Military history of Myanmar

The military history of Myanmar (Burma) spans over a millennium, and is one of the main factors that have shaped the history of the country, and to a certain degree, the history of Southeast Asia. At various times in history, successive Burmese kingdoms were also involved in warfare against their neighbouring states in the surrounding regions of modern Burmese borders—from Bengal, Manipur and Assam in the west, to Yunnan (the southern China) in the northeast, to Laos and Siam in the east and southeast.

The Royal Burmese Army was a major Southeast Asian armed force between the 11th and 13th centuries and between 16th and 19th centuries. The Mongol invasions (1277–1301) were an existential threat to the country. Burma was the premier military force in the 16th century. The First Toungoo Empire was the largest empire in Southeast Asian history. The centuries-long warfare between Burma and Siam (1547–1855) shaped the history of both countries and Mainland Southeast Asia. The Manchu invasions (1765–1769) were the primary threat to Burma in the 18th century. The Konbaung kings encountered the British in what's now Northeast India in the early 19th century. Three Anglo-Burmese wars (1824–1885) were fought and Burma lost. The Burmese monarchy of the Konbaung dynasty was abolished in 1885. The British fully annexed Burma as part of British India in 1886.

The country was a major battle front in the Southeast Asian theatre of World War II. Burma gained independence from the British in 1948. The Myanmar conflict has been ongoing between various political and ethnic factions since 2 April 1948. A myriad of insurgencies received implicit and explicit support from several external countries.