The army plans to recruit civilians to work as "cyber warriors" at its cyber crime security centre, army commander-in-chief Chalermchai Sittisat said Monday.
Cyber experts will be employed to help combat cyber attacks as well as help the army enhance its computer system technology due to a shortage of military officers who specialise in the field, he said.
Gen Chalermchai said the recruitment would create a unit of state-run "cyber warriors" similar to other countries.
The recruitment project comes after a wave of cyber attacks targeting several government websites last month.
The Civilians Against Single Gateway group claimed responsibility for the attacks, which it says were launched in protest against the amended Computer Crime Act earlier approved by the National Legislative Assembly.
"We don't have enough personnel with expertise in cyber security. Therefore, we need to recruit civilians for our centre, who can manage it properly and earn a reasonable salary," Gen Chalermchai said.
The army chief brushed aside concerns that civilians could be recruited as spies or leak state information. Applicants will undergo strict background checks before they are hired, he said.
Gen Chalermchai admitted it was difficult tracking down hackers as they had extensive networks both in Thailand and abroad.
However, he said state computer systems were only affected briefly by their attacks, adding no damage was done to important databases.
Several suspects have been arrested by the military in connection with the series of cyber attacks last month.
However, the precise number of suspects or their whereabouts has yet to be confirmed.
Gen Chalermchai said the government was also trying to build understanding among the public about the amended law.
