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. 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. The NDSC's existence is enshrined in Chapter V of the 2008 Constitution of Myanmar, and it was formed on 31 March 2011.
| အမျိုးသားကာကွယ်ရေးနှင့် လုံခြုံရေးကောင်စီ | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 30 March 2011 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Myanmar |
| Headquarters | Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar |
| Agency executives |
|
| 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. 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 NDSC has since continued to serve as the purported basis of legitimacy for Min Aung Hlaing's military dictatorship. Since the state of emergency expired in 2025 and the State Administration Council was dissolved, Min Aung Hlaing has ruled directly through the NDSC.
The opposition National Unity Government designated the NDSC a terrorist organization in November 2025.
Powers
The NDSC's constitutionally enshrined roles include expansive powers:
- Recommend pardonees for the President to grant amnesty
- Approve the President's act of severing foreign diplomatic relations
- Coordinate with the President to take military action against aggressors
- Approve the Tatmadaw's ability to conscript citizens
- Nominate a candidate for Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, to be appointed by the president
- Coordinate with the President in declaring a state of emergency
- Exercise legislative, executive and judiciary powers during a state of emergency
- Exercise sovereign power during a state of emergency
Composition
According to the Constitution, NDSC's membership must consist of the following individuals:
- President
- First Vice-President
- Second Vice-President
- Speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw
- Speaker of the Amyotha Hluttaw
- Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services
- Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services
- Minister of Defence
- Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Minister of Home Affairs
- Minister of Border Affairs
Historical composition
National Defence and Security Council of Thein Sein (2011–2016)
As of 9 July 2013, NDSC was composed of the following members:
| 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 House of Representatives | Shwe Mann |
| Speaker of the House of Nationalities | 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)
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Htin Kyaw |
| First Vice President | Myint Swe |
| Second Vice President | Henry Van Thio |
| Speaker of the House of Representatives | Win Myint |
| Speaker of the House of Nationalities | Mahn Win Khaing Than |
| Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services | Min Aung Hlaing |
| Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services | Soe Win |
| Minister of Defence | Sein Win |
| Minister of Home Affairs | Kyaw Swe |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Aung San Suu Kyi |
| Minister of Border Affairs | Ye Aung |
National Defence and Security Council of Win Myint (2018–2021)
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Win Myint |
| First Vice President | Myint Swe |
| Second Vice President | Henry Van Thio |
| Speaker of the House of Representatives | T Khun Myat |
| Speaker of the House of Nationalities | Mahn Win Khaing Than |
| Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services | Min Aung Hlaing |
| Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services | Soe Win |
| Minister of Defence | Sein Win |
| Minister of Home Affairs | Kyaw Swe (2018–2020) |
| Soe Htut(2020–2021) | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Aung San Suu Kyi |
| Minister of Border Affairs | Ye Aung |
National Defence and Security Council of Myint Swe (2021–2024)
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Acting President | Myint Swe |
| Vice President | Henry Van Thio |
| Speaker of the House of Representatives | T Khun Myat |
| Speaker of the House of Nationalities | 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–present)
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services serving as Pro Tem President (On Duty) | Min Aung Hlaing |
| Vice President | Vacant |
| Speaker of the House of Representatives | T Khun Myat |
| Speaker of the House of Nationalities | Vacant |
| Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services | Soe Win |
| Minister of Defence | Tin Aung San(until 2024 Dec) |
| Maung Maung Aye(from 2024 Dec) | |
| Minister of Home Affairs | Tun Tun Naung |
| 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.
See also
- Government of Burma
wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about National Defence and Security Council (Myanmar), What is National Defence and Security Council (Myanmar)? What does National Defence and Security Council (Myanmar) mean?