The Royal Thai Armed Forces have defended budget proposals for the upcoming fiscal year against allegations of wasteful spending, arguing that the funds are necessary to ensure national security.
The House committee was recently tasked with reviewing the proposed 197.2 billion baht defense budget for the upcoming fiscal year beginning in October.
Permanent Defense Secretary Gen Worakiat Ratananant said the proposals were submitted after careful consideration for the agency to effectively cover annual expenses. He added that the Ministry of Defense is well aware of the nation’s budget constraints, noting that it prioritizes acquiring weapons and other military equipment while implementing a defense industry development plan.
Gen Worakiat also said the proposed budget, which accounts for 6.51% of the entire national budget, is less than what the ministry received for the 2021 fiscal year when its funds accounted for 6.55%.
While the approved defense budget for the current fiscal year accounts for 1.22 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), the amount requested for the upcoming fiscal year is only 1.1% of the estimated GDP.
Echoing Gen Worakiat’s sentiments, Gen Cha lermpol Srisawat, chief of the defense forces, said the proposals are also in accordance with Section 52 of the constitution and the law on the defense ministry’s civil regulations to enable the armed forces to maintain sufficient forces to protect national sovereignty. (NNT)
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