Building a digital army to enhance Thailand's cyber warfare
Launching the mission of the Military Cyber Command, driving the integration of work with the 3 armed forces, transforming into a "digital army", raising the potential of Thailand's cyber warfare dimensions.
National security, in theory, means a state where a country is free from threats and has the ability to sustainably maintain its security status. In a world full of national conflicts, having all these elements is almost impossible, especially with the risk of national cyberattacks escalating to the point where “normal” can no longer be called.
bank finance Had a special interview Lieutenant General Dr..Chatchai Chaikasem, Commander of the Cyber Command, Royal Thai Army Headquarters To the role and duty of the Cyber Command, which must perform duties to protect the country and fight in the cyber dimension, including cyber risks of Thailand, as well as to create cyber strength for the Thai military.
Military Cyber Command
Elevating the Cyber War Dimension
Lt. Gen. Dr. Chatchai began his special interview with Finance and Banking by projecting the dimensions of the Thai military's combat, saying that the Thai military currently has a multi-dimensional combat dimension called "Multi-Domain Operations", which consists of 5 formats: 1. Land combat, 2. Naval combat, 3. Air combat, 4. Space combat, and 5. Cyber combat. Today's warfare integrates various domains, resulting in the battlefield being much more complex than in the past.
The inclusion of cyber warfare is very important on the battlefield, so the Thai military has upgraded this domain from a military cyber center to a “military cyber command.”
The Commander of the Military Cyber Command recalled his beginnings, saying that 12 years ago, he moved from being a deputy ambassador to the United States back to the army in June 2556, which was the same time that the Defense Council wanted to establish a military cyber unit. As a result, he was given the responsibility of developing the cyber warfare dimension of the Thai army from the beginning. In fact, he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering and had 24 years of experience in special forces. Starting out with the cyber warfare dimension was something that required quite a bit of adjustment.
“Although it is not my specialty, I am not someone who is easily criticized. So I started by studying cyber attacks in detail and started writing the country’s cyber strategy, the country’s military cyber strategy, and eventually wrote the first volume of the army’s cyber doctrine, along with designing the structure and establishing the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA).”
Lt. Gen. Dr. Chatchai explained that in conducting cyber warfare at the national level, attacks can come from many sources. The army has divided the operational areas into 2 areas: 1. Inside the army, with the Military Cyber Command responsible. 2. Outside the army, with the NCPO responsible.
For the operational areas in the army, the Military Cyber Command will have 2 operational teams: an internal operational team and an enemy operational team. Internal operations are divided into 2 areas: 1. Areas in the army 2. Areas outside the army. In actual operations, it will be in the form of using forces of special operations units in conjunction with the Military Cyber Command, which has the participating armed forces.
“Cyber warfare will be based on the military’s cyber doctrine, emphasizing both defensive and offensive strategies. The operation area will be identified and potential attack points will be identified using Asset Inventory, which currently has more than 400 assets, both internet-connected and non-internet-connected. Therefore, it is necessary to identify all of them, what to protect from what, and then identify all possible threats.”
Lt. Gen. Dr. Chatchai explained further that for the area of operation outside the army, the NCCC will act as a coordinator in the event that important agencies in the country are attacked. He admitted that this mission is not easy because the current cyber situation is no longer normal due to threats that occur every day. Therefore, the NCCC may have to upgrade itself or set up another agency under the NCCC to act as a special center for resolving national cyber threats. Meanwhile, the NCCC must work with the regulatory agencies of each industry to confirm the correct information, identify the damage, and decide on the next steps.
Integrate work 3 armies
Aiming to become a digital army
Lt. Gen. Dr. Chatchai revealed the goal of the Military Cyber Command as wanting to upgrade the cyber potential of the military to become a digital army. Currently, there are 2 countries that have established digital armies: Germany and Singapore. In particular, Singapore is currently considered the economic center of the region. Therefore, it must have a digital army to protect the IT economy and infrastructure of the country. While Germany has the same idea.
In terms of the approach to establishing Thailand’s digital army, some personnel from each armed force should be adapted to the cyber dimension directly in order to be able to communicate both on the cyber side and the armed forces. Meanwhile, the budget should be allocated in the same direction as other armed forces, because currently the budget for cyber is much less than other armed forces. In the current global situation, there are conflicts occurring both in the region and outside the region. This situation will make all parties see the importance of having cyber capabilities even more, because investing in cyber can create tangible results.
Lt. Gen. Dr. Chatchai gave his view that establishing a digital army is still a new thing for ASEAN countries. Singapore just established one in 2565, while Thailand has been interested in this issue since 2556, but has not received the same budget as Singapore. If assessed, Singapore is several times ahead of Thailand, with an investment of tens of billions of baht.
While the Philippines and Malaysia have set up Cyber Commands, they are still in their early stages. It is estimated that Thailand is about 5 years ahead. Therefore, if we look at the ASEAN level, it is believed that only Singapore is ahead with its ready infrastructure. However, Thailand is not starting from scratch. What we need to focus on from now on is making the international level accept Thailand's potential as a cyber soldier.
“Cyber capabilities are very important for Thailand. It is one of the key dimensions of the war. The army does not only have soldiers, tanks, guns, war planes, warships. But we have a Cyber Command that protects the cyber security of the country. That should be given great importance at this time, like other countries in the world.”
driven 3 Mission
News reporting and building cyber people
Lt. Gen. Dr. Chatchai defined the state of cyber warfare as an attack that has an objective related to national security. If it is a general cyber crime that aims to steal money or information, it will not be considered a state of war. Currently, most of Thailand still faces cyber crimes.
For the mission of the Military Cyber Command, there are 3 levels:
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- Working with the Royal Thai Army Headquarters and the three armed forces to conduct an Asset Inventory.
- To establish a combined cyber operation of the three armed forces and the Royal Thai Army Headquarters to support the country's cyber defense in a Multi Domain Operation.
- Supporting the work of the NCPO responsible for areas outside the military
Another important part is intelligence work because on the battlefield, we must understand who the other side is. Currently, the army is constantly collecting information about who has what capabilities. They collect all the attack techniques and use this principle to detect cyber threats that attack Thailand.
Lt. Gen. Dr. Chatchai emphasized that in addition to cyber and intelligence missions, another important part is the creation of schools to produce cyber personnel to support the future because it cannot be denied that people who are good at cyber security are in high demand in the market. Therefore, there must be a production of personnel to replace them in case the military's top personnel are bought out.
This cyber school will have a 4-month basic IT and cybersecurity course, followed by a Cyber Protection combat unit training course that will have teams of 12 people working in defensive, proactive, intelligence and support teams, working with external agencies such as internet service providers, the National Security Council (NSC) and the NBTC.
“In the future, there may have to be a course like the National Defense College (NDCC) where 40% military, 30% police, and 30% civilians come to learn about National Mechanism because if the administrators do not know how to prepare for this, in the future it will become a problem for the country and we will have to put up a fence later. We have a plan to open a course like this in the following years.”
In addition, there will be a high-level course opening, which will be about Threat Hunting, Cyber Threat Intelligence, Cyber Forensics, including Audit teams to inspect and create cyber standards. Finally, there must be a course to support Leadership and planners. And looking to open more than 10-20 specialized courses in the future.
Lt. Gen. Dr. Chatchai added that currently, 4 courses have been implemented to ensure that every unit has cyber officers on the team. At the national level, the NCPO must produce cyber officers for government agencies, which is currently progressing quite well.
Dr. Arichai Raktham Advisor to the Working Group on Financial Technology in the Cyber Dimension Military Cyber Command
University sector integration
Searching for Cyber People with Patriotic Hearts
One of the key functions of the Military Cyber Command is to recruit talented individuals to join the military. Currently, the Military Cyber Command has established partnerships with the education sector in four universities: Mahidol University, Chulalongkorn University, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, and King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, to attract young people with cybersecurity skills to join the Military Cyber Command.
Dr. Arichai gave an overview of this mission, saying that the Military Cyber Command is trying to attract personnel who graduated in IT and computer engineering with cybersecurity skills to join the team, but admitted that it is not easy because these personnel are in high demand in the labor market. However, working with the military has the advantage of being accepted as a military officer, which has the advantage of long-term benefits, and many new graduates who are interested in working for the country are interested in this path.
“Working with the military gives me another kind of society, the opportunity to go down to the field, and most importantly, it also helps to work for the cybersecurity of Thailand.”
Dr. Arichai Chaiyaphop added that when joining the Military Cyber Command, personnel will receive training to enhance new skills, such as participating in skills development programs in collaboration with the US Department of Defense, as well as cyber warfare exercises.
The Military Cyber Command has collaborated with the industrial sector that is the country's infrastructure, both government and private, covering all industries. They have trained together through simulation formats, both Black Hat and White Hat, to prepare for cyber attacks. These programs will help improve the capabilities of personnel to a greater extent.
In addition to attracting new talent, the Military Cyber Command also wants to create a network of “On Call” personnel, a network of cybersecurity experts who are ready to serve the country. These people can work with outside companies, but if the country needs them, they can come back and help out. This is what the Military Cyber Command wants to create.
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