According to a Cabinet resolution on 15 March on the 2023 annual budget, the Ministry of Defence has proposed a budget of 197,292.7 million baht, 2 per cent lower than the 2022 budget of 201,166.4 million baht. The Royal Offices under the King have also proposed a budget cut of 1.71 per cent. Some other budgets related to the monarchy generally either remain the same or increase.

In a resolution that the Cabinet approved officially on 17 March, the 2023 annual budget is set at 3,185,000 million baht, a 2.74 per cent increase over the previous fiscal year. The proposed budget must still be debated and approved in parliament.

Among the 4.3 million baht cut for the Defence Ministry, 3.04 million came from the Royal Thai Army (RTA) and the remaining 1.68 million baht came from the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF). The Royal Thai Navy (RTN), the Office of Permanent Secretary (OPSD), the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters (RTARF) and the Defence Technology Institute have slightly increased their budgets.

A budget proposal of the Defence Ministry, categorized by divisions.

Spending related to national security and the monarchy was cut in the RTA, RTAF, RTARF and OPSD budgets by about 4.5 million baht. 

Expenses for the strategic plan on enhancing national defence capacity have been cut in the RTA, RTN and RTAF budgets while those related to the mission in the Deep South of Thailand have also been cut in the RTA and RTN budgets.

The details of the cuts have yet to be made clear. 

Meanwhile, the budgets for strategic planning to enhance the monarch within the Ministry of Defence either remain the same or increase slightly. In the OPSD, RTN and RTAF, the budgets remain the same at about 17.75, 45.49 and 35.93 million baht respectively. In the RTA, the budget increases from 266.41 to 281.71 million baht.

A budget proposal of the Royal Offices.

The budget for the Royal Offices, a newly-established agency that has functioned directly under the monarch since 2017, has decreased from 8,761.4 million in 2022 to 8,611.7 million baht, a drop of 149.7 million baht or 1.71 per cent. The only details available are that the cuts were made in the strategic plan on enhancing the monarchy.

The overall budget related to travel for the royal family and welcoming foreign heads of state, and the budget related to Royal Projects remained the same in 2022 and 2023 (800 million baht and 2,300 million baht respectively).

The national budget allocated to the ministries and Royal Offices include expenses directly and indirectly related to the monarchy. Examples are the operation of Royal Projects across the country, the operations of Royal Office agencies and programmes that provide glorification and security to the monarchy.

In his 2022 book ‘A Soldier King: Monarchy and Military in the Thailand of Rama X,’ Supalak Ganjanakhundee stated that the budget for the Royal Offices increased from 6.3 billion baht in 2018 to 8.9 billion baht in 2021. The national budget allocated for matters related to the monarchy increased from 29 billion baht in 2020 to 37 billion baht in 2021.

Defence Ministry activities related to the monarchy are split into three categories: the basic plan on security, the strategic plan on enhancing the monarchy, and the strategic plan on enhancing national defence capacity.