Thailand: Land of a thousand generals

[Chazar]

3 hours ago, ezzra said:

The case of too many chiefs, not enough Indians...

Nah  just "too  many"

[tifino]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I'm just wondering how many of these "generals" would be effective in a real crisis, and how many would run around like headless chooks.

angry chooks at that!  wasting 3x more scrambled eggs on their heads, than the US... 

 

... really taken the Category of General Duties officers, to the extreme

 

GD - a common term for referring to failed pilots   

 

 

and, what about their Admirals, and Air Marshals?

[johnmcc6]

3 hours ago, Oxx said:

 

They have hobbies to keep themselves busy such as watch collecting.

They may pour over social media sites seeking people who criticize the government ? Living in a military controlled country should make one caeful of what they have to say publicly . As a guest here we should be polite and mind our own business. 

[Odysseus123]

2 minutes ago, johnmcc6 said:

They may pour over social media sites seeking people who criticize the government ? Living in a military controlled country should make one caeful of what they have to say publicly . As a guest here we should be polite and mind our own business. 

Ah..hmmm.

[brokenbone]

4 hours ago, fforest1 said:

The thing I have always wondered is what all the Generals actually do? There can not possibly be enough work for

all of them.....Do they just show up for work and surf the internet or what?

 

 

a friend of mine, a ranger told me he didnt want to advance

because the work became almost exclusively politics,

which he had zero interest in

[zydeco]

4 hours ago, fforest1 said:

Generals flag officers Thailand 1,750

 

Generals flag officers USA ....231 Army 162 Navy  198 Air force

 

So Thailand has 3X as many flag officers than in the USA....

Ah, but which military has the most golf courses?

[Fore Man]

As a retired senior U.S. military officer, I became personally familiar with Thailand’s policy that allows/tolerates placing senior officers into ‘non-active’ posts.  This occurs due to two reasons, the first of which should be rather obvious. Even they realize that too many men are walking around wearing special colonel/flag officer insignia and are superfluous to military needs. It is form of cronyism and job protectionism for so many senior officers to remain on active duty long after their usefulness has ended. The other reason?  There is a large contingent of Thai brass that are very probably mediocre and even inept.  Indeed there are their best and brightest at the top, but they are hamstrung by a failure to trim the fat.   You might even extend that argument to all public servants in this class-conscious society.  
 

just stop to consider what could be achieved if inflated military budgets could be pared and then insisting on spending that largesse on free, higher quality public education and other badly needed reforms.  You reap what you sow, especially so in this culture.
 

In modern countries that are wary of permitting too much military influence, there are strict laws governing the numbers of officers permitted to be in active service at each pay grade, plus there are usually up or out promotion policies in effect that only allow their best and brightest to move up.  In the end, Thailand gets what it deserves for failing to place greater controls on its uniformed citizens, and has continually suffered because of this failure. 
 

There’s an old saying that is very apropos here...if you give a man a gun, you’d better watch him.  

[Curt1591]

The obsession with rank and uniforms has always cracked me up. What I find most humorous is the campaign ribbons for officers is such places like the post office.

What are these for? Maybe one for "delivering in a monsoon"? How about "bit by a dog"?

[Odysseus123]

6 minutes ago, Curt1591 said:

The obsession with rank and uniforms has always cracked me up. What I find most humorous is the campaign ribbons for officers is such places like the post office.

What are these for? Maybe one for "delivering in a monsoon"? How about "bit by a dog"?

Or..more likely "shoved 'em under a tree.."

[alexth]

Positions gained through bone fetching contests, as the stinking dogs they are...top to bottom 

[saminoz]

5 hours ago, steven100 said:

so there you have it …..

..and no real active duty experience amongst them.  They'd be <deleted> all use in a real conflict (props for those poor sods dealing with the "insurgents" in the South) and an enemy combatant would only have to make one of these silly little generals lose face in order to break what little discipline they might have!

[madmitch]

The article could be much more hard-hitting. It's like the writer knows what's really going on but is scared to take his writing that one step further.

[30la]

Thailand is a military nation, and this has always been the case!

[spidermike007]

And one would be tempted to ask exactly what it is that they do? In the US there are a total of under 300 generals for the Army, including flag officers. They command some respect. Here? What are their accomplishments? How much overseas action have they seen? What are they defending? What purpose do they serve? 

 

I could go a step further, and ask what does the army do for the nation? 

[Khun Paul]

Come on we all know, in Uniform Services you always get promoted to the your level of incompetence, which means there are a lot of Incompetent people in the Thai Militaryt and judging by the current Government seems to be true. 

[jackdd]

5 hours ago, fforest1 said:

The thing I have always wondered is what all the Generals actually do? There can not possibly be enough work for

all of them.....Do they just show up for work and surf the internet or what?

A while ago here was some new about the police chief, who said something like that being the police chief is only a part time job for him.

I guess most of the army generals treat this similar, their government job is considered to be a part time job for them, their main focus is some other business which they are running.

 

Just look at for example Prayut: "As of August 2019 he serves as Prime Minister of Thailand, Thailand's Defence Minister,[3] and head of the Royal Thai Police.[4] In addition, he assumed the duties of Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak as head of the government's economic team and oversees the Justice Ministry's Department of Special Investigation (DSI).[5]" from wikipedia

So effectively he is doing five jobs simultaneously, and probably he is also running some private business.

In other countries being prime minister would be considered a full time job, but for Thai officials this is a part time job for which they spend an hour or two a day.

[steven100]

6 minutes ago, 30la said:

Thailand is a military nation, and this has always been the case!

bingo  !   as is most of Asia ...  Cambodia, Burma, Vietnam and others .... 

[fulhamster]

5 hours ago, neeray said:

Quite possibly the biggest "old boys club" in the world.

 

Can't figure out "up from down" on the economy but sure know how to load and point a gun.

They would never be expected to actually take part in military action.

[mfd101]

5 hours ago, neeray said:

 

 

Can't figure out "up from down" on the economy but sure know how to load and point a gun.

I doubt most of them would know one weapons system from another. Put them up against a real army - whether of modern or of guerrilla type - and you'ld soon know whether they can fight or not.

 

I have however encountered men-in-black up in the Dong Rak mountains on the Cambodian border and they certainly look mean enough. If looks could kill ...

[sawadeeken]

5 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

If I remember correctly, Thailand has over 2000 generals, while the US has about 220.

And soon 3 new 'SUBMARINES' and how many TANkS... Doesn't that create a 'Big Face' for Thailand....

BUT the Thai Kids aren't (or poorly) EDUCATED in schools and the kids and aged, the 'poor' in general, are NOT provided with hospital care......... Do you still see a 'Big Face' for this current gov't???.......    NOT ME......

[sawadeeken]

51 minutes ago, jackdd said:

A while ago here was some new about the police chief, who said something like that being the police chief is only a part time job for him.

I guess most of the army generals treat this similar, their government job is considered to be a part time job for them, their main focus is some other business which they are running.

 

Just look at for example Prayut: "As of August 2019 he serves as Prime Minister of Thailand, Thailand's Defence Minister,[3] and head of the Royal Thai Police.[4] In addition, he assumed the duties of Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak as head of the government's economic team and oversees the Justice Ministry's Department of Special Investigation (DSI).[5]" from wikipedia

So effectively he is doing five jobs simultaneously, and probably he is also running some private business.

In other countries being prime minister would be considered a full time job, but for Thai officials this is a part time job for which they spend an hour or two a day.

Much of their off duty time is spent finding 'OFF SHORE' accounts to put all their    'Hard earned/grafted'    money in...... SIMILAR' to Taksin (Who they try to crucify)....... 

[Fore Man]

51 minutes ago, steven100 said:

bingo  !   as is most of Asia ...  Cambodia, Burma, Vietnam and others .... 

why is this?  Perhaps because this part of the world arose from a lengthy feudal history and a powerful military held all the various strata of society in check. 

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, fforest1 said:

The thing I have always wondered is what all the Generals actually do? There can not possibly be enough work for

all of them.....Do they just show up for work and surf the internet or what?

 

 

No they show up for work and read a good bank statement book, or two or three or more!

[metisdead]

A post using a disallowed reference to the government has been removed. 

[NoshowJones]

Thailand: Land of a thousand generals.

Yes, all these Lt/Gens, Maj/Gens, Lt/ Cols etc, etc, are really full of themselves, how nice they look in their nice uniforms,  medals, ribbons etc, all these British Prince Charles types rolled in to one.

[Mick501]

 

 

just got to discount the Burmese withdrawing to deal with China in the 1700s, and opening doors to the Japanese in WW2.   Aside from those minor details, Thailand remains the only country in SEA never to have been occupied.   So they must be doing something right, right?

[ubon farang]

7 hours ago, fforest1 said:

The thing I have always wondered is what all the Generals actually do? There can not possibly be enough work for

all of them.....Do they just show up for work and surf the internet or what?

 

 

Prob play with their phones all day like the RTP

[NoshowJones]

7 hours ago, fforest1 said:

Generals flag officers Thailand 1,750

 

Generals flag officers USA ....231 Army 162 Navy  198 Air force

 

So Thailand has 3X as many flag officers than in the USA....

They are all posers, "Oh! Look at me, don't I look nice in my lovely uniform"? 

[NoshowJones]

7 hours ago, colinneil said:

First BS story of the new year... Many generals busy themselves with tasks often performed by lower ranks... Ha ha ha.

You mean on inactive duty? ????

[NoshowJones]

7 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

If I remember correctly, Thailand has over 2000 generals, while the US has about 220.

But in the US they don't pay for their ranks.