Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the first woman to head Thailand's defense ministry after the latest Cabinet revamp, will play a decisive role in the reshuffle of military commanders to ensure the country's stability.

As defense minister, Yingluck will chair the powerful Defense Council, which convenes monthly and is directly responsible for the annual reshuffle of the country's military top brass.

Observers said that the latest changes in the defense ministry is designed to prevent another military coup similar to what happened to Yingluck's brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, several years back.

However, Yingluck, who became Thailand's first female prime minister following the 2011 nationwide polls, will very likely not micro-manage the defense ministry. She would likely leave purely administrative matters, such as the procurement of military hardware and the mapping out of national defense strategies and plans to her military commanders.

Thus, the only thing that she will have direct control will be the transfer of the powerful generals, admirals and marshals which is traditionally decided by the members of the Defense Council that she will head.

In previous years, the Defense Council had at most six members with defense minister and the defense undersecretary representing the political side while the military side was represented by a supreme commander, an army chief, a navy chief and an air force chief. Under this set-up, the military can easily outvote the political side if voting is done.

Some analysts said that with the new Yingluck Cabinet, which was endorsed by the King on Sunday, the Defense Council might have a seventh member, who will concurrently act as deputy defense minister.

The post of deputy defense minister, considered rare in Thai history, might be given to an MP of the ruling Pheu Thai (For Thais) Party.

The seventh member of the Council could tip the scale in favor of the political side.

The political side, expected to become a majority in the council, would now include an undersecretary of defense, who is traditionally named by the defense minister; a supreme commander, who may be more or less inclined to vote with the political side; a deputy defense minister, the seventh member of the council; and the defense minister.