BANGKOK: Thailand’s Defence Ministry has ruled out linking security cooperation with the United States to negotiations over tariffs, insisting that national security, sovereignty and public safety cannot be used as bargaining tools.
Defence Ministry spokesman Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri said on Monday (Aug 17) that both the Thai government and US officials had confirmed the two issues would remain separate.
His comments followed questions over whether recent visits by senior US defence officials could be connected to Thailand’s tariff negotiations with Washington.
Surasant said he had checked with Thai officials involved in the discussions and that they were also puzzled by reports suggesting a link.
US representatives had confirmed that security cooperation would not be tied to other negotiations, he added.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to visit Thailand in the near future, although the date and schedule have not been finalised.
The visit could include the signing of the Joint Vision Statement 2026, or JVS 2026, which is intended to provide the next framework for Thai-US defence cooperation and replace the existing version.
Surasant cautioned that the document was still being jointly drafted, meaning the signing had not yet been confirmed.
Hegseth is expected to meet Thai Defence Minister Lieutenant General Adul Boonthumjaroen during the visit.
The proposed trip follows a visit to Thailand by US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby during the previous week.
Surasant described Colby’s visit as preparation for Hegseth’s expected trip and an opportunity to reaffirm the two countries’ longstanding defence relationship.
Existing cooperation includes the annual Cobra Gold military exercise and other joint activities.
Thailand and the United States have discussed expanding their defence-industrial cooperation, including possible work involving drones.
Surasant stressed that the talks remained at the conceptual stage and had not advanced to a proposal for the United States to establish a drone factory in Thailand.
The discussions concerned drones as one possible area of cooperation, alongside joint operations and other defence initiatives.
Thailand and the United States are also considering closer cooperation on emerging security threats involving artificial intelligence, cyberspace and space.
Surasant described military activities and future defence cooperation as important elements of the longstanding relationship between the two countries.
He reiterated that none of these security discussions would be incorporated into Thailand’s tariff negotiations with Washington. - The Nation/ANN
