Royal Thai Armed Forces (Kongthap Thai, RTARF): Royal Thai Army (Kongthap Bok Thai, RTA; includes Thai Rangers (Thahan Phrahan)), Royal Thai Navy (Kongthap Ruea Thai, RTN; includes Royal Thai Marine Corps), Royal Thai Air Force (Kongthap Akaat Thai, RTAF); Office of the Prime Minister: Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC; oversees counter-insurgency operations, as well as countering terrorism, narcotics and weapons trafficking, and other internal security duties); Ministry of Interior: Volunteer Defense Corps (2021)
note: the Thai Rangers (aka Thahan Phrahan or 'Hunter Soldiers') is a paramilitary force formed in 1978 to clear Communist Party of Thailand guerrillas from mountain strongholds in the country's northeast; it is a light infantry force led by regular officers and non-commissioned officers and comprised of both full- and part-time personnel; it conducts counterinsurgency operations in the southern region; on the eastern border with Laos and Cambodia, the Rangers have primary responsibility for border surveillance and protection
Royal Cambodian Armed Forces: High Command Headquarters, Royal Cambodian Army, Royal Khmer Navy, Royal Cambodian Air Force, Royal Gendarmerie; the National Committee for Maritime Security (performs Coast Guard functions and has representation from military and civilian agencies) (2020)
Military service age and obligation
21 years of age for compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; males register at 18 years of age; 2-year conscript service obligation based on lottery (2019)
18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
1.4% of GDP (2020 est.)
1.3% of GDP (2019)
1.4% of GDP (2018)
1.6% of GDP (2017)
1.6% of GDP (2016)
2.3% of GDP (2019 est.)
2.2% of GDP (2018)
2.1% of GDP (2017)
2% of GDP (2016)
1.8% of GDP (2015)
Military and security service personnel strengths
estimates for the size of the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) vary widely; approximately 350,000 active duty personnel (240,000 Army; 65,000 Navy; 45,000 Air Force); est. 20,000 Thai Rangers; est. 5-6,000 Internal Security Operations Command (2020)
information varies; approximately 100,000 total active troops including about 3,000 Navy and 1,000 Air Force; est. 10,000 Gendarmerie (2020)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the RTARF has a diverse array of foreign-supplied weapons systems, including a large amount of obsolescent or second-hand US equipment; since 2010, Thailand has received military equipment from nearly 20 countries with China, South Korea, Sweden, Ukraine, and the US as the leading suppliers (2020)
the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces are armed largely with older Chinese and Russian-origin equipment; it has received limited amounts of more modern (mostly second-hand) equipment since 2010 with China as the principal provider (2020)
Military deployments
275 South Sudan (UNMISS) (Jan 2021)
200 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 175 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 290 Mali (MINUSMA) (Jan 2021)
