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Myanmar Navy

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Myanmar Navy
Arm Badge or Shoulder Sleeve of Myanmar Navy.svg
Emblem of the Myanmar Navy
Founded24 December 1947
Country Myanmar
Allegiance Myanmar
BranchNavy
Size16,000 personnel[1]
Part of Myanmar Armed Forces
HeadquartersNaypyidaw
Colours    Navy blue, White, Black (for Myanmar Navy Seals)
EquipmentList of equipment in the Myanmar Navy
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar Armed ForcesSenior General Min Aung Hlaing
Minister of DefenceGeneral Mya Tun Oo
Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar NavyAdmiral Moe Aung[2]
Chief of Naval StaffCommodore Zwe Win Myint
Commander of the Engineering SectionCommodore Aung Thu Soe
Insignia
EnsignNaval Ensign of Myanmar.svg
PennantMyanmar Navy commissioning pennant.svg
former Ensign (1948 - 1974)Naval Ensign of Burma (1948-1974).svg
former Ensign (1974 - 1994)Naval Ensign of Burma (1974–1994).svg

The Myanmar Navy (Burmese: တပ်မတော် (ရေ); [taʔmədɔ̀ jè]) is the naval warfare branch of the armed forces of Myanmar. With 24,000 personnel on duty, the navy operates more than 150 vessels. Prior to 1988, the navy was small, and its role in counter-insurgency operations was smaller than those of the army and the air force. The navy has since been expanded to take on a more active role in defense of Myanmar's territorial waters.

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Burmese language

Burmese language

Burmese is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Myanmar, where it is an official language, lingua franca, and the native language of the Burmans, the country's principal ethnic group. Burmese is also spoken by the indigenous tribes in Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh, and in Tripura state in Northeast India. Although the Constitution of Myanmar officially recognizes the English name of the language as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese, after Burma, the country's once previous and currently co-official name. Burmese is the common lingua franca in Myanmar, as the most widely-spoken language in the country. In 2007, it was spoken as a first language by 33 million, primarily the Burman people and related ethnic groups, and as a second language by 10 million, particularly ethnic minorities in Myanmar and neighboring countries. In 2022, the Burmese-speaking population was 38.8 million.

Tatmadaw

Tatmadaw

The Tatmadaw is the military of Myanmar. 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. Since independence, 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. The 1990s also saw the escalation of the conflict between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State due to RSO attacks on Tatmadaw forces.

Counterinsurgency

Counterinsurgency

Counterinsurgency is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the activities of guerrillas or revolutionaries" and can be considered war by a state against a non-state adversary. Insurgency and counterinsurgency campaigns have been waged since ancient history. However, modern thinking on counterinsurgency was developed during decolonization. Within the military sciences, counterinsurgency is one of the main operational approaches of irregular warfare.

Myanmar Army

Myanmar Army

The Myanmar Army is the largest branch of the Armed Forces (Tatmadaw) of Myanmar (Burma) and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. The Myanmar Army maintains the second largest active force in Southeast Asia after the People's Army of Vietnam, with a troop strength of around 350,000 in 2006. It has clashed against ethnic and political insurgents since its inception in 1948.

Myanmar Air Force

Myanmar Air Force

The Myanmar Air Force, known until 1989 as the Burmese Air Force, is the aerial branch of Myanmar's armed forces, the Tatmadaw. The primary mission of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) since its inception has been to provide transport, logistical, and close air support to the Myanmar Army in counter-insurgency operations. It is mainly used in internal conflicts in Myanmar, and, on a smaller scale, in relief missions, especially after the deadly Cyclone Nargis of May 2008. Since the military coup in February 2021, Myanmar Air Force aircraft have been used in airstrikes on villages.

History

Pre-independence

A Myanmar war boat in 1795
A Myanmar war boat in 1795
Burmese man-of-war, 19th century
Burmese man-of-war, 19th century

The naval arm of the Royal Armed Forces consisted mainly of shallow draft river boats. Its primary missions were to control the Irrawaddy River, and to protect the ships carrying the army to the front. The major war boats carried up to 30 musketeers and were armed with 6- or 12-pounder cannon.[3] By the mid-18th century, the navy had acquired a few seafaring ships, manned by European and foreign sailors, that were used to transport the troops in Siamese and Arakanese campaigns.

The Arakanese and the Mon, from maritime regions, maintained more seaworthy flotillas than the inland riverborne "navy" of the Royal Burmese Army.

Founding and the Second World War

Burma separated from India in 1937 and thereafter became responsible for her own local naval defence. It was decided that a naval volunteer reserve force should be formed to implement this responsibility and so provide a local force for the naval administration and defence of the ports and coast of Burma in time of war.

On the recommendation of Vice Admiral Sir James Fownes Somerville, then Commander-in-Chief, East Indies, Lieutenant Commander Kenneth Sidebottom Lyle from Royal Navy was sent to Burma and arrived in Rangoon in June 1939, commissioned to form the volunteer reserve force and to be appointed Naval Office-in-Charge, Rangoon, on the outbreak of war.

On 6 September 1940, Burma Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve was officially formed under the Burma Act XV, 1940.[4] The Burma R.N.V.R was placed under the operational orders of Vice Admiral Sir Herbert Fitzherbert, commanding the Royal Indian Navy, but retains its own identity and its own administration under the Government of Burma.

Burma R.N.V.R, although very small, played an active part in Allied operations against the Japanese during the Second World War. By 1 December 1945, the Royal Navy has been withdrawn and the Burma R.N.V.R assumed all naval responsibilities on the coast and waters of Burma.[5]

Burmese independence

In December 1947, the Union of Burma Navy was formed with 700 men mostly from Burma R.N.V.R. The fleet initially consisted of a small but diverse collection of ships transferred from the Royal Navy under the arrangements made for Burma's independence in January 1948. It included the UBS Mayu, an ex-Royal Navy River-class frigate, and four Landing Craft Gun (Medium).[6] British Defense Ministry sold with the original 25-pounder guns on naval mountings and Oerlikon 20mm cannons which were reinstalled later.

1950s

In 1950 and 1951, the United States provided 10 coast guard cutters (CGC) under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program (MDAP). The Myanmar Navy played an important part in the government's fight against the ethnic and ideological insurgent groups which threatened the Union Government in its early days. The Myanmar Navy performed both defensive and offensive roles, protecting convoys, carrying supplies, ferrying troops and giving much-needed fire support. It was instrumental in relieving the port city of Moulmein, which was captured by Karen insurgents in 1948, and the Irrawaddy Delta town of Bassein. Although one armed patrol boat defected to the Karen insurgents, throughout the turbulent years of post independence in Myanmar, the navy was largely unopposed and maintained control over Myanmar's crucial inland waterways.[7]

In 1956 and 1957, the Burmese government acquired five 50-long-ton (51 t) Saunders-Roe Dark-class convertible motor torpedo/motor gunboats,[8] followed by an 1,040-long-ton (1,060 t) Algerine-class minesweeper in 1958 from the United Kingdom.[9] In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the United States sold the Burmese Navy six PGM type coastal patrol craft and seven CGC-type patrol boats.[10] In 1958, Myanmar's Navy took delivery of 10 Y-301-class river gunboats from Yugoslavia, followed by 25 smaller Michao-class patrol craft.

1960s

Burmese Navy visiting Indonesia in 1960
Burmese Navy visiting Indonesia in 1960

Efforts were made to produce locally made naval vessels with assistance from Yugoslavia. In 1960, the Myanmar Navy commissioned two 400-long-ton (410 t) Nawarat-class corvettes. Their armaments include 25-pounder field gun and 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun.[11] Myanmar shipyards also built a number of smaller patrol craft and a number of landing craft. Landing craft and auxiliary ships are usually armed with Oerlikon 20 mm cannons, 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns and heavy machine guns.[12] In the mid-1960s, the Myanmar Navy took delivery of ex-US Navy 640-long-ton (650 t) PCE-827 class[13] corvette and a 650-long-ton (660 t) Admirable-class minesweeper, both of which were commissioned in the mid-1940s.

1970s

Although it expanded rapidly during the 1950s and 1960s, the navy was unable to keep pace with loss or deterioration of older vessels in the 1970s. In 1978, the United States provided the Myanmar Navy with six small river patrol craft.[14] A naval replacement program was initiated by BSPP Government in 1979.

1980s

In 1980, the navy acquired six Carpentaria-class inshore patrol boats from Australia followed by three 128-ton Swift-type coastal patrol boats from Singapore and three 385-ton Ospery-class offshore patrol vessels built in Denmark. The Osprey and Swift-class boats have a range of 4,500 and 1,800 miles (7,200 and 2,900 km), respectively, and were armed with Oerlikon 20 mm cannons and 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns. In the early 1980s, Burmese naval shipyards built three 128-ton PGM type patrol boats based upon US PGM-class patrol boats. Each boat was armed with two 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns and two 12.7 mm heavy machine guns.

1990s

The Myanmar Navy purchased six missile escort boats and ten submarine chasers from China. Since 1998, the navy has built two 77 m (252 ft 7 in) Anawrahta-class corvettes (771 and 772) and four fast attack craft (551-554).

2000s

2008 Naval Clash with Bangladesh

In 2008 a naval encounter took place between the Bangladesh Navy and the Myanmar Navy. The confrontation was a direct result of the Myanmar Navy allowing companies to drill for natural gas and oil in a disputed area of the Bay of Bengal. The confrontation resulted in Bangladesh's favour

May 2008 Cyclone Nargis

As many as 25 Burmese naval ships may have been sunk in the storm caused by Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, while an unknown number of naval personnel and their family members were killed or are listed as missing.[15] The Network for Democracy and Development in Thailand reported that 30 officers and 250 Burmese naval personnel were declared missing, while 25 vessels were destroyed by the cyclone in three naval regional command centres: Panmawaddy Regional Command on Hainggyi Island; Irrawaddy Regional Command; and Danyawaddy Regional Command in Sittwe in Arakan State.

2010s

Myanmar Navy officers tour USS Bonhomme Richard
Myanmar Navy officers tour USS Bonhomme Richard

As part of international engagement of the US with the Myanmar's armed forces, the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) visited Myanmar in early 2013.[16]

In 2014, the Myanmar Navy began its annual 'Sea Shield' combined fleet exercise in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The annual manoeuvres usually involved live-fire exercises by several of the Myanmar Navy's strategic vessels.[17]

The navy participated in the Indian and Myanmar Navy Exercise 2018, held in the Bay of Bengal. On the Burmese side, vessels included the Kyan Sittha-class frigate UMS Sin Phyu Shin (F-14) and offshore patrol vessel UMS Inle and on the Indian side, vessels included anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kamorta, Shivalik (Project 17)-class frigate INS Sahyadri, and a Type 877EKM Kilo-class submarine, along with one helicopter and two advanced aircraft.[18] In September 2019, Myanmar Navy's UMS Kyan Sittha participated in the first US-Asean Maritime Exercise (AUMX) to improve disaster management and maritime cooperation in the region.[19]

The navy has maintained relationships with regional navies. It has hosted navies from the region such as the Royal Australian Navy, the PLA Navy and the Indian Navy.[20][21][22] Likewise, the navy's ships have visited countries in the region including Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore.[23][24]

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Man-of-war

Man-of-war

In Royal Navy jargon, a man-of-war was a powerful warship or frigate of the 16th to the 19th century. Although the term never acquired a specific meaning, it was usually reserved for a ship armed with cannon and propelled primarily by sails, as opposed to a galley which is propelled primarily by oars.

Irrawaddy River

Irrawaddy River

The Irrawaddy River is a river that flows from north to south through Myanmar (Burma). It is the country's largest river and most important commercial waterway. Originating from the confluence of the N'mai and Mali rivers, it flows relatively straight North-South before emptying through the Irrawaddy Delta in the Ayeyarwady Region into the Andaman Sea. Its drainage basin of about 404,200 square kilometres (156,100 sq mi) covers a large part of Burma. After Rudyard Kipling's poem, it is sometimes referred to as 'The Road to Mandalay'.

Rakhine people

Rakhine people

The Rakhine, also known as the Arakanese, are a Southeast Asian ethnic group in Myanmar (Burma) forming the majority along the coastal region of present-day Rakhine State, although Rakhine communities also exist throughout the country, particularly in Ayeyarwady and Yangon Regions. They constitute approximately 5.53% or more of Myanmar's total population, but no accurate census figures exist. Smaller Rakhine communities exist in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts and in India, where they are known as the Marma and Mog peoples respectively.

James Somerville

James Somerville

Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville, was a Royal Navy officer. He served in the First World War as fleet wireless officer for the Mediterranean Fleet where he was involved in providing naval support for the Gallipoli Campaign. He also served in the Second World War as commander of the newly formed Force H: after the French armistice with Germany, Winston Churchill gave Somerville and Force H the task of neutralizing the main element of the French battle fleet, then at Mers El Kébir in Algeria. After he had destroyed the French Battle fleet, Somerville played an important role in the pursuit and sinking of the German battleship Bismarck.

Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK's armed services, it is consequently known as the Senior Service.

Herbert Fitzherbert

Herbert Fitzherbert

Admiral Sir Herbert Fitzherbert, KCIE, CB, CMG was a Royal Navy admiral who served as the third Flag Officer Commanding, Royal Indian Navy, from 1937 to 1943.

Royal Indian Navy

Royal Indian Navy

The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the Armed Forces of British India.

Allies of World War II

Allies of World War II

The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy. Its principal members by the end of 1941 were the United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, and China.

Empire of Japan

Empire of Japan

The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent formation of modern Japan. It encompassed the Japanese archipelago and several colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories.

River-class frigate

River-class frigate

The River class was a class of 151 frigates launched between 1941 and 1944 for use as anti-submarine convoy escorts in the North Atlantic. The majority served with the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), with some serving in the other Allied navies: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Free French Naval Forces, the Royal Netherlands Navy and, post-war, the South African Navy.

Frigate

Frigate

A frigate is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.

Landing Craft Gun

Landing Craft Gun

Landing Craft, Gun (LCG) is an umbrella term referring to two major types of British-built landing craft used extensively in World War II, present for the Normandy landings, the Allied invasion of Sicily, Operation Infatuate, and more. Their primary purpose was to provide direct fire against beach positions and surface attack for first-echelon landing waves. Secondary roles included engaging light surface vessels and escorting other landing craft.

Commanders-in-Chief since independence

ID Photo Rank Name Serial Note
1 Commander Khin Maung Bo BN 4017 BRNVR
2 Commodore Than Pe BN 1001 BRNVR
3 Commodore Thaung Tin BN 1025
4 Rear Admiral Chit Hlaing BN 3011 BIN
5 Rear Admiral Maung Maung Win BN 3021
6 Vice Admiral Maung Maung Khin BN 1038
7 Vice Admiral Than Nyunt
8 Vice Admiral Tin Aye
9 Vice Admiral Nyunt Thein BN 1087 DSA 3
10 Vice Admiral Kyi Min BN 1107 DSA 6
11 Soe Thein.jpg Vice Admiral Soe Thein BN 1181 DSA 11
12 Nyan Tun World Economic Forum 2013.jpg Admiral Nyan Tun DSA 16
13 Vice Admiral Thura Thet Swe on July 29, 2013 (cropped).jpg Admiral Thura Thet Swe BN 1282 DSA 22
14 Admiral Aung San (cropped).jpg Admiral Tin Aung San[25] DSA 23
15 Admiral Moe Aung BN 1374 DSA 28[2]
Myanmar Navy Frigate F14
Myanmar Navy Frigate F14
A navy exercise at Coco Islands
A navy exercise at Coco Islands

Commanders of Naval Region Command

Naval Region Command Commanding Officer
Irrawaddy Naval Region Command Commodore Aye Min Htwe
Danyawaddy Regional Command Commodore Kyaw Kyaw Htoo
Panmawaddy Regional Command Commodore Tin Maung Than
Mawyawaddy Regional Command Commodore Zaw Zaw Latt
Tanintharyi Regional Command Commodore Thein Htoo
Naval Training Command
Naval Dockyard Rear-Admiral Dr. Zaw Win
1st Fleet (Thanlyin) Captain Kyaw Swar Htet 1st Fleet Engineer Officer Lt.Cdr Lwan Wai
2nd Fleet (Heinze) Captain Khin Zaw 2nd Fleet Engineer Officer Lt.Cdr Win Ko Latt
3rd Fleet (Kyaukphyu) Captain Ne Aung Kyaw
4th Fleet (Haigyi Island) Captain Nyan Linn Seinn

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Soe Thein

Soe Thein

Soe Thein, also spelt Soe Thane, served as Minister of the President's Office of Myanmar (Burma) between 2011 and 2016 and a former Minister for Industry-2 of Myanmar (Burma) in 2010-2012 He previously served as the Commander in Chief of the Myanmar Navy and is a retired Vice Admiral. After Ministry 1 and 2 have been combined, he was served as Minister for Industry. He also served as the Chairman of Myanmar Investment Commission from 2010-2013.

Nyan Tun

Nyan Tun

Thray Sithu Nyan Tun is a Burmese politician who currently serves as a member of parliament in the House of Representatives for Zigon Township constituency. He previously served as Second Vice President of Myanmar from 15 August 2012 to 30 March 2016. He is a commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Navy with the rank of admiral, retired in 2012. He was elected as Second Vice President of Myanmar on 15 August 2012 following the resignation of Tin Aung Myint Oo.

Moe Aung

Moe Aung

Admiral Moe Aung is a Burmese military officer. After the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, Moe Aung was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Navy, succeeding Tin Aung San, who became a member of the State Administration Council, the military junta.

Heinze River

Heinze River

The Heinze River is a river of Burma. It has its source in the Tenasserim Hills and ends in the Andaman Sea in the Tanintharyi Region coast. The Heinze Islands is a small island group located 25 km to the SSW of the mouth of the Heinze River.

Kyaukphyu

Kyaukphyu

Kyaukphyu is a major town in Rakhine State, in western Myanmar. It is located on the north western corner of Yanbye Island on Combermere Bay, and is 250 miles (400 km) north-west of Yangon. It is the principal town of Kyaukphyu Township and Kyaukphyu District. The town is situated on a superb natural harbor which connects the rice trade between Calcutta and Yangon. The estimated population in 1983 was 19,456 inhabitants. The population of Kyaukphyu's urban area is 20,866 as of 2014, while Kyaukphyu Township's population is 165,352.

Organisation

Administrative and support units

  • Naval headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Naypyidaw)
  • Naval Shipyard (Yangon)
  • Strategic Naval Command (headquarters in Naypyidaw)
  • Central Naval Command (Seikkyi)
  • Naval Training Command (Seikkyi)
  • Central Naval Hydrographic Depot (Yangon)
  • Central Naval Diving and Salvage Depot (Yangon)
  • Central Naval Engineering Depot (Botataung, Yangon)
  • Central Naval Logistic Depot (Yangon)
  • Central Naval Communications Depot (Yangon)
  • Central Naval Armaments Deport (Seikkyi)

Naval regional commands and bases

  • Irrawaddy Regional Command (headquarters in Yangon)
  • Danyawaddy Regional Command (headquarters in Sittwe)
    • Kyaukpyu Naval Base
    • Thandwe (Sandoway) Naval Base
    • No.(71) Submarine Base (Ownchein Island) which was established in 2007. It is near Kyaukphyu SEZ.
  • Panmawaddy Regional Command (headquarters on Haigyi Island)
  • Mawyawaddy Regional Command (headquarters in Mawlamyine)
  • Tanintharyi Regional Command (headquarters in Myeik)
    • Zadetkyi Island Naval Base
    • Mali (Tavoy) Naval Base
    • Palai Island Naval Base
    • Kadan Naval Base
    • Sakanthit Naval Base
    • Lambi Naval Base
    • Pearl Island Naval Base
    • Zadetkale Naval Base (Radar Unit)

Naval infantry

The Myanmar Navy formed a naval infantry battalion of 800 men in 1964, and a second battalion in 1967. They battalions traditionally are deployed mainly in the Arakan, Tenasserim, and Irrawaddy delta coastal regions primarily to assist in the army's counter-insurgency operations (COIN).

Navy SEALs

The Myanmar Navy Sea, Air and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Myanmar Navy SEALs (တပ်မတော် (ရေ) အထူးစစ်ဆင်ရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့) were probably formed in the early 2010s. The Myanmar Navy SEALs are particularly trained for special operation missions such as Hostage rescue, Counter-terrorism and Counter narcotic operations. The selection process and training curriculum is claimed be similar to United States Navy SEAL selection and training.[26][27][28]

Naval base air defence force

Previously, Myanmar Naval air defence forces used Bofors 40mm & ZPU-2 AAA for naval bases.

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Naypyidaw

Naypyidaw

Naypyidaw, officially spelled Nay Pyi Taw, is the capital and third-largest city of Myanmar. The city is located at the centre of the Naypyidaw Union Territory. It is unusual among Myanmar's cities, as it is an entirely planned city outside of any state or region. The city, then known only as Pyinmana District, officially replaced Yangon as the administrative capital of Myanmar on 6 November 2005; its official name was revealed to the public on Armed Forces Day, 27 March 2006.

Yangon

Yangon

Yangon, formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government relocated the administrative functions to the purpose-built capital city of Naypyidaw in north central Myanmar. With over 7 million people, Yangon is Myanmar's most populous city and its most important commercial centre.

Sittwe

Sittwe

Sittwe is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe, pronounced sait-tway in the Rakhine language, is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers emptying into the Bay of Bengal. As of 2006 the city has 181,000 inhabitants. It is the administrative seat of Sittwe Township and Sittwe District.

Thandwe

Thandwe

Thandwe is a town and major seaport in Rakhine State, the westernmost part of Myanmar. Thandwe is very ancient, and is said to have been at one time the capital of Rakhine State, then called Arakan. The district has an area of 3,784 square miles (9,800 km2). The area is mountainous, and spurs of the Arakan Mountains reach the coast. Some of the peaks in the north are over 4,000 feet (1,200 m) high. The streams are only mountain torrents to within a few miles of the coast; the mouth of the Khwa forms a good anchorage for small boats. The rocks in the Arakan Range and its spurs are metamorphic, and include clay, slates, ironstone and indurated sandstone; towards the south, ironstone, trap and rocks of basaltic character are common; veins of steatite and white fibrous quartz are also found. Between 1961 and 1990, the mean annual rainfall was 5,323 millimetres (209.6 in). Nearby Ngapali Beach is popular among tourists.

Kyaukphyu

Kyaukphyu

Kyaukphyu is a major town in Rakhine State, in western Myanmar. It is located on the north western corner of Yanbye Island on Combermere Bay, and is 250 miles (400 km) north-west of Yangon. It is the principal town of Kyaukphyu Township and Kyaukphyu District. The town is situated on a superb natural harbor which connects the rice trade between Calcutta and Yangon. The estimated population in 1983 was 19,456 inhabitants. The population of Kyaukphyu's urban area is 20,866 as of 2014, while Kyaukphyu Township's population is 165,352.

Mawlamyine

Mawlamyine

Mawlamyine, formerly Moulmein, is the fourth-largest city in Myanmar (Burma), 300 kilometres (190 mi) south east of Yangon and 70 kilometres (43 mi) south of Thaton, at the mouth of Thanlwin (Salween) River. Mawlamyine was an ancient city and the first capital of British Burma. The city is currently the capital and largest city of Mon State and the main trading centre and seaport in south eastern Myanmar.

Myeik, Myanmar

Myeik, Myanmar

Myeik is a rural city in Tanintharyi Region in Myanmar (Burma), located in the extreme south of the country on the coast off an island on the Andaman Sea. As of 2010, the estimated population was over 209,000. Myeik is the largest city in Tanintharyi Region, and serves as the regional headquarters of Myanmar Navy's Tanintharyi Regional Command. The area inland from the city is a major smuggling corridor into Thailand. The Singkhon Pass, also known as the Maw-daung Pass, has an international cross-border checkpoint.

Zadetkyi

Zadetkyi

Zadetkyi Island or Zadetkyi Kyun, also known as Saint Matthew's Island, is an island at the southern end of the Mergui Archipelago, Burma. Its northern side forms the southern shore of Hastings Harbor, where there is a base of the Myanmar Navy.

United States Navy SEAL selection and training

United States Navy SEAL selection and training

The average member of the United States Navy's Sea, Air, Land Teams (SEALs) spends over a year in a series of formal training environments before being awarded the Special Warfare Operator Naval Rating and the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) O26A Combatant Swimmer (SEAL) or, in the case of commissioned naval officers, the designation 113X Special Warfare Officer. All Navy SEALs must attend and graduate from their rating's 24-week "A" School known as Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) school, a basic parachutist course and then the 26-week SEAL Qualification Training program.

Rank structure

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Rank group General/flag officers Senior officers Junior officers Officer cadet
 Myanmar Navy
18. Myanmar Navy SGEN.png 17. Myanmar Navy VSGEN.png General 15. Myanmar Navy LG.png 14. Myanmar Navy MG.png 13. Myanmar Navy BG.png 12. Myanmar Navy COL.png 11. Myanmar Navy LTCOL.png 10. Myanmar Navy MAJ.png 09. Myanmar Navy CAPT.png 08. Myanmar Navy 1LT.png 07. Myanmar Navy 2LT.png Myanmar Navy OC.png
ဗိုလ်ချုပ်မှူးကြီး
bauilaʻ khayupaʻ mahūʺkarīʺ
ဒုတိယ ဗိုလ်ချုပ်မှူးကြီး
dautaiya bauilaʻ khayupaʻ mahūʺkarīʺ
ဗိုလ်ချုပ်ကြီး
bauilaʻ khayupaʻ karīʺ
ဒုတိယ ဗိုလ်ချုပ်ကြီး
dautaiya bauilaʻ khayupaʻ karīʺ
ဗိုလ်ချုပ်
bauilaʻ khayupaʻ
ဗိုလ်မှူးချုပ်
bauilaʻ mahūʺkhayupaʻ
ဗိုလ်မှူးကြီး
bauilaʻ mahūʺkrīʺ
ဒုတိယ ဗိုလ်မှူးကြီး
dautaiya bauilaʻ mahūʺ krīʺ
ဗိုလ်မှူး
bauilaʻ mahūʺ
ဗိုလ်ကြီး
bauilaʻ krīʺ
ဗိုလ်
bauilaʻ
ဒုတိယ ဗိုလ်
dautaiya bauilaʻ
ဗိုလ်လောင်း
bauilaʻ laeāṅaʻʺ

Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

Rank group Senior NCOs Junior NCOs Enlisted
 Myanmar Navy
Myanmar-Army-OR-9.svg Myanmar-Army-OR-8.svg Burma-army-OR-6.svg Burma-army-OR-5.svg Burma-army-OR-4.svg Burma-army-OR-3.svg No insignia No insignia
အရာခံဗိုလ်
’araākhaṃ bauilaʻ
ဒုတိယအရာခံဗိုလ်
dautaiya ’araākhaṃ bauilaʻ
အုပ်ခွဲတပ်ကြပ်ကြီး
aupaʻ khavai tapaʻ karpaʻ karīʺ
တပ်ကြပ်ကြီး
tapaʻ karpaʻ karīʺ
တပ်ကြပ်
tapaʻ karpaʻ
ဒုတိယတပ်ကြပ်
dautaiya tapaʻ karpaʻ
တပ်သား
tapaʻ saāʺ
တပ်သားသစ်
tapaʻ saāʺ sacaʻ

Discover more about Rank structure related topics

Military ranks of Myanmar

Military ranks of Myanmar

In Myanmar, military rank system and insignia are used by the Myanmar Armed Forces, its auxiliary services, some government departments and some civilian organizations.

Senior general (Myanmar)

Senior general (Myanmar)

Senior general is the highest rank in Myanmar Armed Forces. It is held by the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services (CinCDS). Since 2011, a person appointed as CinCDS has to be quickly promoted one higher rank every year until he get the rank of Senior general.

Four-star rank (Myanmar)

Four-star rank (Myanmar)

In Myanmar Armed Forces, there are two different ranks, one higher than another, but both designated as four-star ranks.Vice-senior General : a rank between five-star rank of Senior general and four-star rank of General/Admiral, but designated as a four-star rank. General or Admiral : the actual four-star rank.

Non-commissioned officer

Non-commissioned officer

A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. In contrast, commissioned officers usually enter directly from a military academy, officer training corps (OTC) or reserve officer training corps (ROTC), or officer candidate school (OCS) or officer training school (OTS), after receiving a post-secondary degree.

Enlisted rank

Enlisted rank

An enlisted rank is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States military usage where warrant officers/chief warrant officers are a separate officer category ranking above enlisted grades and below commissioned officer grades. In most cases, enlisted service personnel perform jobs specific to their own occupational specialty, as opposed to the more generalized command responsibilities of commissioned officers. The term "enlistment" refers solely to a military commitment whereas the terms "taken on strength" and "struck off strength" refer to a service member being carried on a given unit's roll.

Equipment

Modernisation

The Myanmar Navy has undertaken a modernisation program since the early 2000s. It has added larger and more advanced ships, mostly by constructing them locally with foreign supplied equipment.[29]

Frigates

Russian made Kh-35E anti-ship missile
Russian made Kh-35E anti-ship missile

The Myanmar Navy started its modernization program in 2001 in an attempt to replace older ships and equipment. In 2012, the navy took delivery of two Type 053H1-class frigates from China. These two ships were upgraded extensively. Upgrades included the replacing of HY 2 anti-ship missiles by C-802 missiles and installing new sensors. The first indigenous frigate, the Aung Zeya entered service in 2011 and took part in a joint exercise with Indian Navy ships off Visakhapatnam in early 2013. A second ship, Kyan Sittha entered service in 2012 and is the navy's first stealth frigate. The navy plans to build six indigenous frigates; combining Russian, Indian, Chinese, and Western weapons systems. These ships are equipped with Kh-35E anti-ship missiles, OTO Melara 76 mm Super Rapid Cannons, AK-630 6-barrel 30mm close-in weapon system (CIWS) and Chinese ASW rockets and torpedoes. Radars and electronic systems are mainly from Bharat Electronics of India. Myanmar acquired surface-to-air missiles and anti-ship missiles from China for its newly built frigates and OPVs. Myanmar Navy Shipyard built with Chinese assistance in the late 1990s is one of the most modern shipyards in the region. Many Burmese naval engineers underwent shipbuilding training in China and Russia.

Submarines

In 2020, the navy acquired its first submarine, a Soviet era Sindhughosh/Kilo-class submarine, from India. The former INS Sindhuvir (S58) was refitted by Hindustan Shipyard Limited before the handover. Now renamed UMS Minye Theinkhathu, the submarine is to be used for training.[30][31] It was first seen publicly on 15 October 2020 as part of a naval fleet exercise (‘Bandoola 2020’).[32] The Indian Navy is going to assist in training Myanmar to operate the submarine effectively.[33]

Others

Between 2015 and 2017, the Myanmar Navy procured two Super Dvora Mk III patrol boats from Israel.[34] Next, under a US$37.9 million deal signed in March 2017, the Myanmar Navy received the advanced anti-submarine torpedo Shyena units from India.[35] Moreover, the Myanmar Navy acquired a new landing platform dock (LPD) from South Korea in 2019.[36]

Discover more about Equipment related topics

List of equipment in the Myanmar Navy

List of equipment in the Myanmar Navy

The following is a list of equipment in the Republic of Union of Myanmar Navy. It may not be up-to-date or complete.

China

China

China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and borders fourteen countries by land, the most of any country in the world, tied with Russia. With an area of approximately 9.6 million square kilometres (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the world's third largest country by total land area. The country consists of 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two special administrative regions. The national capital is Beijing, and the most populous city and largest financial center is Shanghai.

Aung Zeya-class frigate

Aung Zeya-class frigate

The Aung Zeya-class frigate is a frigate operated by the Myanmar Navy. The lead ship of the class is named after Aung Zeya (Alaungpaya), the founder of Konbaung Dynasty of Myanmar. UMS Aung Zeya (F-11) is the first indigenous guided missile frigate of the Myanmar Navy.

Indian Navy

Indian Navy

The Indian Navy (IN) is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates significantly in the Persian Gulf Region, the Horn of Africa, the Strait of Malacca, and routinely conducts anti-piracy operations and partners with other navies in the region. It also conducts routine two to three month-long deployments in the South and East China seas as well as the western Mediterranean sea simultaneously.

Kyan Sittha-class frigate

Kyan Sittha-class frigate

The Kyan Sittha-class frigate is a class of guided missile stealth frigates operated by the Myanmar Navy. UMS Kyansitta (F12) is the first Myanmar Navy frigate that has reduced radar cross section features on its design. The ship incorporates various electronic suite and weaponry system from India, China and Russia. The lead ship of the class is named after Kyansittha, king of Pagan Dynasty of Myanmar (Burma).

Russia

Russia

Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering 17,098,246 square kilometres (6,601,670 sq mi), and encompassing one-eighth of Earth's inhabitable landmass. Russia extends across eleven time zones and shares land boundaries with fourteen countries. It is the world's ninth-most populous country and Europe's most populous country, with a population of over 147 million people. The country's capital and largest city is Moscow. Saint Petersburg is Russia's cultural centre and second-largest city. Other major urban areas include Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan.

India

India

India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area and the second-most populous country. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand, Myanmar, and Indonesia.

Kh-35

Kh-35

The Zvezda Kh-35 is a Soviet turbojet subsonic cruise anti-ship missile. The missile can be launched from helicopters, surface ships and coastal defence batteries with the help of a rocket booster, in which case it is known as Uran or Bal. It is designed to attack vessels up to 5,000 tonnes.

OTO Melara 76 mm

OTO Melara 76 mm

The OTO Melara 76 mm gun is a naval gun built and designed by the Italian defence company OTO Melara. It is based on the OTO Melara 76/62C and evolved toward 76/62 SR and 76/62 Strales.

AK-630

AK-630

The AK-630 is a Soviet and Russian fully automatic naval, rotary cannon, close-in weapon system. The "630" designation refers to the weapon's six gun barrels and their 30 mm caliber.

Close-in weapon system

Close-in weapon system

A close-in weapon system is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses, typically mounted on a naval ship. Nearly all classes of larger modern warships are equipped with some kind of CIWS device.

Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typically carried out to protect friendly shipping and coastal facilities from submarine attacks and to overcome blockades.

Gallery

Discover more about Gallery related topics

UMS Minye Theinkhathu

UMS Minye Theinkhathu

UMS Minye Theinkhathu (71) is a Sindhughosh (Kilo)-class submarine owned by the Myanmar Navy. It is the service's first and, as of 2021, only serving submarine. Before being acquired by Myanmar, it served in the Indian Navy as INS Sindhuvir (S58).

Aung Zeya-class frigate

Aung Zeya-class frigate

The Aung Zeya-class frigate is a frigate operated by the Myanmar Navy. The lead ship of the class is named after Aung Zeya (Alaungpaya), the founder of Konbaung Dynasty of Myanmar. UMS Aung Zeya (F-11) is the first indigenous guided missile frigate of the Myanmar Navy.

Kyan Sittha-class frigate

Kyan Sittha-class frigate

The Kyan Sittha-class frigate is a class of guided missile stealth frigates operated by the Myanmar Navy. UMS Kyansitta (F12) is the first Myanmar Navy frigate that has reduced radar cross section features on its design. The ship incorporates various electronic suite and weaponry system from India, China and Russia. The lead ship of the class is named after Kyansittha, king of Pagan Dynasty of Myanmar (Burma).

Type 037 corvette

Type 037 corvette

The Type 037 corvette is a series 400–500 ton corvette type classes in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy. Unlike western navies, the People's Liberation Army Navy does not have dedicated patrol boats in its inventory. Instead, a large variety of corvette type classes, in the form of missile boats and submarine chasers fulfill the tasks of patrolling China's territorial waters. The Egyptian Navy operates eight vessels.

5-Series-class fast attack craft

5-Series-class fast attack craft

The 5-Series class is a class of fast attack craft built by the Myanmar Navy between 1996 and 2012. There are twenty ships in this class and the designs and armaments of the ships are different based on their batches and ship types. Ships of the 5-series class are divided into FAC (Missile)s and FAC (Gun)s.

Inlay-class offshore patrol vessel

Inlay-class offshore patrol vessel

The Inlay-class offshore patrol vessel is a class of offshore patrol vessel (OPV) operated by the Myanmar Navy.The lead ship of the class is UMS Inlay. UMS Inlay was built at Thanlyin Naval Dockyard near Yangon with the help of technical assistance and equipment provided by Singapore-based companies. Launched by late November 2015, Inlay had been very largely completed by April 2017.

Source: "Myanmar Navy", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 5th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmar_Navy.

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See also
References
  1. ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (February 2021). The Military Balance 2021. Routledge. pp. 285–287. ISBN 978-1032012278.
  2. ^ a b "ဒုတိယ ဗိုလ်ချုပ်ကြီး မောင်မောင်အေး ကြည်း၊ ရေ၊ လေ ညှိနှိုင်းကွပ်ကဲရေးမှူး ဖြစ်လာ". 4 February 2021.
  3. ^ Lieberman, pp. 164–167
  4. ^ "Naval Forces of the Colonies 1461. BURMA ROYAL NAVAL VOLUNTEER RESERVE".
  5. ^ "Burma the Military" (PDF).
  6. ^ p.28, Janes Fighting Ships 1963-64
  7. ^ Hugh Tinker, Union of Burma, p.325
  8. ^ "British Military Powerboat Trust". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  9. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships 1963-1964 p.28
  10. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships 1982-83 p.60
  11. ^ Janes Fighting Ships 1997-98 p.79
  12. ^ Janes Fighting Ships 1997-98 p.82
  13. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 1 May 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships 1997-1998 p.79
  15. ^ "Burmese Navy Decimated in Cyclone". Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
  16. ^ "The evolving role of the Navy". Archived from the original on 26 December 2018.
  17. ^ "Myanmar Navy holds exercise in strategic waters". Archived from the original on 25 December 2018.
  18. ^ "What's Behind the New India-Myanmar Naval Exercise?". Archived from the original on 26 December 2018.
  19. ^ "First US-Asean naval exercise begins". www.bangkokpost.com. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  20. ^ Navy, Royal Australian. "Patrol Boat crew reflects on a memorable visit to Myanmar". Navy Daily. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  21. ^ "Vietnamese vessel visits Myanmar".
  22. ^ "Indian Naval Ship Sumitra visited Yangon, Myanmar | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  23. ^ "Burmese Navy in Historic Visit to Vietnam". www2.irrawaddy.com. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  24. ^ "Myanmar navy ships return to Thailand". Bangkok Post. 2013.
  25. ^ "45 Senior Military Officers Retire to Contest Nov. 8 Poll". The Irrawaddy. 11 August 2015. Archived from the original on 15 August 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  26. ^ "တပ်မတော် (ကြည်း၊ ရေ၊ လေ) ပူးပေါင်းစစ်ဆင်ရေးလေ့ကျင့်ခန်း (ဆင်ဖြူရှင်) ဒုတိယပိုင်း လေ့ကျင့်ဆောင်ရွက်" [Army (Army, Navy, Air) Joint Exercise Exercise (White Elephant) Second Exercise] (in Burmese).
  27. ^ Myanmar Navy Documentary, archived from the original on 14 December 2021, retrieved 12 October 2019
  28. ^ "Myanmar navy conducts military exercise in Bay of Bengal - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  29. ^ "Modernization of the Myanmar Navy". Archived from the original on 29 December 2018.
  30. ^ Pubby, Manu (30 July 2019). "Taking it to next level, India readies submarine for Myanmar". The Economic Times. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  31. ^ "Kilo Impact in the Bay of Bengal". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  32. ^ "Myanmar Navy showcases newly acquired submarine in Fleet Exercise Bandoola". janes.com. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  33. ^ Gaurav Sawant (17 October 2020). "Myanmar Navy to acquire its first submarine, INS' retrofitted Sindhuvir". India Today.
  34. ^ "Report: Myanmar Acquired Super Dvora Mk 3 Boats from IAI | Israel Defense". www.israeldefense.co.il. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  35. ^ "The five-domains update". The Strategist. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  36. ^ "South Korean shipyard launches landing platform dock for Myanmar Navy | Jane's 360". www.janes.com. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
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