National Defence and Security Council

{{Short description|Constitutional body in Myanmar's government}}

{{EngvarB|date=November 2015}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}

The National Defence and Security Council ({{langx|my|အမျိုးသား ကာကွယ်ရေးနှင့် လုံခြုံရေး ကောင်စီ}}, {{IPA|my|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.{{cite journal |last1=Kipgen |first1=Nehginpao |title=Militarization of Politics in Myanmar and Thailand |journal=International Studies |date=April 2016 |volume=53 |issue=2 |pages=153–172 |doi=10.1177/0020881717728156}}{{cite news|url=http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/opinion/14565-coalition-government-just-a-fantasy.html|title=Coalition government: just a fantasy?|last=Sithu Aung Myint|date=20 May 2015|work=Myanmar Times|access-date=27 June 2015}}{{cite news|url=http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2013/05/01/the-tatmadaws-new-position-in-myanmar-politics/|title=The Tatmadaw's new position in Myanmar politics|last=MacDonald|first=Adam P|date=1 May 2013|work=East Asia Forum|access-date=27 June 2015}}{{cite news|url=http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/opinion/4268-myanmar-a-nation-at-war-with-itself.html?start=1|title=Myanmar: A nation at war with itself|last=Weiss|first=Stanley A|date=4 March 2013|work=Myanmar Times|access-date=27 June 2015}} The NDSC's existence is enshrined in Chapter V of the Constitution of Myanmar,{{cite web|url=http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/Myanmar_Constitution-2008-en.pdf|title=Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar|date=September 2008|work=Ministry of Information|access-date=27 June 2015}} and it was formed on 31 March 2011.{{cite news|url=http://en.people.cn/90001/90777/90851/7337304.html|title=Myanmar forms national defense, security council|date=1 April 2011|work=People's Daily|access-date=27 June 2015}}{{cite news|url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Myanmars-constitutional-crisis-reaching-boiling-po-30227326.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223082239/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Myanmars-constitutional-crisis-reaching-boiling-po-30227326.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 February 2014|title=Myanmar's constitutional crisis reaching boiling point|last=Htun Aung Gyaw|date=21 February 2014|work=The Nation|access-date=27 June 2015}}

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.{{cite book |last1=Slow |first1=Oliver |title=Return of the junta: why Myanmar's military must go back to the barracks |date=2023 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |location=London New York Oxford New Delhi Sydney |isbn=978-1-350-28965-9 |page=11}} 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.{{cite web |last1=Noel |first1=Thibaut |title=Unconstitutionality of the 2021 Coup in Myanmar |url=https://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/publications/unconstitutionality-of-the-2021-military-coup-in-myanmar.pdf |website=International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance |access-date=15 March 2023 |date=March 2022}}

The NDSC's constitutionally enshrined roles include expansive powers:

• Recommend pardonees for the President to grant amnesty{{cite news|url=http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/1925-more-amnesties-planned-says-thura-u-shwe-mann.html|title=More amnesties planned, says Thura U Shwe Mann|last=Soe Than Lynn|date=24 October 2011|work=Myanmar Times|access-date=27 June 2015}}
• 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