Thai Army Volunteer Regiment with the first weapons received, which would have permitted training before deployment. An acceptable alternative would have been to issue M16's to the Thai regiment after it deployed to South Vietnam, had any weapons been available in Thailand for training; but all M16 rifles in Thailand were in the hands of infantry and special forces elements already engaged with the insurgents in northeast Thailand. Failure to provide the rifles any later than April would, in the view of the Thai Military Assistance Command, have repercussions. Aware also of the sensitivity of the Koreans, who were being equipped after other Free World forces, the commander recommended that 900 of the M16's be authorized to equip the Thai regiment and to support its predeployment training. The Commander in Chief, Pacific, concurred and recommended to the Joint Chiefs that the 900 rifles be provided from the March production. Even with the special issue of M16's, it was still necessary to make available another weapon to round out the issue. The logical choice was the M14, and as a result 900 M14's with spare parts were requested; two factors, however, dictated against this choice. The first was the demand for this weapon to support the training base in the continental United States, and the second was the fact that the Koreans were equipped with M1's. Issuing M14's to the Thais might have political consequences. As a compromise the Thais were issued the M2 carbine.
The liaison arrangements and groundwork for deployment of the Thai unit were completed in July. Following a liaison visit by members of the 9th U.S. Infantry Division, the Royal Thai Army Volunteer Regiment was invited to send liaison men and observers to the 9th Division. As part of the training program in preparation for the scheduled September deployment, five groups of key men from the Thai regiment visited the 9th Infantry Division between 6 and 21 July 1967. Numbering between thirty-four and thirty-eight men, each group was composed of squad leaders, platoon sergeants, platoon leaders, company executive officers, company commanders, and selected staff officers. Each group stayed six days while the men worked with and observed their counterparts. During the period 12 to 14 July, the commander of the Royal Thai Army Volunteer Regiment, accompanied by three staff officers, visited the 9th U.S. Division headquarters.
Debate over the date of deployment of Thai troops to Vietnam arose when on 5 July the Thai government announced a plan to commit the Royal Thai Army Volunteer Regiment
