The Chief of Defence Forces, previously known as the Supreme Commander, ( th, ผู้บัญชาการทหารสูงสุด) is the overall field commander of the

Royal Thai Armed Forces The Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) ( th, กองทัพไทย; ) are the armed forces of the Kingdom of Thailand. The nominal head of the Thai Armed Forces (จอมทัพไทย; ) is the King of Thailand. The armed forces are ...

. He is also in charge of managing the

Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters The Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters ( th, กองบัญชาการกองทัพไทย) or the RTARF HQ, is the "mostly ornamental" joint headquarters of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, which is composed of the Royal Thai Army, ...

(abbreviated as the RTARF HQ). Not to be confused with the ceremonial Head of the Royal Thai Armed Forces who is the constitutional

Head of State A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

and 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 Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat (also spelt ''Dhanarajata''; th, สฤษดิ์ ธนะรัชต์, ; 16 June 1908 – 8 December 1963) was a Thai general who staged a coup in 1957, replacing Plaek Phibunsongkhram as Thailand's prime m ...

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, 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 An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

, or the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

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 the latter. It is customary to appoint the chief of defence to

four-star rank A four-star rank is the rank of any four-star officer described by the NATO OF-9 code. Four-star officers are often the most senior commanders in the armed services, having ranks such as (full) admiral, (full) general, colonel general, army ge ...

in all three branches in the Armed Forces for inspection of other branches of the Armed Forces. The current commander is General

Chalermpol Srisawat Chalermpol Srisawat ( th, เฉลิมพล ศรีสวัสดิ์) is a Thai military general. he serves as Chief of Defence Forces of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. Education and careers Chalermpol study in primary and secondary ...

since October 2020.

List of chiefs

Supreme Commanders (1941−2008)

, -style="text-align:center;" , colspan=7, ''Temporary command during the

Franco-Thai War The Franco-Thai War (October 1940 – January 28, 1941, th, กรณีพิพาทอินโดจีน, Krṇī phiphāth xindocīn; french: Guerre franco-thaïlandaise) was fought between History of Thailand (1932–1973), Thailand an ...

'' , - , -style="text-align:center;" , colspan=7, ''Temporary command during the Pacific War'' , - , -style="text-align:center;" , colspan=7, ''Permanent command'' , -

Chiefs of Defence Forces (2008−present)

References

Former commander (Thai)
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Chiefs Of Defence Forces (Thailand) Military of Thailand

Chiefs of Defence Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

List of chiefs

Supreme Commanders (1941−2008)

Chiefs of Defence Forces (2008−present)

See also

References