The Royal Thai Army or RTA (; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's sovereignty. The army was formed in 1874, partly as a response to new security threats following the 1855 Bowring Treaty with Britain, which opened the country for international trade. Current In modern era, the army has a long history of coups d'état and coup attempts. Its leadership continues to see coup-making as one role of the army. On 22 May 2014 the army deposed the government, appointed military officers to the national assembly, and on 21 August 2014 they elected the army's Commander in Chief, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, as prime minister. The general retired October 2014 to concentrate on political reform which he said would take at least a year, following which he promised national elections would be held. The existence of an information warfare unit participating in a cyber campaign against government critics was leaked to the public in late February 2020. In 2020 Twitter shut down a network of accounts which were engaged in information warfare. According to Twitter “Our investigation uncovered a network of accounts partaking in information operations that we can reliably link to the Royal Thai Army (RTA).” The operation had targeted the political opposition within Thailand. The Thai Army denied that they had been involved in the disinformation operation. Army components and control The number of army generals is unclear. One point of comparison: as of 1 November 2019, the US Army had 322 general officers for a force of 471,990 troops. Saiyud Kerdphol is Thailand's oldest general, a veteran of World War II and Korea who retired in 1983 as supreme commander. During his tenure, general officer numbers were based on the number of troops under their command. , only 150–200 four-star generals occupy command positions. Speaking on the topic of army manpower, Saiyud declared that, "Everybody being a general is unbelievable. Full generals don't have a seat to sit in or a job to do." Command and control The commanders-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army (ผู้บัญชาการทหารบกไทย) is considered the most powerful position in the Royal Thai Armed Forces. As of 1 October 2020, the commander is General Narongpan Jitkaewthae. Commander-in-Chief: General Narongpan Jitkaewthae from 1 October 2020 Deputy Commander-in-Chief: General Jaroenchai Hintao from 1 October