Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul boarded the aircraft carrier HTMS Chakri Naruebet in the Gulf of Thailand yesterday, August 27, to inspect Royal Thai Navy combat readiness and said the navy may need to procure additional weapons and equipment to replace ageing assets.
Anutin, who also serves as Minister of Interior, travelled to Sattahip district in Chon Buri province to oversee the navy’s Special Operations Fleet training exercise in the upper Gulf of Thailand and at Naval Training Ground No.15, Hat Yao.
He was accompanied by Suchat Chomklin, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, and Arsit Sampanrat, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior.
Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Pairoj Fueangchan and senior naval officers received Anutin on arrival. He first flew by helicopter to the Royal Thai Navy Aviation Division at U-Tapao, where he inspected an honour guard and received honorary Special Combatant and Naval Paratrooper insignia in recognition of his contributions to the navy.
Anutin then flew to HTMS Chakri Naruebet, anchored offshore, where he was welcomed with a 19-gun salute fired from HTMS Chao Phraya and received a briefing on naval operations and force deployment at the ship’s Combat Operations Centre.
He went on to observe a demonstration of shore fire support using naval guns and aircraft, and watched how HTMS Chakri Naruebet is being developed as a “UXV Carrier,” a control platform for unmanned vehicles conducting reconnaissance, target designation, and attack missions. He also viewed an exhibition of unmanned aerial and surface vehicles on the ship’s hangar deck.
Poor weather and rough seas prevented Anutin from boarding a landing craft to reach Hat Yao as originally planned, so he instead flew directly from the carrier by helicopter.
At Hat Yao, Anutin visited the navy’s Incident Command Centre for disaster relief operations, inspecting the field hospital run by the Queen Sirikit Naval Medical Department, the navy’s Urban Search and Rescue team, and its Science Operations Unit. He also cooked a dish of stir-fried minced pork with holy basil for troops training that day, using a field kitchen vehicle.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Anutin said he had come at the invitation of the navy chief and intended to visit every branch of the armed forces. He said naval equipment was generally in a state of readiness, but some items were nearing decommissioning and would need to be replaced.
“Some of what we have needs to be supplemented, because some equipment is nearing retirement,” he said, adding that he and commanders across the armed forces would need to discuss how to strengthen military capabilities amid heightened concerns over security and sovereignty.
Asked whether the navy’s vessels were outdated, Anutin said replacement would happen gradually. He said recent operations had shown the need for the navy to maintain credible combat capability, adding that a strong military presence would make any adversary think twice about confrontation.
Anutin declined to specify which weapons or equipment might be procured, saying the details should be directed to the navy commander and that the government should not disclose everything it has.
He was also asked about his recent inspection of military readiness at the border, which had drawn objections from Cambodia. Anutin said he was acting in accordance with the Joint Statement, under which both sides are to remain in their current positions, and that talks could follow if Cambodia also complied with the agreement.
The exercise also featured the frigate HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej, which the navy said demonstrated surveillance, target identification, command and control, and joint operations with other ships and aircraft. Officials said some of the unmanned systems used in the training were developed by the navy’s own researchers, as part of efforts to build up Thailand’s domestic defence industry.
The navy said high-capability frigates form the backbone of its combat fleet, providing air defence, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, and maritime data control, but noted that Thailand currently operates a limited number of frigates at this level while neighbouring countries expand their naval capabilities.
The training forms part of the navy’s 2026 exercise programme under its “Year of Navy Combat Readiness” policy, intended to test personnel readiness, command planning, and equipment performance across a range of combat and humanitarian scenarios.
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