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12-663: The headquarters is headed by the Chief of Defence Forces ( Thai : ผู้บัญชาการทหารสูงสุด) . The chief is supported by several departments and directorates, including four deputy chiefs. The headquarters is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Defence of Thailand and the Defence Minister. The headquarters is the supreme command of the armed forces and therefore at the apex of the military in Thailand. The headquarters

24-463: Is charged with the command and execution of military operations in wartime. In peacetime, it is charged with maintaining military readiness in case of attack. The headquarters is also in charge of the security of the royal family and the king . In addition to the command of the armed forces during times of war, the headquarters also commands Thai forces overseas in peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance operations. The Supreme Command Headquarters of

36-882: Is currently organized into five groups: the Command Group, the Joint Staff Group, the Operations Group, the Special Services Group, and the Education Group. Until 2008, The Supreme Command Headquarters also has operational control of the Border Patrol Police . On 2 February 2008, the "Supreme Command Headquarters" became the "Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters" under the "Organization of Ministry of Defence Act, 2008". The position of Supreme Commander became

48-616: The Chief of Defence Forces . The RTARF HQ is composed of five groups: The "Chief of Defence Forces" ( Thai : ผู้บัญชาการทหารสูงสุด) and the Deputy Chiefs of Defence Forces ( Thai : รองผู้บัญชาการทหารสูงสุด) are responsible for the command and execution of military operations of the armed forces of Thailand . List of Commanders of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters The Chief of Defence Forces , previously known as

60-817: The Royal Thai Armed Forces was originally a temporary position that had only been called into existence twice: once, during the Franco-Thai War in 1940 and again during the Greater East Asia War (Second World War: Pacific Theatre). During both of these conflicts, the headquarters was commanded by Field Marshal Plaek Pibulsonggram , the prime minister of Thailand and creator of the supreme command system. Temporary personnel were called from their existing units and released after conflict subsided in 1945. On 27 September 1957, King Bhumibol Adulyadej as Commander-in-Chief and Head of

72-734: The Supreme Commander , ( Thai : ผู้บัญชาการทหารสูงสุด ) is the overall field commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces . He is also in charge of managing the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters . Not to be confused with the ceremonial Highest Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces who is the constitutional monarch of Thailand . Prior to 1960 the post was an ad hoc creation by Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram , during World War II . However, under Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat

84-683: The 1960s, the government saw the establishment of the permanent Supreme Command Headquarters as a necessity for the preparation of military forces and national defense. On 16 March 1960, the passage of the "Organization of Ministry of Defence Act of 1960" upgraded the Defence Staff Department to Supreme Command Headquarters. This action originally created four groups of agencies within the Supreme Command Headquarters: Staff, Special Services, Combat Support, and Education. The Supreme Command Headquarters

96-511: The Royal Thai Armed Forces ( Thai : จอมทัพไทย) , appointed Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat to the position of Supreme Commander. The Defence Staff Department was also created to serve as the commander's administrative office. Field Marshal Sarit became Prime Minister in 1959 and subsequently relinquished command of the Supreme Command Headquarters on his deathbed in 1963. He was succeeded by Thanom Kittikachorn . During

108-750: The general officer appointed to the Chief of Defence Forces after the date acts more like a coordinator between three military branches. Still, he commands smaller military force than the Army , the Navy , or the Air Force has. So, the position is usually reserved for senior army generals who will not be appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army and will retire on the same year with

120-537: The latter. It is customary to appoint the chief of defence to four-star rank in all three branches in the Armed Forces for inspection of other branches of the Armed Forces. Field marshal (Thailand) The Thai rank of Field Marshal ( Thai : จอมพล , romanized :  Chom-phon , lit.   'Chief [of the] forces') is the most senior rank of the Royal Thai Army . The rank

132-731: The position became permanent, and in its early life was even combined with the post of Prime Minister of Thailand . In February 2008 the English name of the post was changed from Supreme Commander to Chief of Defence Forces with the reorganization of the Supreme Command Headquarters into the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters (though the Thai term remained the same). The enactment of 1997 Constitution of Thailand on 11 October 1997 prohibits double-hatting of this position and each service branch commander-in-chief,

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144-432: Was formally created in 1888 together with all other ranks of the military by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), who wanted to modernize his armed forces along Western lines. There have been 13 appointments to this rank. The rank has not been awarded since 1992 and its abolition has been proposed by the Thai government in 2018. Plaek Phibunsongkhram was the first commoner to hold this rank. The Royal Thai Navy equivalent

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