Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army ( is the army of Thailand responsible for protecting its sovereignty . It is the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces . The army was formed in 1874 , partly as a response to new security threats following the Bowring Treaty with Britain , which opened up the country for international trade . Command and control . The Royal Thai Army is commanded by the Commander of the Royal Thai Army ( ผู้บัญชาการทหารบกไทย ) ; the current Commander is General Prayuth Chan - ocha , who was confirmed by royal appointment to take over the top post effective 1 October 2010 . The Royal Thai Army Headquarters is located in a building on Ratchadamnoen Nok Road in Bangkok , Thailand . A regiment ( the ' Queen ' s Cobras ' ) and later a division , then a brigade , served in South Vietnam from September 1967 to March 1972 . Structure . For the order of battle during the Japanese occupation of Thailand , refer to the Phayap Army . The Royal Thai Army today is divided into four Army Areas : The creation of the 15th Infantry Division ( Thailand ) was announced in January 2005 . Defence Minister General Samphan Boonyanan was quoted as saying that the new unit , dubbed the " Development Division " , would not be a combat unit for fighting Islamic militants , but rather its main mission would be to assist local citizens and develop the region . The military will not ignore its general function of providing safety for the citizens of the region , he added . He said that troops for the new division would undergo training to give them a good understanding of local residents , the vast majority of whom are ethnic Malay Muslims . The division is in fact a transformation of the Pran Buri - based 16th Infantry Division . It will now be headquartered at Ingkhayuthaborihan Camp in Pattani , complete with its battalions and companies of military police and communications and aviation personnel , he said . It will also have three separate infantry battalions , one each in Pattani , Yala and Narathiwat . Each battalion will include three companies of medical , engineering and psychological - warfare personnel , he said . The government will allocate a budget of more than 18bn baht for the division over the next four years . The International Crisis Group wrote in 2010 that ' . . The 15th Infantry Division is being established as a permanent force to handle security problems in the Deep South . The division is based in Pattani and is expected to have a combined force of around 10 , 000 . The establishment of this new division , approved by the government in 2005 , has yet to be completed . As of this writing , some 7 , 000 troops deployed in the Deep South are affiliated to this division . ' Jane ' s Defence Weekly for 15 August 2012 said that two new combat formations had been approved by the previous Pheu Thai administration . The new 7th Infantry Division is based at Mae Rim , near Chiang Mai , and the new 3rd Cavalry Division is based at Khon Kaen . The Royal Guards ( Thailand ) form several separate regiments within these formations . Tactical units . The army is organized into the following formations : The Royal Thai Army also controls at least one television network , the Thai Global Network . The Army Tactical Level Advanced Simulation ( ATLAS ) is an interactive , distributed , constructive simulation used to conduct military Command Post Exercises ( CPX ) within the RTA . ATLAS utilize a continuous terrain model , incorporates HLA 1516 , and displays 1 : 250 , 000 1 : 50 , 000 and Satellite Imagery . ATLAS was developed between 2002 and 2005 through cooperation with RTA Command and General Staff College ( CGSC ) . Aviation . The Royal Thai Army is known to operate the following aircraft types : Known aviation bases . Lop Buri , the main base complex of the Royal Thai Army Aviation , which includes training , technical school , aircraft maintenance and aircraft storage . A separate airfield within the Lop Buri complex ( only around 3 km south of Sa Pran Nak ) houses the 5th aircraft maintenance Company . This unit is responsible for maintenance and storage of army aircraft and helicopters . Army Medical Department . Army Medical Department ( ) belongs to the service segment of the Royal Thai Army . It is responsible for medical affairs , providing medical services at its regular base or in the field , giving training to personnel in research and agriculture and supervising the medical divisions of different sectors of the Royal Thai Army . AMED observed 111 years of service in January 2011 , with 110 years of service having been honored by issue of a series of commemorative stamps .