| Jurisdiction | Government of Myanmar |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Naypyidaw, Myanmar |
| Budget | US$2.289 billion (2013) |
| Minister1 name | General Htun Aung |
| Minister1 pfo | Union Minister |
| Website | www.mod.gov.mm |
| Ministry | Ministry of Defence |
| Nativename a | ကာကွယ်ရေး၀န်ကြီးဌာန |
| Nativename r | Kakweye Wungyi Htana |
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.[1] 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.[2]
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).[3] 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.[3]
List of ministers
| No. | Portrait | Name (lifespan) | Term of office | Political party | Cabinet | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||
| Counsellor at Defence Department | |||||||||
| 1 | Aung San (1915–1947) | 28 September 1946 | 19 July 1947 † | Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League | [4][5] | ||||
| 2 | Bo Let Ya (1911–1978) | 1 August 1947 | 8 May 1948 | ' | Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League | [4] | |||
| Minister for Defence for Administering the War Office | |||||||||
| (2) | Bo Let Ya (1911–1978) | 8 May 1948 | 13 September 1948 | ' | Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League | [4] | |||
| 3 | U Nu (1907–1995) | 14 September 1948 | 3 April 1949 | Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League | [4] | ||||
| 4 | Major General Ne Win (1911–2002) | 4 April 1949 | 9 September 1950 | [4] | |||||
| 5 | U Win (1905–1969) | 18 September 1950 | 15 March 1952 | [4] | |||||
| 6 | U Ba Swe (1915–1987) | 16 March 1952 | 1 January 1956 | ' | Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League | [4] | |||
| Minister for Defence | |||||||||
| (6) | U Ba Swe (1915–1987) | 1 January 1956 | 4 June 1958 | ' | Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League | [4] | |||
| 7 | Bo Hmu Aung (1910–2004) | 9 June 1958 | 28 September 1958 | [4] | |||||
| (4) | General Ne Win (1911–2002) | 29 September 1958 | 15 March 1960 | [4] | |||||
| (3) | U Nu (1907–1995) | 16 March 1960 | 2 March 1962 | Union Party | [4] | ||||
| Commissar for Defence | |||||||||
| (4) | General Ne Win (1911–2002) | 2 March 1962 | 20 April 1972 | Burma Socialist Programme Party | [4] | ||||
| Minister for Defence | |||||||||
| 8 | General San Yu (1918–1996) | 21 April 1972 | 7 March 1974 | Burma Socialist Programme Party | [4] | ||||
| 9 | General Tin Oo (1927–2024) | 8 March 1974 | 6 March 1976 | Burma Socialist Programme Party | [4] | ||||
| 10 | General Kyaw Htin (1925–1996) | 7 March 1976 | 27 July 1988 | Burma Socialist Programme Party | [4] | ||||
| 11 | Senior General Saw Maung (1928–1997) | 28 July 1988 | 19 March 1992 | Military | State Peace and Development Council | [4] | |||
| 12 | Senior General Than Shwe (born 1933) | 20 March 1992 | 29 March 2011 | Union Solidarity and Development Association | State Peace and Development Council | [4] | |||
| Union Minister for Defence | |||||||||
| 13 | Lieutenant General Hla Min (born 1958) | 30 March 2011 | 7 September 2012 | Military | Thein Sein | [4] | |||
| 14 | Lieutenant General Wai Lwin (born 1954) | 8 September 2012 | 12 August 2015 | Military | Thein Sein | [4] | |||
| 15 | Lieutenant General Sein Win (born 1956) | 25 August 2015 | 1 February 2021 | Military | Thein Sein Htin Kyaw Win Myint | [4] | |||
| 16 | General Mya Tun Oo (born 1961) | 2 February 2021 | 2 August 2023 | Military | Min Aung Hlaing | ||||
| 17 | Admiral Tin Aung San (born 1960) | 2 August 2023 | 17 December 2024 | Military | Min Aung Hlaing | [4] | |||
| 18 | General Maung Maung Aye (born 1962) | 18 December 2024 | 10 April 2026 | Military | Min Aung Hlaing Nyo Saw | [4] | |||
| 19 | General Htun Aung (born 1967) | 11 April 2026 | Incumbent | Military | Min Aung Hlaing | [4] | |||
References
- ^ Nyein Nyein (15 January 2014). "Burma Defense Ministry Puts Forward Budget Request". The Irrawaddy. Archived 27 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
- ^ "Burma Sanctions Program". Office of Foreign Assets Control. United States Department of Treasury. 29 January 2014. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
- ^ "Economic interests of the Myanmar military". United Nations Human Rights Council. 2019-09-16. Archived 4 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
- ^ "Ministry of Defence". Myanmar National Portal. 11 April 2026. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
- ^ Bidwell, Robin Leonard (1974). Guide to government ministers. London: F. Cass. ISBN 0714630179.
External links
- Official website
- Ministry of Defence (Myanmar) on Facebook