General Songkitti Jaggabatara (; ; born December 22, 1950) was the Chief of Defence Forces, Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters (CDF, RTARF) from October 1, 2008 until his retirement from active service on October 1, 2011.

Military life
General Songkitti was educated in many schools in various parts of Thailand before attending the 
Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School Class 10 as a pre-cadet in 1967 as a prerequisite for attending Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy (CRMA). In 1977 he graduated from CRMA as a cavalry officer. In the early years of his service, he fought in the war, in north of Thailand, with communist insurgency who had begun the low intensity armed struggle in the South, North and Northeast Thailand. He also served on the Thailand-Cambodian border during 1982 when the border situation there was very tense after Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978. In 2003, he commanded the 4th Army Area for 6 months and became Superintendent of CRMA. Before he was appointed as Chief of Defence Forces, he was Chief of Joint Staff, RTARF.

In April 2009, he was appointed by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva as the Director of Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) with mandate to peacefully resolve political unrest by  National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship, also known as "Red Shirt" movement, a political pressure group supporting Thaksin Shinawatra, in Bangkok during April 2009

Peacekeeping Mission in East Timor
General Songkitti came to international fame in 1999 when, as a Major General, he led the Thai Joint Task Force 972 Thai/East Timor as a military contingent from Thailand contributed to the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET). He was, concurrently, second in command of INTERFET while Major General Peter Cosgrove, from Australia, was the commander. In 2000, he was awarded Honorary Member (AM) in the Order of Australia in the Military Division and the INTERFET MEDAL for his exceptional service to the INTERFET.

Later in November 2002, he accepted the invitation from University of Melbourne, Australia to share his views from the operations in the seminar on The Rule of Law on Peace Operations

Personal life
General Songkitti Jaggabatara is married with two adult daughters and one teenage son. He lives in Bangkok.

Honours

Royal decorations
  Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
  Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand
  Freemen Safeguarding Medal (Second Class, Second Category)
  Border Service Medal
  Chakra Mala Medal 
  Boy Scout Citation Medal of Vajira First Class

Foreign honours
  Honorary Member (AM) in the Order of Australia in the Military Division (Australia)
  1st Degree of the Malaysian Armed Forces Order for Valour (Malaysia)
  Bintang Yudha Dharma Nararya (Indonesia)
  Bintang Yudha Dharma Utama (Indonesia) (2010)
  The Most Exalted Order of Paduka Keberanian Laila Terbilang,  First Class (D.P.K.T.) (Brunei Darrussalam)
  Distinguished Service Order (Military) (Singapore)
  INTERFET MEDAL (Australia)

References

External links
 Royal Thai Armed Forces Armed Headquarters official website, Military Rank Insignia of Royal Thai Army
 Armed Force Academies Preparatory School ()
 Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters ()
 Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy()
 Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES)()
 4th Army Area ()

Songkitti Jaggabatara
1950 births
Living people
Songkitti Jaggabatara
Songkitti Jaggabatara
Songkitti Jaggabatara
Songkitti Jaggabatara