Defence to cut back on personnel, restructure forces

Defence to cut back on personnel, restructure forces

Defence to cut back on personnel, restructure forces
Sutin Klungsang, the head of the defense ministry, addresses reporters after the Thursday defense government conference. ( Photo: Wassana Nanuam )

The Ministry of Defense intends to reduce the number of service members by 700 over the next three years and likely rebuild the military, with hopes to keep up to 34 million ringgit.

At a Thursday defense government meeting, where the government decided to start reducing the military force over the 2025 to 2027 governmental years, Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang said like information were decided upon.

During a conversation on the finances expenses for the 2024 fiscal season on January 4, Mr. Sutin’s target of downsizing the troops was brought up. He claimed that he had issued a new rules aimed at early retirement that aims to reduce the number of high-ranking soldiers in the three military branches by 50 %, or on 380, by 2027.

Rear Admiral Thanitpong Sirisawetsak, Defence Spokesman, said on Thursday that the council also agreed on combining some groups to reduce labor reliability.

The Department of Defense Resources ‘ Recruitment Division and the Office of the Secretary of the Reserve Personnel Committee, two examples of which are expected to be combined with the Ministry’s Office Permanent Secretary.

R Adm Thanitpong stated that the committee intended to update some military institutions, such as the Defense Information and Space Technology Department, to improve coherence with the Military Cyber Centre, which will soon be changed to become the Defense Cyber Command.

The Asean Office of Defense Policy and Planning may change into the Office of International and Asean Cooperation, while the Royal Initiative Project and Security Coordination Center may change into the Royal Initiative Project Development Office.

In related information, Mr Sutin said he had ordered the Judge Advocate General’s Department to alter regulations related to servicemen’s employment information.

The purchase follows a viral video posted by a former soldier on March 10, who depicted his military career as an officer’s bonded house servant, which included him washing his boss’s wife’s underwear.

Conscripts must have an established job information before they can function at the homes of their superiors, he said.