- By Stingray, Thai Intel’s national security journalist
“Yes” Thai Intel can confirm to our readers, that Terry, Thai Intel’s editor, have been in several classified contact with the USA intelligence service, the CIA.
The USA wind-down in the War on Terror, have seen several high ranking USA National Security related people, saying that the Pacific Waters will receive additional attention.
- The latest from Terry’s CIA source, is that the CIA sees Thailand as the weak link in ASEAN Defense and that the CIA is ready to push the USA defense industrial complex, to assist ASEAN arms industry.
“The problem is not Thailand’s current defense capabilities, but the problem is that Thailand is failing to keep up with other ASEAN countries (in defense capabilities) as China is becoming more aggressive in the region.”
- The CIA source said that currently, for example, Indonesia is interested in a new fleet of F-16 fighters and Malaysia is interested in up-grading its F-18 fighters. At the same time, Singapore have rushed the deployment of submarines and Indonesia just allocated about US$2 billion for extra armament. Meanwhile, the CIA said Vietnam is fast up-grading its Russian fighters fleet and is also on the verge of allocating an extra budget naval vessels.
- “We classify the Philippines and Thailand as the weak link in ASEAN defense, but while we are helping Philippines, Thailand is a different matter that we can not get much involved with, and Thailand will have to step up to the challenge, on its own accord,” said the CIA source.
ASEAN has just proposed a joint ASEAN arms industry build-up paper, with Indonesia and Malaysia taking the lead on building up of a local arms industry, with Indonesia, forging close links to South Korean arms industry and Malaysia with a few Europeans countries.
- “We are pushing hard for the USA defense industry to participate in that build-up, and are ready to clear advance defense equipment know-how to Thailand, but the interest is just not there in Thailand, because corruption in the Thai arms purchase system, is slowing Thailand’s indigenous arms industry,” said the CIA.
Thailand’s local arms industry centers on know-how in cutting-edge small coastal patrol boats and a Taksin, initiated, said open end budget, for the development of advance rockets and missiles. Here, the Thai German Technical exchange program is assisting the rockets and missiles development. Thailand have also produced several “prototype” of armored personal carriers.
However, Prayuth, the Thai army chief, decided against using Thai technology in the up-grade of small tanks, in a corruption rock deal, that saw foreign supplier winning the contract. Thailand also opted for the inferior Swedish Gripen jet fighters, where Gripen sales to other countries, have been rock with corruption and went for Ukrainian arms, where the country’s arms industry is rated by global units as one of the most corrupt globally.
- Thailand is reeling from devastation from the flooding crisis, and Yingluck has cut the budget of every Thai ministry, across the board, including the defense ministry, by about 10% for money to address the re-construction of Thailand. Yesterday, the Thai defense minister made a plea to Yingluck to meet the Thai military request for budget. Earlier, the Thai navy said it will put a request for used German submarines, on hold because of the flooding.
With the “Weak Link” classification of Thailand, perhaps, apart from Thailand lacking in cutting-edge, defense capabilities, the USA is also concern about “Interoperability” with Thailand, in times of crisis. Thailand have been purchasing arms that are outside of the USA skill set, and in times that demands great “Interoperability” perhaps, the Thai USA defense link will break-down.
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