National Defence and Security Council (Myanmar)
Constitutional body in Myanmar's government
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The National Defence and Security Council (Burmese: အမျိုးသား ကာကွယ်ရေးနှင့် လုံခြုံရေး ကောင်စီ, Burmese pronunciation: [əmjóðá kàkwɛ̀jé n̥ḭɴ lòʊɴdʑòʊɴjé kàʊɴsì]; abbreviated NDSC) is an eleven-member national security council responsible for security and defence affairs in Myanmar.[1] Though the president is the chief executive of the government of Myanmar, the 2008 Constitution reserves certain important executive powers for the NDSC and certain actions of the president and the Tatmadaw (military) require approval by the NDSC. Of the 11 members, the commander-in-chief of defence services appoints 5 members and controls 6 votes.[2][3][4][5][6] The NDSC's existence is enshrined in Chapter V of the 2008 Constitution of Myanmar,[7] and it was formed on 31 March 2011.[8][3]
| အမျိုးသားကာကွယ်ရေးနှင့် လုံခြုံရေးကောင်စီ | |
| |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 30 March 2011 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Myanmar |
| Headquarters | Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar |
Agency executive | |
| Website | Official website |
A meeting of the NDSC can only be called by the president, which was never done during the National League for Democracy's 2016–2021 time in power.[1] After President Win Myint refused to call a meeting of the NDSC to address the Tatmadaw's baseless allegations of massive voter fraud in the 2020 general election, the Tatmadaw under the leadership of Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing executed a coup on 1 February 2021, removing Win Myint and installing Myint Swe as Acting President so he could call a meeting of the NDSC and transfer state power to Min Aung Hlaing. The declaration of a state of emergency by the NDSC served as the purported legal basis for all powers exercised by Min Aung Hlaing during his military rule.[9] After the state of emergency expired in 2025 and the State Administration Council was dissolved, Min Aung Hlaing ruled directly through the NDSC until being elected president in 2026.[10]
The opposition National Unity Government designated the NDSC a terrorist organization in November 2025.[11]
Powers
The NDSC's constitutionally enshrined roles include expansive powers:
- Recommend pardonees for the President to grant amnesty[7][12]
- Approve the President's act of severing foreign diplomatic relations[7]
- Coordinate with the President to take military action against aggressors[7]
- Approve the Tatmadaw's ability to conscript citizens[7]
- Nominate a candidate for Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, to be appointed by the president[7]
- Coordinate with the President in declaring a state of emergency[7]
- Exercise legislative, executive and judiciary powers during a state of emergency[7]
- Exercise sovereign power during a state of emergency[7]
Composition
According to the Constitution, NDSC's membership must consist of the following individuals:
Historical compositions
National Defence and Security Council of Thein Sein (2011–2016)
As of 9 July 2013, NDSC was composed of the following members:[13][14][15]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Thein Sein |
| First Vice President | Tin Aung Myint Oo(2011–2012) |
| Sai Mauk Kham(2012–2016) | |
| Second Vice President | Sai Mauk Kham(2011–2012) |
| Nyan Tun(2012–2016) | |
| Speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw | Shwe Mann |
| Speaker of the Amyotha Hluttaw | Khin Aung Myint |
| Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services | Min Aung Hlaing |
| Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services | Soe Win |
| Minister of Defence | Hla Min(2011–2012) |
| Wai Lwin(2012–2015) | |
| Sein Win(2015–2016) | |
| Minister of Home Affairs | Ko Ko |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Wunna Maung Lwin |
| Minister of Border Affairs | Thein Htay (2011–2013) |
| Thet Naing Win(2013–2015) | |
| Kyaw Swe(2015–2016) |
National Defence and Security Council of Htin Kyaw (2016–2018)
National Defence and Security Council of Win Myint (2018–2021)
National Defence and Security Council of Myint Swe (2021–2024)
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Pro Tem President[a] | Myint Swe |
| Vice President | Henry Van Thio (until 2024) |
| Speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw | T Khun Myat |
| Speaker of the Amyotha Hluttaw | Vacant |
| Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services | Min Aung Hlaing |
| Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services | Soe Win |
| Minister of Defence | Mya Tun Oo (until 2023) |
| Tin Aung San (from 2023) | |
| Minister of Home Affairs | Soe Htut (until 2023) |
| Yar Pyae (from 2023) | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Wunna Maung Lwin (until 2023) |
| Than Swe (from 2023) | |
| Minister of Border Affairs | Tun Tun Naung |
National Defence and Security Council of Min Aung Hlaing (2024–2026)
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Pro Tem President (On Duty) (2024–2025) | Min Aung Hlaing |
| Acting President (since 2025)[b] | |
| Vice President | Vacant |
| Speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw | T Khun Myat (until 2026) Khin Yi (since 2026) |
| Speaker of the Amyotha Hluttaw | Vacant (until 2026) Aung Lin Dwe (since 2026) |
| Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services | Min Aung Hlaing (until 2026) Ye Win Oo (since 2026) |
| Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services | Soe Win (until 2026) Kyaw Swar Lin (since 2026) |
| Minister of Defence | Tin Aung San(until 2024 Dec) |
| Maung Maung Aye(from 2024 Dec) | |
| Minister of Home Affairs | Tun Tun Naung (until Jan 2026) |
| Phone Myat (since 2026) | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Than Swe |
| Minister of Border Affairs | Yar Pyae |
Office of the National Defence and Security Council
National Defense and Security Council did not have an office body. However, it was announced on 31 July 2025 via Order No. 2/2025 that an office body has now been formed with two new positions: Chief Executive and Joint Chief Executive, with former SAC secretary Aung Lwin Dwe as Chief Executive and General Ye Win Oo as Joint Chief Executive.[16] On April 10, 2026, following the formation of Min Aung Hlaing’s second cabinet after his election as president, the establishments that had been created by NDSC were abolished.
National Defence and Security Council (2026 - Present)
On 10 April 2026, NDSC was formed with the following members.[17]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Min Aung Hlaing |
| Vice President | Nyo Saw |
| Speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw | Khin Yi (since 2026) |
| Speaker of the Amyotha Hluttaw | Aung Lin Dwe (since 2026) |
| Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services | Ye Win Oo (since 2026) |
| Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services | Kyaw Swar Lin (since 2026) |
| Minister of Defence | General Tun Aung |
| Minister of Home Affairs | Lt. General Nyunt Win Swe |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Tin Maung Swe |
| Minister of Border Affairs | Lt. General Phone Myat |