Tatmadaw

The Tatmadaw (Burmese: တပ်မတော်; MLCTS: tapma.tau, IPA: [taʔmədɔ̀], lit. 'Grand Army') is the military of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services include the Myanmar Police Force, the Border Guard Forces, the Myanmar Coast Guard, and the People's Militia Units.[11] Since independence in 1948, the Tatmadaw has faced significant ethnic insurgencies, especially in Chin, Kachin, Kayin, Kayah, and Shan states. General Ne Win took control of the country in a 1962 coup d'état, attempting to build an autarkic society called the Burmese Way to Socialism. Following the violent repression of nationwide protests in 1988, the military agreed to free elections in 1990, but ignored the resulting victory of the National League for Democracy and imprisoned its leader Aung San Suu Kyi.[12] The 1990s also saw the escalation of the conflict between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State due to RSO attacks on Tatmadaw forces.

Quick facts: Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw), Founded, Ser... ▼

Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw)
တပ်မတော် (Burmese) (lit. 'Grand Army of Myanmar')
Flag of the Myanmar Armed Forces
Emblems of the Myanmar Armed Forces' service branches(left to right): Army, Navy & Air Force[note 1][1]
Founded	27 March 1945 (78 years ago) (1945-03-27)[2]
Service branches	Army  Navy  Air Force
Headquarters	Naypyidaw, Myanmar
Website	mod.gov.mm cincds.gov.mm
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief	Senior General Min Aung Hlaing
Deputy Commander-in-Chief	Vice-Senior General Soe Win
Minister of Defence	Admiral Tin Aung San
Joint Chief of Staff	General Maung Maung Aye[3]
Personnel
Military age	18 years of age
Available for military service	14,747,845 males, age 15–49 (2010 est.), 14,710,871 females, age 15–49 (2010 est.)
Fit for military service	10,451,515 males, age 15–49 (2010 est.), 11,181,537 females, age 15–49 (2010 est.)
Reaching military age annually	522,478 males (2010 est.), 506,388 females (2010 est.)
Active personnel	about 150,000 personnel; 70,000 combat troops (May 2023 estimate)[4]
Reserve personnel	18,998 (23 battalions of Border Guard Force, BGF (7498 personnel),[5] 46 groups of People's Militia Group, PMG and Regional People's Militia Groups, RPMG (3500 personnel)[5] five corps of university Training Corp, UTC (8000 personnel)[6]
Expenditures
Budget	$2.4 billion[7] (2014)
Percent of GDP	4% (2014)
Industry
Domestic suppliers	Myanmar Directorate of Defence Industries Myanmar Naval Dockyard[8]
Foreign suppliers	China[9]  India[9]  Israel[9][10]  North Korea[9]  Philippines[9]  Russia[9]  Ukraine[9]
Related articles
Ranks	Military ranks of Myanmar

This article contains Burmese script. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Burmese script.

In 2008, the Tatmadaw again rewrote Myanmar's constitution, installing the pro-junta Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in 2010 elections boycotted by most opposition groups. Political reforms over the next half-decade culminated in a sweeping NLD victory in the 2015 election;[13] after the USDP lost another election in 2020, the Tatmadaw annulled the election and deposed the civilian government. The Tatmadaw has been widely accused by international organizations of human rights offenses and crimes against humanity; including ethnic cleansing,[14][15][16] political repression, torture, sexual assault, war crimes, extrajudicial punishments (including summary executions) and massacre of civilians involved in peaceful political demonstrations.[14][17][18] The Tatmadaw has long operated as a state within a state.[19][20]

According to the Constitution of Myanmar, the Tatmadaw directly reports to the National Defence and Security Council (NDSC) led by the President of Myanmar.[21] The NDSC is an eleven-member national security council responsible for security and defence affairs in Myanmar. The NDSC serves as the highest authority in the Government of Myanmar.