Ministry of Defence (Myanmar)

The Ministry of Defence (Burmese: ကာကွယ်ရေးဝန်ကြီးဌာန; abbreviated MoD) is a government ministry in Myanmar (Burma), responsible for the country's national security and the armed forces (the Tatmadaw). The ministry has the largest share of the national budget among all government ministries, with a budget of $2.289 billion USD in 2013.^[3] As part of the Burma Sanctions Program, the United States government prohibits its citizens from doing business with the Ministry of Defence of Myanmar or its affiliates.^[4]

Ministry of Defence

ကာကွယ်ရေး၀န်ကြီးဌာန Kakweye Wungyi Htana
Seal of the Ministry [1]
Flag of the Ministry [2]
Ministry overview
Type	Ministry
Jurisdiction	Government of Myanmar
Headquarters	Naypyidaw, Myanmar
Annual budget	US$2.289 billion (2013)
Minister responsible	General Maung Maung Aye, Union Minister
Child agencies	Myanmar Economic Corporation Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings
Website	www.mod.gov.mm

Departments

• Union Minister Office
• Department of International and Internal Affairs
• Account Office
• Directorate of Procurement

The Ministry of Defence also generates significant revenue from business interests, by owning and operating a large business conglomerate, the Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC).^[5] MEC is owned by the Tatmadaw's Quartermaster General’s Office, and is a direct source of revenue for the Burmese military, even though earnings from MEC are not declared in the ministry's budget.^[5]

Ministers of Defence

No.	Portrait	Name (lifespan)	Term of office			Political party		Cabinet	Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Aung San (1915–1947)	10 June 1947	19 July 1947 †	39 days		Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League		[6]
2		Bo Let Ya (1911–1978)	20 July 1947	14 September 1948	1 year, 56 days		Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League		[6][7]
3		Thakin Nu (1907–1995)	14 September 1948	5 April 1949	203 days		Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League		[6]
4		General Ne Win (1911–2002)	5 April 1949	11 September 1950	1 year, 159 days				[6]
5		U Win [my] (1905–1969)	11 September 1950	16 March 1952	1 year, 187 days				[6]
6		U Ba Swe (1915–1987)	16 March 1952	16 July 1958	6 years, 122 days		Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League		[6]
7		Bo Hmu Aung (1910–2004)	16 July 1958	29 October 1958	105 days				[6]
(4)		General Ne Win (1911–2002)	29 October 1958	4 April 1960	1 year, 158 days				[6]
(3)		Thakin Nu (1907–1995)	4 April 1960	2 March 1962	1 year, 332 days		Union Party		[6]
(4)		General Ne Win (1911–2002)	2 March 1962	20 April 1972	10 years, 49 days		Burma Socialist Programme Party		[6]
8		General San Yu (1918–1996)	20 April 1972	March 1974	1 year, 10 months		Burma Socialist Programme Party		[6][8]
9		General Tin Oo (1927–2024)	March 1974	March 1976	2 years		Burma Socialist Programme Party		[8]
10		General Kyaw Htin (1925–1996)	March 1976	July 1988	12 years, 4 months		Burma Socialist Programme Party		[8]
11		General Saw Maung (1928–1997)	July 1988	23 April 1992	3 years, 9 months		Military	State Peace and Development Council	[8]
12		General Than Shwe (born 1933)	23 April 1992	30 March 2011	18 years, 341 days		Union Solidarity and Development Association	State Peace and Development Council	[8]
13		Hla Min (born 1958)	30 March 2011	7 September 2012	1 year, 161 days		Military	Thein Sein	[9]
14		Wai Lwin (born 1954)	7 September 2012	13 August 2015	2 years, 340 days		Military	Thein Sein	[9]
15		Sein Win (born 1956)	24 August 2015	1 February 2021	5 years, 161 days		Military	Thein Sein Htin Kyaw Win Myint	[9]
16		Mya Tun Oo (born 1961)	1 February 2021	3 August 2023	2 years, 183 days		Military	Provisional Government
17		Tin Aung San (born 1960)	3 August 2023	18 December 2024	1 year, 137 days		Military	Provisional Government	[10]
18		Maung Maung Aye (born 1962)	18 December 2024	Incumbent	227 days		Military	Provisional Government	[11]