The government pushes the national defense industry development plan into the Cabinet this February, aiming to wade through 3 industries that can be used in the military and commercial, such as the shipbuilding industry, offshore surveillance Drone industry Focus on use Anti-drone technology control And the energy storage equipment industry With a budget to start this up

Gen. Navin Damarikan, Deputy Secretary-General of the Political Department Reveal the progress of the defense industry Which the government aims to be pushed to be the 11th industry target or S-Curve11 and has been approved by the Eastern Special Development Zone Policy Committee at the end of 2018 and in this month will Propose to the Cabinet (Cabinet) to consider the national defense industry development plan And the administrative structure of the departments to be established To take care of this

"The industry that will develop Will not be made solely to support military use or military use But have to look at the commercial development To meet both security and civilian work Including future market demand The first phase of the project or Quick Win is the production of armored tires. Production of jammer and firing pin for pistol ammunition and rifle. "

At the same time, defines 3 types of industries that are targeted for development. By selecting from expertise and future market needs And will promote as a cluster in the Chuk Samet Pier area, Sattahip District, Chonburi Province, including 1. OPV, in which Thailand has expertise in constructing ships of this type that is no more than 100 meters long, used in the military And security work Which can be extended to the tourism industry Used to make yachts. Or a super yacht As well as supporting the Thailand Riviera tourism policy which will increase the number of tourist boats.

"Currently, there are many Thai shipbuilding operators that are capable in this field. But what is needed is a company that has expertise in boat engines. Which is able to persuade investments from Germany and China Once the cluster has been completed, in the next 20 years Thailand will become a leader in the production of vessels as per the mission and export of both OPV vessels and merchant ships. "

2. The drone industry that will not only focus on production Because in the world market there are already potential manufacturers in the market But will focus on the use of controls, including anti-drone technology such as drones and stirring drones to create a drone-free zone Or the development of the link between drones and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to develop into intelligent surveillance drones Unmanned surveillance vehicle Including being a solution provider related to drones Which is still considered a business gap that can be developed Allow Thailand to compete for market share in this industry.

3. Energy storage industry that is important in promoting the industry in the future, such as electric vehicles, energy reserves for emergencies Disasters and emergency situations And use to increase energy efficiency Able to utilize both security and commercial

For budget allocation To support Will request from various related agencies to develop start up entrepreneurs That conduct research that supports the national defense industry, such as cyber security, biometrics, and funding for universities To conduct research on relevant issues And will develop to have the Center of excellent in order to work in research and development to have knowledge in the national defense industry Including the standard setting (NQI) is an internationally recognized country, which Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha has a policy that in the development of the national defense industry to look at as a whole. Not only in terms of production, but also had to look at repair and build

In addition, the Prime Minister proposed to set up a subcommittee on national industrial development as a subcommittee of the National Executive Committee in accordance with the framework for national reform. National strategy And building unity and reconciliation (Nov) to be a mechanism that can be driven in the next phase.