page_title: Royal Thai Armed Forces
section_title: Uniforms, ranks, insignia
hierarchical_section_title: Royal Thai Armed Forces / Uniforms, ranks, insignia
caption_attribution_description: ไทย: แถวทหารดุริยางค์จากกองดุริยางค์ทหารบกแต่งเครื่องแบบเต็มยศรักษาพระองค์ ในริ้วกระบวนเชิญพระศพสมเด็จพระเจ้าพี่นางเธอ เจ้าฟ้ากัลยานิวัฒนา กรมหลวงนราธิวาสราชนครินทร์ ริ้วกระบวนที่ 2 หน้าพระที่นั่งสุทไธสวรรยปราสาท ถนนสนามไชย วันที่ 15 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2551
context_page_description: The Royal Thai Armed Forces is the name of the military of the Kingdom of Thailand.
  The nominal head of the Thai Armed Forces is the King of Thailand. The armed forces are managed by the Ministry of Defense of Thailand, which is headed by the minister of defence and commanded by the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, which in turn is headed by the Chief of Defence Forces. The commander in chief of the army is considered the most powerful position in the Thai Armed Forces.
  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.
context_section_description: To build institutional solidarity and esprit de corps, each Thai service component has developed its own distinctive uniforms, ranking system, and insignia. Many Thai military uniforms reflect historical foreign influences. For example, most of the distinctive service uniforms were patterned on those of the US, but lower ranking enlisted navy personnel wear uniforms resembling those of their French counterparts. The early influence of British advisers to the Thai royal court and the historical role of the military in royal pomp and ceremony contributed to the splendor of formal dress uniforms worn by high-ranking officers and guards of honour on ceremonial occasions.
  The rank structures of the three armed services are similar to those of the respective branches of the US Armed Forces, although the Thai system has fewer NCO and warrant officer designations. The king, as head of state and constitutional head of the armed forces, commissions all officers. Appointments to NCO ranks are authorised by the minister of defence. In theory, the authority and responsibilities of officers of various ranks correspond to those of their US counterparts. However, because of a perennial surplus of senior officers—in 1987 there were some 600 generals and admirals in a total force of about 273,000—Thai staff positions are often held by officers of higher rank than would be the case in the US or other Western military establishments.
  Thai military personnel are highly conscious of rank distinctions and of the duties, obligations, and benefits they entail. Relationships among officers of different grades and among officers, NCOs, and the enlisted ranks are governed by military tradition in a society where observance of differences in status are highly formalised. The social distance between officers and NCOs is widened by the fact that officers usually are college or military academy graduates, while most NCOs have not gone beyond secondary school. There is a wider gap between officers and conscripts, most of whom have even less formal education, service experience, or specialised training.
  Formal honours and symbols of merit occupy an important place in Thai military tradition. The government grants numerous awards, and outstanding acts of heroism, courage, and meritorious service receive prompt recognition.
caption: The Royal Thai Army Band in uniforms of various royal guards unit, ranked in the shape of the flag of Thailand
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