Navy Chief will Drop his Submarine Fund Request

08 Januari 2022

Yuan-class S-26T submarine (photo : ChinaTimes)

Navy chief Adm Somprasong Nilsamai will drop a funding request for two more Yuan-class S26T submarines under the 2023 fiscal budget because of the economic impact of Covid-19.

It will be the first time the navy has declined to ask for funding for its submarine procurement project.

Previously, it has been forced to back down after opposition.

In the past procurement has been put on hold because requests for funding were rejected by parliament or the prime minister, a navy source said.

With the emerging Omicron variant of the coronavirus spreading rapidly, Adm Somprasong believes no one would agree with the navy pressing ahead with the submarine procurement now, the navy source said.

According to the source, the navy budget risks being slashed, because the funding the navy is seeking for the 2023 fiscal year, which starts on Oct 1, is already high.

Other naval units will also consequently suffer from a likely budget cut.

Earlier, responding to media reports that he would not request the funds, Adm Somprasong said yesterday he was still weighing up the matter.

An assessment was still under way, he said, but admitted there were a lot of limitations that needed to be taken into account as a decision on the matter is made.

See full article Bangkok Post