Approaches to Propel the Royal Thai Armed Forces to Become Digital Armed Forces

Abstract

          Today's technological changes have created an impact on various global dimensions. Most of the current technologies now have a smart and automated processing system to operate on large-scale data, consequently enhancing its capabilities to analyse or forecast probable future situations. The Royal Thai Armed Forces has been developing its potential to respond to the digital government and has set the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters’ vision to become “Digital Headquarters by 2022 and the SMART Headquarters by 2037” respectively. To achieve that vision, Chief of Defence Forces has implemented policies to ensure that the Royal Thai Armed Forces can become Digital Armed Forces. The objectives of this study are: 1) to study concepts and policies related to the process of becoming Digital Armed Forces; 2) to analyse the environment of the Royal Thai Armed Forces and 3) to recommend approaches to propel the Royal Thai Armed Forces to become Digital Armed Forces.

          Approaches to propel the Royal Thai Armed Forces to become Digital Armed Forces, based on 4M management framework, are Management; consisting of 1) establishing a primary agency to implement Digitalisation of the Armed Forces Strategy, 2) preparing a Digital Armed Forces Development Plan in different phases, 3) preparing and developing regulations and operation manuals for systems which are going to be developed or improved, 4) setting up rules and regulations consistent with diverse contexts, 5) formulating an incident plan for any probable situations, 6) providing data security, 7) advancing cybersecurity systems, 8) providing data synchronisation systems both within the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters and Armed Forces, and 9) creating a digital partnership league among the Armed Forces, government agencies and private agencies nationally and internationally; Man; consisting of 1) adjusting the mindset of all the Armed Forces personnel, from the executive level to operation officers, to become Digital Armed Forces, 2) placing priority on Human Resource Development to enhance digital potential, as well as 3) Human Resource Management, Materials; consisting of 1) developing high efficiency infrastructure, 2) continuing commitment on digital service platform and application development, 3) applying Digital to Armed Forces pilot projects, and 4) enhancing the potential of the Royal Thai Armed Forces on information and cyber technologies, and Money; which consists of 1) budgets allocation in accordance with the Roadmap to become Digital Armed Forces, and 2) sufficient budgets for setting up a system for basic digital infrastructures.