1. Operational Intelligence Preparation of the Environment (OIPE)
Kingdom of Thailand
Operational Intelligence Preparation of the Environment (OIPE)
Brief
9-17 June 2016

2. Agenda
What is Operational Intelligence Preparation of the Environment (OIPE)?
OIPE for the Kingdom of Thailand:
Geography;
Weather and Hazards;
Political, Military, Economic, Social, Information, Infrastructure, Physical and Time (PMESII-PT);
Road to Crisis.

3. What is OIPE?
OIPE: A continuous activity that assists Commander’s Appreciation Process during all phases of planning and execution of multinational operations.
OIPE provides foundation for Commander’s Situational Assessment
A key CTF planning principle is: “Before any problem solutions can be identified the problem must first be clearly understood.
Understanding the problem(s) preventing attainment of the assigned military end states is essential for the CCTF to accurately understand the situation.
OIPE is a modification of the Joint Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment (JIPOE) which includes:
Baseline analysis of the traditional intelligence concerns of enemy, weather, terrain;
Added considerations that political, military, economic, social, infrastructure, and information dynamics have on the operational environment.

4. What is OIPE?
This briefing will provide an overview of the OIPE for this workshop.
A complete OIPE study is located in digital form on each laptop in your planning groups.

5. OIPE: Kingdom of Thailand

6. Thailand within the Region

7. Thailand Geography Southeast Asian nation. 4 distinct regions:
North – Highlands;
Northeast – Khorat Plateau;
Central – Chao Phraya river valley;
South – Kra Isthmus running into the Malaya Peninsula.
Elevation: Sea level to 2,576 m (8,451.5 ft.);
Total Area: 513,120 km2 (198,116.7 sq. miles)
Slightly larger than Spain (505,992 km2);
Larger than US State of California (423,967 km2).
Maritime Claims:
Territorial sea: km (12 nm);
Exclusive Economic Zone: km (200 nm).

8. Thailand Demography Total population (est.): 67.9 million
Sex ratio (males/females):
1.05 / 1.00
Age structure:
0-14 yrs %
15-24 yrs %
25-54 yrs %
55-64 yrs %
65+ yrs %
Median age: 36.7 yrs.
Population growth rate: 0.34%
Urbanization:
Urban 50.4%
Rural 49.6%
Major urban areas (2015):
Bangkok (metropolitan) million
Samut Prakan 1.84 million

9. Thailand Weather and Hazards
North, Northeast and Central: Tropical:
Rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon mid-May - September;
Dry, cool northeast monsoon November – mid-March;
South: Hot and humid.
Hazards:
Tropical Storms;
Flooding;
Drought;
Land subsidence in Bangkok area (due to water table depletion).

10. Thailand PMESII-PT (Political)
Constitutional monarchy.
Capital: Bangkok.
Executive Branch:
Chief of State: King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Head of Government:
Interim Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Legislative Branch:
Unicameral (transitional);
National Legislative Assembly (transitional).
Judiciary:
Supreme Court
Constitutional Court
Supreme Administrative Court
Civil law system
NDMO:
Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM).

11. Thailand PMESII-PT (Political)
1 Municipality (Bangkok)
76 Provinces

12. Thailand PMESII-PT (Security – Police)
Royal Thai Police (RTP):
National police force.
Responsible for maintenance of public order throughout the Kingdom.
210,700 – 230,000 officers.
Divisions:
Border Patrol Division
Provincial Police Division
Metropolitan Police Division
Other bureaus and offices

13. Thailand PMESII-PT (Security – Military)
Royal Thai Armed Forces
Approx. 306,000 active duty and 245,000 reserve personnel.
3 Branches
Royal Thai Air Force
Royal Thai Army
4 Armies
First Army (Western and Central Thailand, and Bangkok)
Second Army (Northeastern Thailand)
Third Army (Northern and Northwestern Thailand)
Fourth Army (Southern Thailand)
Royal Thai Navy
3 Commands:
First Naval Area Command (Northern Gulf of Thailand)
Second Naval Area Command (Southern Gulf of Thailand)
Third Naval Area Command (Andaman Sea)
Royal Thai Marines

14. Thailand PMESII-PT (Economic)
Strong, developed, multi-sectoral, export economy:
GDP Composition:
Agriculture (rice, cassava, rubber) 10.5%
Industry (electronics, autos, agriculture,
products, processed foods) 36.8%
Services 52.7%
Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP, 2014 est.): US$ billion
Annual GDP per capita: (2014 est.) US$ 15,600
GDP real growth rate: (2014 est.) 0.9%

15. Thailand PMESII-PT (Social)
Ethnic groups:
Thai 95.9%
Burmese 2.0%
Other 1.3%
Unspecified 0.9%
Languages:
Thai (official) 90.7%
Burmese 1.3%
Other 8.0%
Religion
Buddhist (official) 93.6%
Muslim 4.9%
Christian 1.2%
Other 0.2%
None 0.1%

16. Thailand PMESII-PT (Information)
Literacy rate: 96.7%
Television:
6 TV stations in Bangkok with nation-wide coverage.
Multi-channel satellite and cable services available.
Radio (2007):
AM 238;
FM 351;
SW 6.
Telephones: High-quality system, especially in urban areas
Fixed lines in use: 5.69 million ( 8 per 100 persons);
Mobile cellular use: 97.1 million (143 per 100 persons).
Internet use: 19.5 million (28.8 % of the population).

17. Thailand PMESII-PT (Infrastructure)
Airports (2013): 38 airports:
3,047 – 2,438 m (9,997 – 7,999 ft.): 1;
2,437 – 1,524 m (7,999 – 5,000 ft.): 1;
1,523 – 914 m (5,000 – 2,999 ft.): 10;
Under 914 m (< 2,999 ft.): 26.
Heliports: 7.
Seaports:
Major seaports: 5.
Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Map Ta Phut, Prachuap Port, Si Racha.
Railroads: 4,070 km (2,528 miles).
Standard gauge 28.8 km (18 miles);
Narrow gauge 4,042 km (2,512 miles).
Roadways: 180,053 km (111,880 miles).
Expressways 450 km (280 miles).
Waterways: 4,000 km (2,486 miles)
3,701 km (2,300 miles) navigable by boats with drafts up to 0.9 m (3 ft.).

18. Thailand PMESII-PT (Infrastructure)
Airports (2013): 38 airports:
3,047 – 2,438 m 1
(9,997 – 7,999 ft.)
2,437 – 1,524 m 1
(7,999 – 5,000 ft.)
1,523 – 914 m 10
(5,000 – 2,999 ft.)
Under 914 m 26
(< 2,999 ft.)
Heliports: 7
Seaports:
Major seaports: 5
Bangkok,
Laem Chabang,
Map Ta Phut,
Prachuap Port,
Si Racha.
Railroads: 4,070 km (2,528 mi.)
Standard gauge km (18 mi.);
Narrow gauge 4,042 km (2,512 mi.)
Roadways: 180,053 km (111,880 mi.)
Expressways 450 km (280 mi.)
Waterways: 4,000 km (2,486 mi.)
3,701 km (2,300 mi.) navigable by boats with drafts up to 0.9 m (3 ft.).

19. Thailand PMESII-PT (Physical & Time)
Physical: Distances to Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, from:
Auckland, NZL 9,558 km
5,161 nm
Honolulu, HI, USA 10,611 km 5,730 nm
Kadena AFB, OKI 3,147 km 1,699 nm
Pape’ete, PYF 12,529 km
6,765 nm
Suva, FJI 9,232 km
4,985 nm
Sydney, AUS 7,521 km
4061 nm
Travis AFB, CA, USA 12,737 km
6,878 nm
Narita, JPN 4,648 km
2,510 nm
Villamor AB, PHL 2,186 km
1,180 nm
Time:
UTC +7
Indochina Time Zone (ICT)
Does not observe Daylight Savings Time
17 hours ahead of Pape’ete, PYF

20. Thailand Floods: Road to Crisis
Climate-driven Flooding in Thailand:
Late , unseasonably heavy rainfall in northern and northeastern Thailand.
Nov 2015: Northern Thailand received 344% increase in rain over mean.
Rainwater flows south into the Chao Phraya watershed and tributaries.
Floodwaters exceed capacity of rivers and flood control dams to handle amount of water.

21. Thailand Road to Crisis: Current Status
May 2016:
Flood waters move south down Chao Phraya and its tributaries.
11 May: 23 of 76 provinces flooded.
Upriver dams over capacity, release flood waters.
Late May / first of June:
Retaining walls and barriers north of Bangkok fail.
Flood waters inundate industrial estates north of Bangkok.
Flood waters directly threaten Bangkok.

22. Thailand road to Crisis: Current Status
June 2016:
Government of Thailand engaged in emergency response in flooded areas;
27 of 76 provinces affected
Government engaged in floodwater diversion and flood prevention measures for Bangkok.
6 June: Government accepts offers of international assistance from MPAT Nations, including use of MCDA.
Requests assistance in prevention, mitigation, preparedness and transition to recovery in addition to emergency response.
11 June: MPAT Nations meet to plan disaster response / disaster management in support of Government of Thailand.

23. Thailand OIPE Brief