THE STRATEGY OF CONFLICT

STRENGTH THROUGH COOPERATION
Military Forces in the Asia-Pacific Region

THE STRATEGY OF CONFLICT: A Royal Thai Army Perspective
Teerawat Putamanonda

The Royal Thai Army's missions and roles, stated in the current constitution of Thailand, are based on a comprehensive security concept that portrays a broader notion of security by incorporating military and nonmilitary instruments of national power to deal with any threats. The Royal Thai Army is directly responsible for the first and foremost mission, which is national defense. Maintenance of internal security, internal law and order, and country development are the other three missions in which the Royal Thai Army plays a supportive role. Consequently, the Royal Thai Army, as an integral part of the Government of Thailand, is given responsibilities by law not only to maintain and apply the military instrument for national defense but also to enhance other nonmilitary instruments of national power, when deemed appropriate.

The Royal Thai Army force structure reflects these missions and roles and include seven infantry, two armor-cavalry, two special force, one artillery, one air defense, and one engineering divisions. Additionally, there are four additional development divisions. Although our current force structure still reflects remnants of the threats associated with the Cold War, we are now in the process of downsizing the force so that its structure will be in proportion with our modernization program and more suitable to the post-Cold War environment.

Lieutenant General Teerawat Putamanonda, Royal Thai Army, is currently the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence. He has also served as Director of Intelligence, Staff Officer for the Director of Operations, and Instructor of the Command and General Staff College. LTG Putamanonda was also the Liaison Officer to the U.N. Command for the Republic of Korea.

The Royal Thai Army strategy is defensive in nature. The cornerstone of national defense strategy is the Total Defense Concept, which has two main components in which the Royal Thai Army plays a role. The first is national development, which aims at strengthening internal security and focuses on the development of border areas and the well-being of citizens. Efforts in this component will provide national resilience in time of crisis. The second component is a broader involvement in national defense. Based on the total defense strategy, responsibilities for national defense are divided accordingly among regular forces, local forces, and citizen soldiers.

From Thailand's perspective, potential conflicts or threats seem to be more internal, nonmilitary threats that stem from economic, social, or environmental problems. There are no major threats from our immediate external environment. However, it is fair to say that sources of potential threats or conflicts are ill defined and uncertain because of the complexity and multidimensional character of security in the post- Cold War era.

Land and maritime borders may be a source of potential conflicts, especially areas overlapping exclusive economic zones and continental shelves. These conflicts may have negative implications on the freedom of sea lines of communication. Regionally, the likelihood of a major regional war is slim, with the possible exceptions of conflicts with the Korean peninsula and the area around the Taiwan Strait. There are also possibilities of low-intensity conflicts in the Spratlys and ethnic or religious unrest in some of the surrounding countries. The ultimate objective of our strategy in coping with these potential conflicts is to prevent a conflict or war.

In the preparation for and the prevention of conflicts, the Royal Thai Army looks at different but related levels of security. For internal security, the total defense strategy should provide us with a strong, cohesive, and prosperous nation less prone to internal instability and thus internal conflict. The total defense strategy also provides us with comprehensive national defense against any aggression.

At subregional and regional levels, where major war is unlikely and the nature of security is complex and multi-dimensional, our strategy is based on preventive diplomacy in the forms of constructive engagement and bilateral and multilateral security cooperation.

With regard to internal security, the Royal Thai Army implements the total defense strategy by administering and coordinating rural development programs as well as collaborating with other government agencies to fight nonmilitary threats. We also have programs to organize and train citizen soldiers and other types of volunteers living in rural and border areas in order to develop the areas and provide security of their own homeland. The Royal Thai Army also conducts training programs for local forces, such as territorial defense volunteers, border-patrol police, and other paramilitary forces. These local forces supplement regular forces in carrying out national defense objectives.

In terms of subregional and regional security, we implement a constructive engagement strategy and initiate bilateral and multilateral security cooperation by participating in confidence- and security-building measures with our neighbors. Border committees have been formed at all levels to solve border conflicts constructively between Thailand and our neighbors. We have successfully established a joint development area with Malaysia in the ongoing disputed exclusive economic zones, and there are ongoing negotiations regarding disputed areas with Vietnam. Thailand was the first among ASEAN members to publish an official defense white paper in 1994. The first ARF, held in Bangkok in 1994, underscored the opinion of ASEAN members that Southeast Asia must engage and cooperate with great powers in the region on security issues, either military or nonmilitary. Other CSBMs undertaken by the Royal Thai Army include exchange programs in education and training, intelligence exchanges, combined training, and other bilateral and multilateral military cooperation.

On the international level, the Royal Thai Army has participated in U.N. observation and peacekeeping missions, and there is an ongoing process to lend an officer to the U.N. Headquarters on peacekeeping-related activities.

U.S. presence in the Asia-Pacific region is critical to peace and stability in that area as well as in Southeast Asia. No one would deny that U.S. Armed Forces are the most formidable and unchallenged in the present global strategic landscape. Because the United States has an open and democratic society, U.S. Armed Forces are seen as benign, as a stabilizing factor, and as an honest broker in the region. Great powers in the region are not necessarily viewed as nonbenign armed forces, but they are likely to be less predictable than the United States.

Additionally, U.S. presence is important, because Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole have no collective security arrangement like NATO or WEU in Europe. ARF or other multilateral security dialogs in the Asia-Pacific region require a strong countervailing power against any unilateralism or nationalism; the United States is suitable for this role. U.S. presence may take place in various forms, each of which have differing degrees of psychological effects and politico-strategic significance.

Stationing of U.S. troops in areas like Japan and the Republic of Korea and pre-positioning military equipment, arms, and supplies are viewed as a "strong" U.S. presence. Combined training and exchange visits involving military personnel, planes, and ships are seen as a "softer" U.S. presence.

How does Thailand figure the U.S. presence into Thailand's strategic and planning decision? Thailand and the United States are treaty allies and have enjoyed a long and cordial relationship. U.S. presence in the region and its defense relationship with Thailand provide a strong deterrence against any aggression into Thailand's sovereignty and integrity; this was especially true during the Cold War.

In the post-Cold War era, when likelihood of a major regional war is low, the deterrence value is less pronounced for Thai security. However, U.S. presence is considered vital to regional stability, which is an important ingredient for peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole. Because many U.S. national security policies coincide with those of Asia-Pacific nations, U.S. presence can give impetus for security dialogs and provide small powers in the region with a significant level of assurance curtailing the outbreak of a major war.

The United States can also help prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and curb potential arms races as well as any hegemonic undertaking inside or outside Southeast Asia. The close and cordial Thai-U.S. defense relationship is still very important to Thai security and prosperity. Thailand can greatly benefit from Thai-U.S. defense cooperation programs through the transferring of military technology and the exchange of knowledge and experience. We also benefit from Foreign Military Sales program in equipment procurement.

U.S. presence in Southeast Asia is at the appropriate level. Stationing of troops, equipment, arms, and supplies in countries of the region other than Japan and Korea, would be counterproductive with regard to constructive engagement strategy and bilateral and multilateral security cooperation. Such a move could undermine the CSBMs that ASEAN countries have constructed and are trying to create.

In October 1994, Thailand declined the U.S. request for the pre-positioning of military equipment and supplies in the Gulf of Thailand. This decision was based on the strategic effect this action would have on the CSBMs undertaken in the region. Exchange visits by military planes, ships, and personnel, as well as combined training and exercises, are consistent with constructive engagement and security cooperation, as this type of presence allow multilateral contacts thus leading to a more transparent environment.