Tatmadaw facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw) တပ်မတော်  (Burmese) (lit. Grand Army)
Flag of the Armed Forces (Tatmadaw) of Myanmar.svg|border Flag of the Myanmar Armed Forces
Established	27 March 1945 (80 years ago) (1945-03-27)
Parts	Myanmar Army  Myanmar Navy  Myanmar Air Force  Myanmar Coast Guard Myanmar Police Force Border Guard Forces
Headquarters	Naypyidaw, Myanmar
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief	Senior General Min Aung Hlaing
Minister of Defence	Admiral Tin Aung San
Serving soldiers
Military age	18 years of age
Conscription	*18–45 years of age (male) 18–35 years of age (female) 2 years (during peacetime) 3 years (for people with professions) 5 years (during emergencies)
Available to be a soldier	14,747,845 males, age 15–49 (2010 est.), 14,710,871 females, age 15–49 (2010 est.)
Fit to be a soldier	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 employees/soldiers	estimates vary, from 100,000 to 356,000 active personnel
Reserve personnel	18,998 23 battalions of Border Guard Force (7498 personnel) 46 groups of People's Militia Groups and Regional People's Militia Groups (3500 personnel) 5 corps of University Training Corps (8000 personnel)
Expenditures
Budget	$2.7 billion (2023)
Percent of GDP	4% (2014)
Industry
Suppliers from inland	*Myanmar Directorate of Defence Industries Myanmar Naval Dockyard
Suppliers from foreign countries	Belarus  China  India  Iran  Israel  North Korea  Philippines  Russia  Ukraine
See also
Ranks	Military ranks of Myanmar
Emblems of the Myanmar Armed Forces' service branches(left to right): Army, Navy & Air Force

The Tatmadaw (Burmese: တပ်မတော်; MLCTS: tatma.taw, IPA: [taʔmədɔ̀], lit. Grand Armed Forces) or Sit-Tat (Burmese: စစ်တပ်; MLCTS: cactap., IPA: [sɪʔtaʔ], lit. Armed Forces) is the military of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is managed by the Ministry of Defence. The Tatmadaw includes the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy, and the Myanmar Air Force. It also has support services like the Myanmar Police Force, the Border Guard Forces, the Myanmar Coast Guard, and local volunteer groups.

Since Myanmar became independent in 1948, the Tatmadaw has been involved in many conflicts within the country. These conflicts often involve different ethnic groups. The military has also played a big role in the country's government. For example, in 1962, General Ne Win took control of the country. Later, in 1988, there were big protests, and the military stepped in again.

In 2008, the Tatmadaw helped write a new constitution for Myanmar. This led to elections where a military-backed party won. However, in 2015 and 2020, a different party, the National League for Democracy, won the elections. After the 2020 election, the Tatmadaw took control of the government again in 2021. The Tatmadaw has faced strong criticism from international groups for how it has treated people, especially during protests and conflicts.

The Constitution of Myanmar states that the Tatmadaw is led by the commander-in-chief of Defence Services. The National Defence and Security Council, a group of eleven members, helps make decisions about security and defense. The president of Myanmar does not directly command the Tatmadaw.

Understanding the Tatmadaw's Name

The name "Tatmadaw" means "Royal Armed Forces" in the Burmese language. Even though Myanmar hasn't had a king for a long time, "royal" in this name means "glorious."

However, this name has become a topic of discussion in Myanmar, especially since 2021. Many people in Myanmar are against the military during the current civil war. They don't like using the word "royal" to describe it. Because of this, many people now use "Sit-Tat," which simply means "military" without any special meaning. Some people even use a negative term, "Sit-kwe," meaning "dog-soldiers," to show their strong disapproval.

A Look at the Tatmadaw's History

Early Royal Burmese Forces

The Royal Armed Forces were the military groups of the Burmese monarchy from the 800s to the 1800s. These forces belonged to different kingdoms over time, like the Pagan dynasty and the Konbaung dynasty. They were a strong military power in Southeast Asia for many centuries.

The army had a small group of permanent soldiers who protected the capital city. But during wartime, a much larger army was formed using a system called ahmudan. This system required local leaders to provide a certain number of men from their areas based on how many people lived there. The wartime army also included elephants, cavalry, artillery, and naval units.

Firearms were first brought from China in the late 1300s. Over time, they became more important in battles. Special units with Portuguese matchlock guns and cannon were created in the 1500s. Regular soldiers didn't get much formal training. They were expected to know basic self-defense and how to use a musket. As European countries developed more advanced weapons, the Burmese army relied on them to sell these new tools.

While the army was good at fighting its neighbors, it struggled against the more advanced European armies. It defeated the Portuguese and French in the 1600s and 1700s. But in the 1800s, it couldn't match the power of the British Empire. Myanmar lost three wars to the British. On January 1, 1886, the Royal Burmese Army was officially ended by the British government.

British Rule in Burma (1885–1948)

When the British took over, they didn't recruit many Burmese soldiers. Instead, they used soldiers from India and Nepal. This was because they didn't trust the Burmese people. For decades, the British mainly recruited soldiers from other ethnic groups in Burma, like the Karens, Kachins, and Chins. In 1937, the ban on Burmese soldiers was lifted, and a small number of Burmese started to join the British Indian Army.

During World War I, the British army in Burma had battalions made up of Karens, Kachins, and Chins. As the war continued, the British allowed more Burmese to join. They formed Burmese battalions and companies. These units served overseas, including in Egypt and France.

After World War I, the British stopped recruiting Burmese soldiers again. Most Burmese companies were disbanded. Instead, soldiers from India and other ethnic minorities were the main forces used by the British in Burma. These forces were used to stop Burmese rebellions, like the one led by Saya San from 1930 to 1931. Even when Burmese people were allowed to join the army again in 1937, few did. Before World War II, the British Burma Army mainly consisted of Karen, Chin, and Kachin soldiers.

In December 1941, a group of Burmese independence fighters, known as the Thirty Comrades, formed the Burma Independence Army (BIA) with help from Japan. This army, led by Aung San, fought alongside the Japanese during the Burma Campaign. Thousands of young men joined, mostly Burmese. Many of these new recruits were not well-disciplined. This led to conflicts between BIA members and Karens in some areas. The BIA was later replaced by the Burma Defence Army and then the Burma National Army. By late 1944, it had about 15,000 soldiers.

However, the Burmese soldiers became unhappy with the Japanese rule. On March 27, 1945, the Burma National Army switched sides and joined the Allied forces.

After Independence (1948)

UBS Mayu, a ship of the Myanmar Navy.

When Myanmar gained independence in 1948, the Tatmadaw was small and divided. There were tensions between Karen officers and Burmese officers. The Tatmadaw was reorganized to include soldiers from both the British Burma Army and the Patriotic Burmese Force.

The War Office, which managed the military, opened in May 1948. It was led by a Chief of Staff, who oversaw the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Most of the important leadership roles were held by officers from the former British Burma Army.

Changes in 1956

In 1956, the War Office was officially renamed the Ministry of Defence. General Ne Win became the first Chief of Staff of the Tatmadaw. This meant he commanded all three services: Army, Navy, and Air Force, under one unified command.

Caretaker Government

In 1958, due to political problems, the Prime Minister, U Nu, asked General Ne Win to form a "Caretaker Government." The military then managed the country until elections were held in 1960. Some high-ranking officers were removed from their positions because they were involved in politics.

1962 Military Takeover

On March 2, 1962, General Ne Win, who was the Chief of Staff, took control of the country in a military takeover. He announced on the radio that the armed forces had taken over because of the country's difficult situation.

The military then ruled Myanmar for the next 12 years. The Burma Socialist Programme Party became the only political party allowed. Many of its members were military personnel. Government workers even received military training.

1988 Protests and Military Action

In 1988, there were large protests across the country against the government. General Ne Win warned that if the protests continued, the army would shoot to hit, not into the air.

Military divisions were sent to Yangon, the capital city. They were there to support the police and guard government buildings. However, on August 8, 1988, soldiers opened fire on unarmed protesters. The armed forces then took complete control of the country by late September.

Political Changes (2008–2020)

Air Force personnel

In 2008, the military government released the current constitution for a public vote. The government said that 93.82% of people approved it. However, there were questions about these results, especially because a big storm, Cyclone Nargis, hit Myanmar just before the vote. Under this constitution, the Tatmadaw is guaranteed 25% of the seats in parliament. This makes it hard to pass new laws without the military's approval.

In 2010, a law was passed that required healthy men and women to serve in the military for up to three years. Men aged 18–45 and women aged 18–35 could be called to serve.

After 2011, Myanmar made changes in its relationships with countries like China, Russia, and the United States. In 2014, a US general was invited to speak at Myanmar's National Defence College. In 2016, Myanmar and Russia signed an agreement to work together on defense. This included sharing information about security and fighting terrorism.

In 2017, the US placed restrictions on a general who oversaw military actions in Rakhine State. A 2019 UN report said that the military uses its own businesses and arms deals to fund its operations against ethnic groups. In June 2020, the Tatmadaw accused China of providing weapons to rebel groups in Myanmar.

2021 Military Takeover and Current Situation

In February 2021, the Tatmadaw arrested Aung San Suu Kyi and other political leaders after an election with disputed results. A state of emergency was declared for one year. A new government, the State Administration Council, was formed. In August 2021, this council became a caretaker government, and Min Aung Hlaing was named Prime Minister. The state of emergency was extended for two more years.

As the Myanmar Civil War continues, the Tatmadaw has relied more on military help from Russia and China. Experts believe the Tatmadaw has lost many soldiers due to fighting and desertions. The Tatmadaw has admitted that it does not control all of Myanmar's towns.

In February 2024, the government started requiring people to join the military. This was in response to rebel groups taking control of more land.

Military Budget

About 13% to 14% of Myanmar's national budget goes to the military. However, the military's budget is not very clear, and it's hard for civilians to see how the money is spent. The military also makes a lot of money from its own businesses. These businesses help the military fund its operations without much outside control.

Between 1990 and 2020, military officers received a lot of money from one of these businesses, MEHL. In the 2019–2020 budget year, the military was given about $2.4 billion. In 2020, parliament reduced the military's request for extra money. In 2014, the Minister for Defence said that most of the budget is spent on personnel (soldiers' salaries), operations, and buying equipment.

Military Strategy

Early Years (1948–1958)

After Myanmar gained independence, the military developed its first strategies. These strategies were designed to protect the country from stronger enemies from outside. The main idea was to hold off an invading force at the border for at least three months. This would give time for international help to arrive. However, this strategy didn't work well because the military lacked good command systems and support.

Dealing with Internal Conflicts (1958–1988)

In the early 1950s, Kuomintang (KMT) troops from China invaded Myanmar. This became a new external threat. The military's first strategy failed against the KMT. The military leaders believed that too much media coverage had revealed their plans.

Myanmar Navy visiting Indonesia in 1960

The military then realized that its old strategies were not working against the new type of fighting, which involved guerrilla warfare (hit-and-run tactics). In 1958, a report said that the Tatmadaw needed a new strategy to deal with internal conflicts. Even though many commanders had been guerrilla fighters themselves, they didn't know much about fighting against guerrillas.

So, the Tatmadaw started to develop new strategies for fighting internal conflicts. The main idea was to stop these conflicts using a "people's war" approach. They believed that if internal conflicts were not stopped, other countries might get involved. So, fighting against these internal groups became the main focus of the new military strategy.

In 1962, new rules for fighting guerrillas were created. Training courses were started to teach these new tactics. The new strategy identified three types of enemies: internal groups, enemies of similar strength (like Thailand), and stronger enemies. For internal conflicts, the Tatmadaw would use long-range attacks and search-and-destroy missions. They also focused on winning the support of the people. For stronger enemies, the Tatmadaw would use a "total people's war" strategy, focusing on guerrilla tactics.

This new strategy was officially adopted in 1971. It made sure the Tatmadaw was at the center of national decision-making. Throughout this period, the "total people's war" strategy was mainly used for internal conflicts, as Myanmar did not face any direct foreign invasions.

Modernizing the Military (1988–2010)

The Tatmadaw's strategy changed again after the military took over in 1988. This was part of a plan to make the armed forces more modern. The military was worried about possible foreign invasions, especially after a US aircraft carrier was seen near Myanmar's waters in 1988. They also worried that foreign powers might arm rebel groups.

This new strategy focused on defending against smaller external threats using a "total people's defense" idea. The Tatmadaw's role was to be a "modern, strong, and highly capable fighting force." Since independence, the Tatmadaw has been involved in keeping internal security and stopping conflicts.

The Tatmadaw developed an "active defense" strategy. This strategy uses guerrilla warfare with some traditional military capabilities. It is designed to handle smaller conflicts from both outside and inside the country. This strategy aims to discourage potential attackers. It suggests that if the Tatmadaw's regular forces are defeated in a traditional war, the people's militias and scattered regular troops would continue fighting using guerrilla tactics. This would wear down the invading forces and make them vulnerable to a counter-attack.

Over the last ten years, the Tatmadaw has improved its communication, intelligence, air defense, and early warning systems. These improvements support its "strategic denial" and "total people's defense" strategies.

How the Tatmadaw is Organized

Before 1988

The Tatmadaw command structure as of 2000

The highest-ranking military officer, a general, was in charge of the entire Tatmadaw. He was also the Defence Minister and Chief of Staff of Defence Services. This meant he controlled all three services (Army, Navy, Air Force) under the direction of the President. He was helped by three Vice-Chiefs of Staff, one for each service. All these officers worked at the Ministry of Defence in Rangoon/Yangon.

The Ministry of Defence had a Joint Staff with three main branches for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The Army Office had departments for operations, administration, and logistics. There were also special operations bureaus that managed different military regions.

1988 to 2005

After the military takeover in 1988, the Tatmadaw's organization changed a lot. In 1990, the most senior army officer became a Senior general. He held many important positions, including chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), Prime Minister, Defence Minister, and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Services. This gave him both political and military control.

Each service (Army, Navy, Air Force) got its own Commander-in-Chief. The Army Commander-in-Chief was also the deputy commander of the Defence Services. Many senior positions were upgraded to higher ranks.

A new command structure was introduced in 2002. A new important position, the Joint Chief of Staff (Army, Navy, Air Force), was created. This person commands the commanders-in-chief of the Navy and Air Force.

The Office of Strategic Studies (OSS) was formed around 1994 to create defense policies and strategies. Regional Military Commands (RMC) and Light Infantry Divisions (LID) were also reorganized. LIDs now report directly to the Commander in Chief of the Army.

New command centers were created because the Army grew. These included Regional Operation Commands (ROC) and Military Operations Commands (MOC), which are like army divisions in other countries.

2005 to 2010

On October 18, 2004, the OSS and military intelligence units were closed down. A new military intelligence unit, Military Affairs Security (MAS), was formed to take over some of their duties.

In early 2006, a new Regional Military Command (RMC) was created in the new capital city, Naypyidaw.

Branches of Service

Myanmar Army (Tatmadaw Kyee)

The Myanmar Army is the largest part of the Tatmadaw. It has always received most of the defense budget. Since 1948, it has played the biggest role in fighting against many groups within Myanmar. It is known as a tough and skilled military force. In the 1980s, it was considered one of the best armies in Southeast Asia.

Myanmar Air Force (Tatmadaw Lay)

The Myanmar Air Force has about 23,000 personnel. It was created on January 16, 1947, when Myanmar was still under British rule. By 1948, it had 40 Airspeed Oxfords, 16 de Havilland Tiger Moths, 4 Austers, and 3 Supermarine Spitfires. These planes were transferred from the Royal Air Force. The main job of the Air Force is to provide transport, supplies, and air support to the Myanmar Army during operations.

Myanmar Navy (Tatmadaw Yay)

The Myanmar Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces. It has about 19,000 men and women. The Navy was formed in 1940 and helped the Allies against the Japanese during World War II. The Myanmar Navy currently operates more than 122 vessels. Before 1988, the Navy was small. But in recent years, it has grown significantly to protect Myanmar's waters and defend against outside threats.

Myanmar Police Force (Myanmar Ye Tat Hpwe)

The Myanmar Police Force was created in 1964. It became an informal part of the Tatmadaw in 1995. Its headquarters are in Naypyidaw. Each of Myanmar's states and divisions has its own police force. Countries like Israel and Australia often help train Myanmar's police. The Police Force has about 72,000 personnel, including special combat units.

Military Ranks

Officer Ranks

Rank group	General/flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers								Officer cadet
Myanmar Armed Forces
	ဗိုလ်ချုပ်မှူးကြီး Builʻkhyupʻmhūʺkrīʺ		ဒုတိယဗိုလ်ချုပ်မှူးကြီး Dutiya builʻkhyupʻmhūʺkrīʺ	ဗိုလ်ချုပ်ကြီး Builʻkhyupʻkrīʺ	ဒုတိယဗိုလ်ချုပ်ကြီး Dutiya builʻkhyupʻkrīʺ		ဗိုလ်ချုပ် Builʻkhyupʻ		ဗိုလ်မှူးချုပ် Builʻmhūʺkhyupʻ		ဗိုလ်မှူးကြီး Builʻmhūʺkrīʺ		ဒုတိယဗိုလ်မှူးကြီး Dutiya builʻmhūʺkrīʺ		ဗိုလ်မှူး Builʻmhūʺ		ဗိုလ်ကြီး Builʻkrīʺ		ဗိုလ် Builʻ			ဒုတိယဗိုလ် Dutiyabuilʻ
Army and air force translation	Senior general		Vice-senior general	General	Lieutenant general		Major general		Brigadier general		Colonel		Lieutenant colonel		Major		Captain		First lieutenant			Second lieutenant
Navy translation	Senior admiral		Vice-senior admiral	Admiral	Vice admiral		Rear admiral		Commodore		Captain		Commander		Lieutenant commander		Lieutenant		Lieutenant junior grade			Sub-lieutenant

Other Ranks

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Myanmar Armed Forces																																			No insignia	No insignia
	အရာခံဗိုလ် ’araākhaṃ bauilaʻ						ဒုတိယအရာခံဗိုလ် dautaiya ’araākhaṃ bauilaʻ		တပ်ခွဲတပ်ကြပ်ကြီး tapaʻ khavai tapaʻ karpaʻ karīʺ		တပ်ကြပ်ကြီး tapaʻ karpaʻ karīʺ												တပ်ကြပ် tapaʻ karpaʻ				ဒုတိယတပ်ကြပ် dautaiya tapaʻ karpaʻ								တပ်သား tapaʻ saāʺ	တပ်သားသစ် tapaʻ saāʺ sacaʻ

Air Defense System

The Myanmar Air Defense Forces (လေကြောင်းရန်ကာကွယ်ရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့) is a major part of the Tatmadaw. It was created in 1997 and became fully active by late 1999. In the early 2000s, the Tatmadaw set up the Myanmar Integrated Air Defence System (MIADS) (မြန်မာ့အလွှာစုံပေါင်းစပ်လေကြောင်းရန်ကာကွယ်ရေးစနစ်). This was done with help from Russia, Ukraine, and China. It combines units from all three branches of the armed forces to protect Myanmar's airspace.

Military Intelligence

The Office of the Chief of Military Security Affairs (OCMSA), also known as Sa Ya Pha (စရဖ), is the intelligence branch of Myanmar's Armed Forces. It collects information for the military. It was created in 2004 to replace an older intelligence unit.

Defense Industries

The Myanmar Directorate of Defence Industries (DI) has 25 large factories across the country. These factories make about 70 main products for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. They produce things like automatic rifles, machine guns, anti-aircraft guns, and different types of ammunition for mortars, artillery, aircraft, and tanks. They also make bombs, grenades, anti-tank mines, and rockets. The DI has also created new assault rifles and light machine-guns for soldiers. These new weapons are designed to replace older models that have been used since the 1960s.

Military's Role in Government

25% of the seats in both houses of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, Myanmar's parliament, are set aside for military members. This means that military officials are directly involved in making laws for the country.

House of Nationalities (Amyotha Hluttaw)

Election	Total seats reserved	Total votes	Share of votes	Outcome of election	Election leader
2010	56 / 224			56 seats	Than Shwe
(after) 2012	56 / 224				Min Aung Hlaing
2015	56 / 224				Min Aung Hlaing
2020	56 / 224				Min Aung Hlaing

House of Representatives (Pyithu Hluttaw)

Election	Total seats reserved	Total votes	Share of votes	Outcome of election	Election leader
2010	110 / 440			110 seats	Than Shwe
(after) 2012	110 / 440				Min Aung Hlaing
2015	110 / 440				Min Aung Hlaing
2020	110 / 440				Min Aung Hlaing

Images for kids

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  Burmese troops surveying the Burma–China border, circa April 1954, on the lookout for Chinese Nationalist troops who fled to Burma following their defeat in the Chinese Civil War

See also

• Military intelligence of Myanmar
• Aung San
• Royal Burmese armed forces
• Military history of Myanmar
• Ma Chit Po