The SAC has put all of its troops under an indefinite “state of readiness”, according to sources inside the military. The news comes shortly after the National Unity Government (NUG) announced its forces will be transitioning from, what it terms, “defensive” to “offensive” combat operations.
Despite credible source testimony, DVB highlights that it has not yet been able to obtain any internal document related to the order.
Captain Lin Htet Aung, who is involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement and a member of the People’s Embrace defection group, told DVB that he received information about the directive from army sources and that it is unusual for such an order to be given so suddenly.
The military has already made preparations for defensive actions as armed forces have been observed building fortifications in strategic townships with the intent of repelling PDF operations, he said.
Under the emergency order, junta troops must be imminently prepared to defend bases and current fronts without having to precariously withdraw from current theatres to redeploy elsewhere.
Typically, the captain alleges, similarly serious orders are only given during quarterly meetings and on Armed Forces Day.
Lin Htet Aung said it is likely that the military is concerned that mobile troops may become vulnerable to rearguard attacks carried out by EAOs and PDFs, something increasingly hard to defend against without recourse to reliable air power — a reality for the generals as the Spring Revolution enters its second monsoon season.
At the fourth virtual sitting of the NUG’s Union Hluttaw (parliament), defense minister Yee Mon claimed that a total of 250 People’s Defense Force chapters are now aided by 401 Local Defense Forces (LDF) groups across 250 of Burma’s townships.
Without expanding, the minister of defense also said that PDFs and EAOs hold de facto administrative control over almost half of the country’s territory, gaining control of large swathes of the countryside and some cities.
The military is believed to have incurred casualties running to the tens of thousands since launching its failed coup on February 1, 2021.
