[ Myanmar Now ] Junta turns to retired soldiers amid heavy losses and a slide in recruitment
Myanmar’s military is increasingly relying on retired soldiers to replenish its ranks, as months of conflict take a heavy toll on troops and recruitment efforts, according to military sources.
In an effort to bolster its strength in restive regions, the regime has started offering incentives to former military personnel to return to uniform, one ex-soldier who retired in 2012 told Myanmar Now.
Retired soldiers willing to return to active duty have been told that they can keep their pensions and will be restored to their former rank and salary if they rejoin the army, according to the ex-soldier, who said he served on the frontlines in Kayin State and Ayeyarwady Region for 13 years.
In Sagaing Region’s Katha Township, at least 50 retired soldiers have already been redeployed as part of the junta’s push to regain control over the area, he said.
But the offer is not open to everybody. While even soldiers in their sixties are welcome to return to the ranks, those known to support the ousted ruling party, the National League for Democracy, need not apply, he added.
According to the retired soldier, there are more than 1,000 former army personnel living in Sagaing Region, including 200 in Katha Township alone.
The recruitment effort appears to be a high priority. It has involved some of the region’s highest-ranking officers, including Brig-Gen Phyo Min Thant, the commander of the Monywa-based Northwestern Regional Command, who was seen meeting with retired soldiers on October 4.
A number of special operations commanders with the rank of lieutenant general have also held similar meetings in various parts of Sagaing, military sources have told Myanmar Now.
According to the website of the Myanmar Retired Soldiers Association, there were more than 10,000 retired army officers and nearly 200,000 retired and reserve soldiers of other ranks in the country as of August 2017.
Capt. Khant Ko, a military defector who has joined the Civil Disobedience Movement, said this redeployment drive reflects the regime’s difficulties in finding new recruits amid a conflict that has badly damaged military morale.
“They are up against the entire population and have only a handful of supporters,” he said. “They know that these retired soldiers will be the easiest to recruit.”
According to Khant Ko, who is a graduate of the Defence Services Technological Academy (DSTA), even the military’s elite officer-training schools have been having trouble finding new recruits.
The DSTA, the Defence Services Academy, and the Defence Services Medical Academy all reopened in June, but have had to repeatedly postpone the start of classes due to a lack of students, he said.
DPA Notes: The tide will start to turn the moment the Junta is unable to keep up its numbers amidst desertions, casualties and assassination. The guerilla warfare / assassinations on random outposts in cities definitely would have struck a fear on parents of potential recruits – seriously hampering recruitment efforts.
According to CNA journalist Leong Wai Kit on twitter, Myanmar army was only able to recruit 100 new soldiers to their military school in September, as compared to 12,000 the year before (before the coup).
This would spell disaster for the military.