Achieving Information Superiority Using Hastily Formed Networks and Emerging Technologies for the Royal Thai Armed Forces Counterinsurgency Operations in Southern Thailand

The southern Thailand provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla have seen a resurgence in Malay-Muslim violence since 2004. The scale and level of sophistication of the insurgent attacks have caused instability in the region and disruption in a country already marred by political turmoil. This thesis examines the history, trends in violence and actors behind the Malay-Muslim insurgency as well as the effectiveness of the Royal Thai Armed Forces' counterinsurgency response. This is to create an analytical context that may be useful in the current Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) approach in southern Thailand. This thesis also explores the applicability of network centric technologies such as hastily formed networks (HFN) as the backbone of a technological framework that will deliver information superiority to enable the Thai government to gain a tactical edge against the insurgent movement in southern Thailand. Along with the HFN concept, an overview of the emerging technologies that were demonstrated during the U.S.-Thailand Crimson Viper technology demonstration in Hat Yao, Thailand from August 1-9, 2013, are provided. This discussion will show how alternative power sources, social network analysis, persistent surveillance systems and unmanned vehicles, if integrated with HFN wireless ad hoc networking, provides an effective model to support the RTARF's counterinsurgency operations in southern Thailand.