctrine for Military Operations Other Than War 5 (MOOTW) 1.2 Statement of the Problem 10 1.3 Significance of the Study 14 1.4 Objectives of the Study 16 1.5 Research Questions 17 1.6 Expected Benefits of the Study 18 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 19 2.1 The Historical Background 19 2.2 The Roles of the Royal Thai Armed Forces 27 2.2.1 Role of the Royal Thai Armed Forces According 27 to the Constitution 2.2.2 Missions of the Ministry of Defence 27 2.2.3 Role of the Royal Thai Armed Forces 28 2.2.4 Domestic roles of the Armed Forces 29 2.3 The Organization Structure 36 2.3.1 The Military and Human Automation 40 2.3.2 The Advantages of Bureaucracy and Human Resource 41 Management vii 2.3.3 Formalization, Centralization, Specialization, 43 Standardization and Complexity 2.4 Selecting Human Resource Activities to Increase Firm’s 44 Performance 2.4.1 Acquiring Human Resource: The Recruitment and 45 Selection 2.4.2 The Performance Appraisal Process 48 2.4.3 Compensation and Benefits 50 2.4.4 Human Resource Training and Development 54 2.4.5 Relationship of Human Resource Training and 56 Development to other HRM Functions 2.5 Human Resource Management (HRM) in Thailand 57 2.6 HRM in the Royal Thai Armed Forces 60 2.7 Other related literature on HRM of the Royal Thai 66 Armed Forces 2.8 Concluding Remarks 68 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 73 3.1 Research Design 73 3.2 Unit of Analysis 73 3.3 Justification for Qualitative Research 73 3.4 Methodology for Case Studies 74 3.4.1 Mapping for Military Operations Other Than War 75 (MOOTW) 3.5 Sources of Data 76 3.5.1 Documentary Research 3.5.2 Interviews 77 3.5.3 Participative Observation 79 3.6 Data Analysis 80 CHAPTER 4 UNDERSTANDING AND ANALYZING MOOTW 82 4.1 Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW)—A General 82 Description 4.2 MOOTW and the Thai Historical Context 90 4.3 MOOTW and The Royal Thai Armed Forces 97 viii 4.4 Drug Problems in Thailand 119 4.5 MOOTW in Counterdrug Operations 122 4.6 MOOTW in Counterdrug Operations at Office of the