Army to change its training procedures
Focus on ambush, urban combat tactics
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/06Nov2005_news04.php
By Wassana Nanuam
To cope with the ongoing insurgency in the far South, the army will revamp its training for soldiers by switching from conventional warfare to ambush and urban combat training. The move is in line with army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin’s order in the latest strategy review, which has already been applied to paramilitary rangers in the deep South, to engage in guerrilla warfare.
On Friday, the army chief ordered that five more companies of paramilitary rangers, or about 400 men, be deployed in addition to the 20 companies already operating in the three southernmost provinces to counter the insurgency with guerrilla warfare tactics.
The change will also apply to broader training for ground troops.
Deputy army chief Col Thanathip Sawangsaeng said the commander made it clear during Friday’s meeting of unit commanders nationwide that the army’s education department should overhaul training for officers and conscripts in line with the changing situation.
Gen Sonthi, with a strong background in special warfare, said he wanted the training to focus on ambush, urban warfare and swift operations rather than conventional practice. More young officers should also be deployed at warfare units along the border to reinforce security strength, he added.
The deputy chief said the department must study how to modernise training and may have to scrap outdated training techniques using old weapons such as bayonet-fitted rifles because there was no longer hand-to-hand fighting in large-scale combat.
The change would help boost the efficiency of the army’s warfare operations in different locations, especially guerrilla ambush strategies, in line with the global situation.
The army chief also advocated a policy requiring its intelligence department to form mobile units for training intelligence officers attached to army units ranging from battalions to regiments.
This would aim to improve their work efficiency and enhance the analysis of intelligence.
The participating officers would be from infantry, cavalry and artillery regiments.
‘’The training will be for the battalion and regiment levels by focusing on efficiency improvement so the officers of the battalion level can go back to train lower-level officers down to privates,'’ Col Thanathip said.