The Royal Security Command () is the king of Thailand's military household and is part of Thailand's royal court administration. It exercises command and control over the military units that are engaged full-time in the protection and guarding of the king and his family as well as the various Royal palaces of Thailand. The command is responsible for the planning, direction and coordination of the security detachments of the king, queen,

heir-apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

and other members of the Thai

royal family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...

. It is also responsible for the security of the monarch's representatives ( privy counselors, palace officials, etc.) as well as guests ( foreign leaders ) of the King. The security and safety of the king, his family and Royal palaces are under the direct authority of the Monarch. The units and personnel of the royal security command do not form part of the regular

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

chain of command when engaged in royal security assignments.

History

The Royal Security Command was formerly an agency under the Office of the Supreme Commander of the

Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters The Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters ( or the RTARF HQ, is the "mostly ornamental" joint headquarters of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, which is composed of the Royal Thai Army, the Royal Thai Navy and Royal Thai Marine Corps, and the Royal Th ...

. It was established as a King's Guard unit on 18 November 1992. In 2013, the Royal Security Command became a juristic person and was put under the purview of the Ministry of Defense while retaining Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn as its commander. On 1 May 2017 the Royal Security Command was removed from the defense ministry and made an independent royal agency directly under the authority of the King, independent of the rest of the armed forces and the

Royal Thai Government Government of Thailand, officially the Royal Thai Government (RTG; , , ), is the central executive authority of the Kingdom of Thailand. The government is led by the prime minister ( Paetongtarn Shinawatra since 14 August 2024) who selects al ...

. On 30 September 2019, two infantry regiments were removed from the

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA (; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's sovereignty. The army was formed in 187 ...

's chain of command and placed under the Royal Security Command. All personnel, assets and operating budgets were likewise transferred to the agency. The move was prompted by the need to provide better security to the royal family, royal residences, and Foreign heads of state and other dignitaries visiting at the monarch's invitation.

Organization

The Royal Security Command is divided into these agencies: * Office of the Commander (This officer is appointed by and directly responsible to the king) * Office of the Royal Duty Officers * Office of the Aide-de-Camp * The King's Close Bodyguard Command (All infantry units from the

are under this section of the command) * Office of the Royal Police Guards (This section exercises control over police units assigned to the command)

Military units

The King”s Close Bodyguard Command is in charge of two Infantry regiments: * 1st Infantry Regiment, King's Close Bodyguard (; ), 'The king's close bodyguards') **1st Infantry Battalion, 1st King's Own Bodyguard Regiment **2nd Infantry Battalion, 1st King's Own Bodyguard Regiment **3rd Infantry Battalion, 1st King's Own Bodyguard Regiment * 11th Infantry Regiment, King's Close Bodyguard, (; ), 'The palace bodyguards') ** 1st Infantry Battalion, 11th King's Own Bodyguard Regiment ** 2nd Infantry Battalion, 11th King's Own Bodyguard Regiment ** 3rd Infantry Battalion, 11th King's Own Bodyguard Regiment

Police units

* Royal Police Guards

References

{{Thai royal agencies Royal agencies of Thailand Protective security units Monarchy of Thailand Military units and formations established in 1992

History

Organization

Military units

Police units

See also

References