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The Royal Thai Armed Forces ((タイ語:กองทัพไทย); ) is the name of the military of the Kingdom of Thailand. It consists of the following branches: * Royal Thai Army (กองทัพบกไทย) * Royal Thai Navy (กองทัพเรือไทย, ราชนาวีไทย) * *Royal Thai Marine Corps (นาวิกโยธินไทย) * Royal Thai Air Force (กองทัพอากาศไทย) *Other Paramilitary Forces Created in 1852, the Royal Thai Armed Forces came into existence as permanent force at the behest of King Mongkut, who needed a European trained military force to thwart any Western threat and any attempts at colonialisation. By 1887, during the next reign of King Chulalongkorn, a permanent military command in the ''Kalahom'' Department was established. However the office of ''Kalahom'' and the military of Siam had existed since the days of the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 13th century.〔(The Royal Thai Army. Brief History ). rta.mi.th〕 In fact the history of the Kings of Siam is teeming with tales of military conquest and power.〔(Military History ). www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved on 18 January 2012.〕 However, since 1932, when the military, with the help of civilians, overthrew the system of absolute monarchy and instead created a constitutional system, the military has dominated and been in control of Thai politics, providing it with many prime ministers and carrying out many coups d'état, the most recent being in 2014. As of 2013, the Royal Thai Armed Forces had 306,000 active duty personnel. The Thai military has more than 1,750 flag officers (generals and admirals), a bloated number for a military of its size. By comparison, the US military as of April 2011 had 964 flag officers for a force several times the size of Thailand's.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://fabiusmaximus.com/2012/09/10/american-military-force-changed-43153/ )〕 On 2 May 2015 1,043 new flag officers of all three services promoted in 2014-2015 took the oath of allegiance. It is not clear how many retired during the same period. The Head of the Thai Armed Forces (จอมทัพไทย; ) is King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX),〔Chapter 2 of the 2007 Constitution of Thailand. En.wikisource.org. Retrieved on 18 January 2012.〕 however this position is only nominal. The armed forces are ostensibly managed by the Ministry of Defense of Thailand, which is headed by the minister of defence (a member of the Cabinet of Thailand) and commanded by the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, which in turn is headed by the Chief of Defence Forces of Thailand.〔(Ministry of Defense ). www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved on 18 January 2012.〕 The defence budget has nearly tripled from 78.1 billion baht in 2005 to 207 billion baht allocated for fiscal year 2016, beginning in October 2015, amounting to roughly 1.5 percent of GDP.〔 According to the Constitution of the Kingdom, serving in the armed forces is a duty of all Thai citizens.〔Chapter 4 of the 2007 Constitution of Thailand〕 However, only males over the age of 21 who have not gone through reserve training are subjected to a random draft. Those chosen randomly are subjected to twenty-four months full-time service, while volunteers are subjected to eighteen months service, depending on their education. The Royal Thai Armed Forces Day is celebrated on 18 January to commemorate the victory of King Naresuan the Great in battle against the Crown Prince of Burma in 1593. ==Role== The Royal Thai Armed Forces main role is the protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Thailand. The armed forces are also charged with the defence of the monarchy of Thailand against all threats both foreign and domestic.〔(Vision ). schq.mi.th〕 Apart from these roles, the armed forces also have responsibilities ensuring public order and participating in social development programs by aiding the civilian government. The armed forces are also charged with assisting victims of national disasters and drug control. In recent years the Royal Thai Armed Forces have begun increasing its role on the international stage by providing peacekeeping forces to the United Nations (UN), in the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET), from 1999 to 2002.〔(UNTAET ). Un.org. Retrieved on 18 January 2012.〕 and participating in the multinational force in Iraq, contributing 423 personnel from 2003 to 2004.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Royal Thai Armed Forces」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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