Military history of Thailand
The military history of
Thailand encompasses a thousand years of armed struggle, from wars of independence from the powerful
Khmer Empire, through to struggles with her regional rivals of
Burma and
Vietnam and periods of tense standoff and conflict with the colonial empires of
Britain and
France. Thailand's military history, dominated by her centrality in the south-eastern
Asian region, the significance of her far flung and often hostile terrain, and the changing nature of military technology, has had a decisive impact on the evolution of both Thailand and her neighbours as modern nation states
. In the post-war era, Thailand's military relationship with the
United States has seen her play an important role in both the
Cold War and the recent
War on Terror, whilst her military's involvement
...