ABSTRACT
At the beginning of the second decade of the twenty-first century, the Kingdom of Thailand faces an array of maritime challenges, and needs to set priorities for coping with these. However, from its historical developments and structures, the kingdom is used to following a more continental than maritime focus, despite the geographical setting of two long-separate coastlines; this aspect will be highlighted in the first two parts of this chapter. Following this is an intensive look at the strategic developments of the naval or maritime sector in Thailand after World War II, before an overview of the actual challenges and international cooperation leads to a discussion of Thailand’s maritime capabilities and plans.
