| Royal Thai Marine Corps | |
|---|---|
| หน่วยบัญชาการนาวิกโยธิน | |
 Royal Thai Marine Corps insignia | |
| Founded | 2 March 1913 |
| Country |  Thailand |
| Allegiance |  King of Thailand |
| Branch |  Royal Thai Navy |
| Type | Marines |
| Size | 23,000 active personnel[1] |
| Garrison/HQ | RTMC headquarters,Sattahip,Chonburi |
| Nickname | "นย." "Nor Yor" Abbreviation of Marines |
| Mottos | กาย ใจ ชีวิต มอบเป็นราชพลี Body Heart Life given as Royal Sacrifice, เป็นนย. สักครั้งไซร้ จักฝังหฤทัยจนวายปราณ Being a Nor Yor (Marine) Once Will Be Remembered Until Death. (Once a Marine, Always a Marine). |
| March | Royal Thai Marine Corps march |
| Anniversaries | July 30 |
| Commanders | |
| Commander- in-chief |  Admiral Jirapol Wongwit |
| Commander of the RTMC |  Vice Admiral Apichart Sapprasert |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
TheRoyal Thai Marine Corps orRTMC (Thai:หน่วยบัญชาการนาวิกโยธิน) are the marines of theRoyal Thai Navy (RTN). The Royal Thai Marine Corps was founded in 1932, when the first battalion was formed with the assistance of theUnited States Marine Corps (USMC). It was expanded to a regiment in 1940 and was in action against communist guerrillas throughout the 1950s and 1960s. During the 1960s the USMC assisted in its expansion into a brigade. The RTMC saw action on the Malaysian border in the 1970s, and has now been increased to four brigades.
Historically, there was no distinction in theKingdom of Siam between soldiers and marines, with the army performing both functions. The first "Thahan Ma-Rine", meaning "Marine Soldiers", were formed in 1833, during the reign ofKing Rama III. "Ma-Rine" was simply a transliteration of the English word. The development of the modern Thai Marine Corps can be divided into three periods:
The Marine Soldiers of the 19th and early 20th centuries were few in number and served mainly as a royal honor guard that provided security for the King whenever he traveled around the country.
On March 2, 1913, however, the Ministry of the Navy reorganized the Marine Soldiers. The Marine artillery platoon was attached to the Operation Command Department of Ships and Fortresses, while the Marine infantry platoon in Bangkok was attached to the Vehicle Division of the Department of the Navy Amphibious Assault Group.
The Revolution in 1932 transformed Thailand from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. Shortly after, the Royal Thai Navy was reorganized, and the vehicle battalion became the Marine Corps Battalion of the Bangkok Navy Station. This is considered the first Marine Corps Battalion in Thailand.
The 2nd Marine Corps Battalion was established atSattahip in 1937. Two years later, the 2nd Battalion was expanded into the Marine Corps Department. Shortly after that, a border dispute withFrench Indochina turned violent, and the Marine Corps Department's "Chanthaburi Division" was engaged in action with theFrench Foreign Legion (FFL) several times. DuringWorld War II, the Marine Corps sent troops to defend the southern border withBritish Malaya and also guardedPhuket Province from possible attack.
AfterEmpire of Japan's surrender in September 1945, Thai marines helped disarm theImperial Japanese Army (IJA) at Baan Pong District inRatchaburi Province. In 1950, when communist violence in British Malaya spilled over into Thailand, Marine Corps Troop 6 was sent to help restore the peace inNarathiwat Province.
On June 29, 1951, the Thai government disbanded the Marine Corps Bureau, and Marine units were placed under the command the Army. This was in response to theManhattan Rebellion in which part of the Navy (including Marines) rebelled against the ruling Army junta.[2] However, this was during theKorean War, and both theUnited States Armed Forces and the Royal Thai Navy urged Thailand to reconsider.
Four years later, the Thai Government acknowledged that a Marine Corps could perform a useful role in national defense. On July 30, 1955, the government created the Marine Corps Department. In 1961, tensions flared over the disputed temple ofPreah Vihear, situated on the Thai side of a high cliff on the Cambodian border but shown on French maps as being in Cambodia. The Chanthaburi andTrat borders with Cambodia gave the Marine Corps Department its first assignment, safeguarding the coastline and southeastern border. Since 1970 the Marine Corps' Chanthaburi-Trat Task Force has been officially assigned the defense of this area.
During 1972 and 1973, Thai marines were involved in the"Operation Sam-Chai" anti-communist operations inPhetchabun Province and the "Pha-Phum" anti-communist operations inChiang Rai Province. In 1973 and 1974, they took part in anti-communist operations in the southern provinces ofNarathiwat,Pattani, andYala.
Since 1975, RTMC have been assigned to Narathiwat asReconnaissance Battalion (RECON). In 1977, they captured the communist camp at Krung-Ching inNakhon Si Thammarat Province, and remaining there until 1981.
RTMC today are responsible for border security in Chanthaburi and Trat provinces. They have fought communist insurgents in engagements at Baan Hard Lek, Baan Koat Sai, Baan Nhong Kok, Baan Kradook Chang, Baan Chumrark, and in the battle of Hard Don Nai inNakhon Phanom Province.
Since 1982, RTMC has been training with international marines, especially the United States Marine Corps, under the codenameCobra Gold (CG), which allows RTMC to gain many experience in new strategies and tactics to adapt to the current military situation. Meanwhile, marines from other nations participating in the training will gain experience in combat tactics and survival in the tropical rain forest.
At present, since 2004, Many Thai marines have died serving their country, and they continue to do so today, especially in the southern border provinces currently affected by theSouth Thailand insurgency, although hey are trained more intensively in anti-irrgular forces and counterinsurgency in urban areas. In real situations, Thai marines will be more flexible in their tactics according to the situation to minimize losses. Despite suffering significant casualties and losses, the Thai marines performed well especially in the difficult to reach drainage basin and jungle zone.
One of the Thai marines' most famous works during the South Thailand insurgency isBattle of Bacho. Despite being outnumbered and surrounded by superiorRunda Kumpulan Kecil (RKK) insurgent forces, the Thai marines planned well to win the battle with no casualties. On the RKK side, a total of sixteen soldiers were killed during the attack on the 2nd Rifle Company Base, 32nd Task Force Narathiwat. This Battle of Bacho is considered the largest clash in which the death toll was from a group of insurgents who were fully armed.
A monument to their valor stands at the Royal Thai Navy base (aka Sattahip Naval Base) atSattahip district,Chonburi province.
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| Name | Origin | Type | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket, grenade and MANPAD | ||||||
| M203 |  United States | Grenade launcher | [5] | |||
| Armbrust |  Germany | Anti-tank weapon | [5] | |||
| M47 Dragon | United States | Anti-tank guided missile | [5] | |||
| BGM-71 TOW | United States | Anti-tank guided missile | Use in Humvee.[5] | |||
| M40A2 | United States | Recoilless rifle | [5] | |||
| QW-18 |  China | MANPAD | [5] | |||
| Name | Origin | Type | Quantity | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat vehicles | ||||||
| VN-16 | China | AmphibiousInfantry Fighting Vehicle | 3 (+3) | 3 ordered in June 2020[11] at approximate cost of US$13 million for the Royal Thai Marine Corps and delivered in May 2021. 6 plan | ||
| AAV-7A1 | United States | AmphibiousInfantry Fighting Vehicle | 24 | Variants include: AAVP-7A1, AAVC-7A1, AAVR-7A1. Upgraded locally byChaiseri to match with theBAE Systems's AAV7A1 RAM/RS standard.[5][12] | ||
| AWAV 8x8 | Thailand | AmphibiousInfantry Fighting Vehicle | 7 | 8x8 manufactured by Chaiseri, it mounts a RCWS EM&E Guardian 1.5 (12.7mm) | ||
| R600 | Thailand | AmphibiousInfantry Fighting Vehicle | 2 | 8x8[13] | ||
| Sea Tiger AAPC | Thailand | AmphibiousInfantry Fighting Vehicle | 1(+4) | 8x8[14] | ||
| BTR-3E1 |  Ukraine | Armoured personnel carrier | 12 | 8x8[5] | ||
| HMV-150 Commando | United States | Armoured personnel carrier | 24 | HMV-150 has an 8.9 liters Cummins ISL engine with a new automatic transmission Allison 4500 with six gears, which were upgraded done by Panus Assembly.[15][5][13] | ||
| First Win | Thailand | Armoured personnel carrier | 8 | 4x4[16] | ||
| Phantom 380-X | Thailand | Armoured personnel carrier | 2 | 4x4[17] | ||
| Name | Origin | Type | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logistic vehicles | ||||||
| Humvee | United States | Military light utility vehicle | RTMC use M998, M1097A2, M997, M1025, M1045A2, M966.[5] | |||
| M151 | United States | Military light utility vehicle | RTMC use M151A2, M151A2 mounting TOW, M718A1, M825.[5] | |||
| Ford Ranger | United StatesThailand | Pickup truck | [5] | |||
| M35 2-1/2 ton cargo truck | United States | Military truck | RTMC use M35A2, M50A2, M49A2, M109A2.[5] | |||
| Isuzu Forward |  JapanThailand | Truck | RTMC use SBR, TXD 4x2, TSD 4x4, TWD 6x6, HTW, FTR 4x4.[5] | |||
| M813 | United States | Military truck | RTMC use M54A2, M543A2.[5] | |||
| Name | Origin | Type | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howitzer | ||||
| M758 ATMG (variant of theATMOS 2000) |  IsraelThailand | 155mmSelf-propelled howitzer | 12 | [18][19] |
| GC-45 howitzer |  Austria | 155mmtowed howitzer | 18 | [5] |
| M101A1 mod | United States | 105 mmtowed howitzer | 6 | Improve the Nexter LG1 caliber.[5] |
| M101A1 | United States | 105 mmtowed howitzer | 30 | [5] |
| GIAT LG1 |  France | 105 mmtowed howitzer | 15 | [20] |
| Mortar | ||||
| M120 mortar | Israel | 120 mm Mortar | Unknown | [5] |
| M29A1 mortar | United States | 81 mm Mortar | Unknown | [5] |
| M19 mortar | United States | 60 mm Mortar | Unknown | [5] |
| M224 mortar | United States | 60 mm Mortar | Unknown | [5] |
| Counter-battery radar | ||||
| ARTHUR |  Sweden | Counter-battery radar | Unknown | [5] |
| Name | Origin | Type | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LVT | United States | Amphibiouslanding craft | 16 | [5] |
| M3 Half-track | United States | Half-trackarmored personnel carrier | 12+ | [5] |
| Name | Origin | Type | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1A1 | United States | 75mmPack howitzer | 16+ | [5] |
Personnel of the RTMC use the uniform, ranks and insignia used by the personnel of the Royal Thai Navy, but with exceptions, such as:
| Equivalent NATO Code | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | Cadet Officer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Officer ranks | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | |
| จอมพลเรือ | พลเรือเอก | พลเรือโท | พลเรือตรี | พลเรือจัตวา1 | นาวาเอก | นาวาโท | นาวาตรี | เรือเอก | เรือโท | เรือตรี | นักเรียนนายเรือ | |
| Admiral of the Fleet | Admiral | Vice Admiral | Rear Admiral | Commodore or Rear Admiral (lower half)1 | Captain | Commander | Lieutenant Commander | Lieutenant | Lieutenant Junior Grade | Sub Lieutenant | Midshipman | |
| ||||||||||||
| Equivalent NATO Code | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enlisted ranks | .svg) | | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | .svg) | No insignia |
| พันจ่าเอกพิเศษ | พันจ่าเอก | พันจ่าโท | พันจ่าตรี | จ่าเอก | จ่าโท | จ่าตรี | พลทหาร | |
| Master Chief Petty Officer | Senior Chief Petty Officer | Chief Petty Officer | Petty Officer 1st class | Petty Officer 2nd Class | Petty Officer 3rd Class | Seaman | Seaman apprentice | |
| Current special forces units |
|  | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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