The Royal Thai Navy at the beginning of the second decade of the twenty-first century

Naval modernization is in full swing in South, South-east and East Asia. Major navies like the Indian Navy or the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) are refurbishing and revamping their maritime capabilities. But also external powers are gearing up. In June 2012 Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced that the US Navy’s PACOM will get a massive boost as the force ratio will shift from 50:50 between the Atlantic and the Pacific to a clear 60:40 in favor of the Pacific. ¹ First re-deployments should take place within the next year. On the other side, Russia, after an agonizingly long period of non- or limited naval presence in Pacific waters, will pay more attention to the area with the expected new passage through the Arctic and is looking to revitalize old bases in Vietnam and Cuba, thus consequently modernizing its respective fleets and systems as well. ² And, last but not least, the imminent ASEAN Community 2015 is approaching fast, with quite clear security political guidelines emphasizing also the promotion of ASEAN maritime cooperation as outlined in the blueprint document for the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC). ³