contributed to the splendor of formal dress uniforms worn by high-ranking officers and guards of honour on ceremonial occasions. The rank structures of the three armed services are similar to those of the respective branches of the US Armed Forces, although the Thai system has fewer NCO and warrant officer designations. The king, as head of state and constitutional head of the armed forces, commissions all officers. Appointments to NCO ranks are authorised by the minister of defence. In theory, the authority and responsibilities of officers of various ranks correspond to those of their US counterparts. However, because of a perennial surplus of senior officers—in 1987 there were some 600 generals and admirals in a total force of about 273,000—Thai staff positions are often held by officers of higher rank than would be the case in the US or other Western military establishments. Thai military personnel are highly conscious of rank distinctions and of the duties, obligations, and benefits they entail. Relationships among officers of different grades and among officers, NCOs, and the enlisted ranks are governed by military tradition in a society where observance of differences in status are highly formalised. The social distance between officers and NCOs is widened by the fact that officers usually are college or military academy graduates, while most NCOs have not gone beyond secondary school. There is a wider gap between officers and conscripts, most of whom have even less formal education, service experience, or specialised training. Formal honours and symbols of merit occupy an important place in Thai military tradition. The government grants numerous awards, and outstanding acts of heroism, courage, and meritorious service receive prompt recognition. Officer and enlisted rank insignia Gallery See also Border Patrol Police King's Guard (Thailand) List of flags of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Military ranks of the Thai armed forces Royal Thai Air Force Royal Thai Police Territorial Defence Student Thahan Phran Underwater Demolition Assault Unit Volunteer Defense Corps (Thailand) Notes References Further reading Osornprasop, Sutayut. "Thailand and the Secret War in Laos", 1960–1974 (in) Albert Lau (ed.), Southeast Asia and the Cold War. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge, 2012. (hardback). External links Official website of Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters Official website of Royal Thai Army Official website of Royal Thai Navy Official website of Royal Thai Air Forces "Religion, guns tear apart south Thailand" – (2 September 2009) article in Asia