Nay Pyi Taw, December (31)
According to the military council’s additional budget allocation, the defense budget for fiscal year 2022-2023 exceeds 4,000 billion kyats.
According to Article 419 of the Constitution, the military council passed the 2022–2023 Union Additional Budget Appropriation Law on December 18 and declared it effective for the 2022–2023 fiscal year.
In the newly enacted budget allocation law, more than 2,600 billion Kyats have been approved for organizations and offices, including the military offices, Ministries and Departments, state-owned economic organizations, the city municipalities, the Nay Pyi Taw Council, and the Central Bank of Myanmar.
Out of the 1,100 billion Kyats approved for the departments under the Ministries, the Ministry of Defense of the military council has been granted the maximum of over 440 billion Kyats.
Including the 3,700 billion Kyats defense budget approved in April, the military council’s defense budget for the fiscal year 2022-2023 has now reached more than 4,000 billion Kyats.
U Than Soe Naing, a political analyst, remarked that the military regime is facing losses in ground operations, so it is relying on air strikes and raising military spending.
In addition, U Than Soe Naing added that the US government will provide financial support to opposition groups related to Myanmar under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), so the military council has increased military spending to carry out more military activities than before.
Air Force CDMer, Sergeant Zeyar told Than Lwin Times that the military council will increase defense spending in the future due to the increase in the cost of aircraft fuel for aerial strikes and expenditures for the ongoing conflict.
Under the civilian government, the military had to spend only the amount approved by the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw for the defense budget it submitted, but now the it is spending the military budget as much as it needs.
The military regime, which is purchasing military equipment such as fighter jets and warships, is increasing military spending to suppress the ongoing internal conflicts driven by the coup d’état in 2021 rather than protect against foreign enemies.
The NLD government only allowed more than 3,400 billion kyats as the maximum amount for defense spending.
News-Than Lwin Times