Myanmar junta's conscription plan lays bare toll of fighting rebels

The Myanmar's military conscription plan reveals the heavy toll that months of incessant fighting against rebels have had on its troops and the struggles the generals are facing to replenish their ranks, analysts, diplomats and a defector said.

The plan, which was announced this week, comes after the junta lost control of swathes of territory along a frontline that stretches from the highlands bordering China to the coastline near Bangladesh, some of it in a coordinated offencive by rebel groups that started in October, dubbed Operation 1027.

"The military is clearly facing significant manpower shortages, which is why it is introducing a draft for the first time in its history," said Richard Horsey, the Crisis Group's senior Myanmar adviser.

A junta spokesman did not respond to calls from Reuters seeking comment. The military has been battling an expanding armed resistance since a 2021 coup toppled the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and the junta describes the resistance fighters as "terrorists", blaming them for destroying Myanmar's peace and stability.

The conscription plan, slated to start in April, will require all men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 to serve for up to two years, while specialists like doctors aged up to 45 must serve for three years. The service can be extended to a total of five years, according to state media.

Ye Myo Hein, senior advisor to the United States Institute of Peace think-tank, assessed most military battalions are currently struggling to meet the even half the recommended troop strength of 200 soldiers.

"There has been a notable decline in the number of officer enlistments as well," he told Reuters.

"Additionally, the loss of officers,