Budget cuts leave Thailand’s twin-sea navy at risk of falling behind

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With submarine projects stalled and frigate funding cut, Thailand’s fleet risks being outpaced by regional rivals

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Maria SiowPublished: 8:00am, 24 May 2026Thailand’s navy has to watch two seas at once.To the east lies the Gulf of Thailand, with its busy shipping lanes, offshore energy interests and long coastal frontier with Cambodia. To the west is the Andaman Sea, a gateway to the Indian Ocean with its own trade routes, chokepoints and strategic pressures.

That twin-sea geography has long given the Royal Thai Navy a role larger than its public profile might suggest. It also underpins the navy’s stated goal, laid out in a 2023 white paper, to operate eight modern frigates by 2037, up from the current four.

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But questions are now being raised about Thailand’s ability to meet that long-term goal, after the Budget Bureau decided to cut funding for a second modernised frigate from the proposed 2027 budget.

Admiral Pairote Fuangchan, commander-in-chief of the Thai navy, said on May 15 that the frigates were still required and the request would be resubmitted for the 2028 budget cycle.

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The navy understood that there were financial constraints, he told local media, but it was still short of the vessels required to meet current operational demands.

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