The Chief of the Defence Force General David Hurley welcomed his counterpart, General Tanasak Patimapragorn, on this first visit to Australia as Chief of Defence Forces Royal Thai Armed Forces.
General Hurley and General Tanasak re-affirmed the two nations’ close defence relationship during bilateral discussions in Canberra this week.
“Thailand and Australia have a long history of cooperation over more than 60 years and we share a commitment to work together to continue to strengthen the friendship between the Australian Defence Force and the Royal Thai Armed Forces,” said General Hurley.
Australia and the Royal Thai Armed Forces have developed a counter IED engagement plan that delivers an enduring capability to the Royal Thai Armed Forces.
“Thailand was one of the first countries to sign a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on Counter Terrorism with Australia (2002) and we have continued to work closely together on counter IED issues, in an effort to combat the global threat posed by improvised explosive devices.”
As part of the three day visit General Tanasak also attended the Australian Defence College to meet college staff, Royal Thai Armed Forces personnel studying in Australia and Australian members of the Thailand-Australia Military Alumni Association. Under the Defence Cooperation Program, Australia supports participation by Royal Thai Armed Forces officers in a broad program of military education and training.
“The Royal Thai Armed Forces had the foresight to establish one of our first Alumni Associations. Over past decade the Thai Australian Military Alumni Association has grown from 150 members in its inaugural year to around 500 members today,” said General Hurley.