Capstone: Professionals and Soldiers: Measuring Professionalism in the Thai Military

Thailand’s military holds an important place in the political sphere and has done so since the fall of the absolute monarchy in 1932. Events in recent years demonstrate that, after over a decade of declining political influence, the military has reclaimed its role as one of the major pillars of Thai politics. This raises questions as to what factors may encourage the military to choose the barracks over political intervention. One of the most prominent arguments in civil-military relations is the proposition put forth by Samuel Huntington that professional soldiers are apolitical soldiers. Utilizing data from a new survey of over 500 military officers, we evaluate the attitudes of Thai military officers and develop a test of Huntington’s hypothesis. We demonstrate that professionalism is a poor predictor of apolitical soldiers. We then suggest that the secret to an apolitical military should not be sought in professionalization; instead greater focus on societal norms regarding the military’s role may prove more productive.