Sin Phyu Shin Wargame: Ready For Bangladesh War?

(Based on the posts from Burma Military Chief’s Facebook in February 2018.)

Burmese Commander-in-Chief SG MAH cheering his troops.

Burma’s military staged a high profile wargame called “Sin Phyu Shin” (Lord-King of White Elephants) simulating a coordinated Army-Navy-Air assault onto a Irrawaddy-Delta’s beach (with geographical conditions similar to the Bangladesh-Delta) not far from the Burma-Bangladesh border.

Previous combined-armed-forces’ wargames were conducted inland right in the dead middle of Burma. But this year was different as the so-called Rohingya crisis has brought Burma and Bangladesh closer and closer to a war. 

And as a warning to Bangladesh and also a practical preparation for the eventual war with Bangladesh Burmese military went ahead with the “Sin Phyu Shin Wargame” planned since many years ago.

In the wargame’s first stage the heavy artillery, multiple rocket launchers, and jet fighters carried out the preliminary softening assaults on enemy frontline units behind the beach and enemy logistics and HQ stations inland.

During the Wargame’s Second Stage landing-infantry units and amphibious tanks under the firing cover of Naval warships and attack helicopters landed on the target beach. At the same time transport planes dropped paratroopers behind the enemy lines to encircle the enemy units. Naval warships also destroyed the reinforcing enemy warships and troop-transporters on the sea.

In the Wargame’s Third Stage the river-crossing operation team, naval special operation team, infantry units, and armoured troops conducted a river-crossing operation. Both in Bangladesh and Burma there are wide rivers between the sea beaches and inland population centers and thus the river-crossing operations are essential for an invading force.

As the Wragame’s Final Stage the landing troops assaulted the enemy strongholds and annihilated the enemy completely. The Wargame was then concluded by airlifting the casualties and resupplying the victorious troops.

Following was the public statements from the Myanmar Military Chief’s Office on the two days of Wargame Sin-Phyu-Shin conducted in the Burma Army’s South-West-Command (Na-Ta-Kha) territory on February second and third this year.

Nay Pyi Taw (February 2): Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing viewed the joint military exercise (Hsinbyushin) of the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air) being conducted at Pathein Station of South-West Command so as to increase combat skills in conventional wars for national security and defence.

Also present on the occasion together with the Senior General were Commander-in-Chief (Navy) Admiral Tin Aung San, Commander-in-Chief (Air) General Maung Maung Kyaw, senior military officers of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, the commander of South-West Command, members of Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air) corps and reporters from local news agencies.

At the meeting hall of the training school of local battalion in Pathein Station, the Senior General and party heard the report by team leader South-West Command Commander Maj-Gen Teza Kyaw on the introduction to the joint military exercise with the use of power point presentation and sand tables, giving of verbal order to start battle, giving of verbal orders by respective army, navy and air force commanders in their respective military exercises and coordinated plans. The Senior General then gave necessary instructions.

Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and party went round in the Joint Operation Command Center where they were conducted round by officials. Afterwards, the Senior General and party viewed regimental level military exercise with the combination of infantry and tanks from the joint military exercise (Hsinbyushin) of the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air).

In the drill, the troops showed skills of moving canons by helicopter and occupying the target with the combination of infantry and tanks. The Senior General and party went to the viewing deck for divisional level military exercise and from where they viewed the exercise which included firing of a cluster of missiles, prior crushing of enemy targets by jet fighters and helicopters from Tatmadaw (Air) and occupying of the targets by infantry units.

The Senior General then inspected the battlefield logistics camps and a 20-bed mobile battlefield hospital platoon and left necessary instructions. The second session of the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air)’s joint military exercise will be continued on 3 February.

Wargame was conducted at a beach location near Bassein about 300 miles away from Bangladesh border.
(Burmese strategists had the coastal city Chittagong in their minds when they planned this wargame.)

Nay Pyi Taw (February 3): The Senior General viewed the second session of the joint military exercise (Hsinbyu-shin) of the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air) being conducted at Pathein Station of South-West Command so as to increase combat skills in conventional wars for national security and defence.

Also present on the occasion together with the Senior General were Commander-in-Chief (Navy) Admiral Tin Aung San, Commander-in-Chief (Air) General Maung Maung Kyaw, senior military officers of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, the commander of South-West Command, members of Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air) corps and reporters from local news agencies.

First, the Senior General and party arrived at the viewing deck for landing operation. Next, the exercise started as scheduled and river-crossing operation team, naval special operation team, infantry unit and armoured troops conducted river-crossing operation.

At the same time, troops from the Tatmadaw (Air) carried out search and rescue operations in the battlefield. Meanwhile, special troops hanging from a helicopter unexpectedly raided the enemy camps. Then, air force troops parachuted from an airplane and raided the enemy’s administrative and logistics camps.

The Jet fighters and helicopters from the Tatmadaw (Air) attacked the respective enemy targets, canons were fired, infantry troops and armoured troops made a beach landing and warships from the Tatmadaw (Navy) opened fire at the reinforced enemy ships. Then, landing troops raided the enemy camps and crushed and occupied the respective enemy targets.

Then, exercise concluded after the dropping of ammunition and rations from the airplane, carrying of wounded troops by ambulances and the airlifting of emergency patients.

Sin Phyu Shin Wargame was conducted near Pathein's Shwe Thaung Yan Beach area
just about 300 miles away from the Bangladesh border.

Speaking on the occasion, the Senior General praised the officers and other ranks from the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air) for their cooperation and successful conclusion of the military exercise. Then, the Senior General said it was necessary to review the experience from the exercise and take lesson from the weaknesses. Such joint military exercise of the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air) was held twice 20 years ago. The Tatmadaw has to make preparations for the joint military exercise.

The Tatmadaw units (Army, Navy and Air) did the joint military exercise based on training experiences. The country’s defence duty cannot be done in a hasty manner. It needs systematic preparations, formation and trainings. Each serviceman, unit and battalion has to undergo training.

Finally, all Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air) units have to conduct the joint training step by step. The nature of the warfare is always changing. We need to keep pace with it. Military strategies have changed day by day due to the production of modern military equipment. So, we need to study changing technologies in order to apply them.

Servicemen need to adhere to our training policy: Always study the matters, always undergo training and always follow disciplines. Not only our country but also other countries are undergoing such trainings. These efforts aim to safeguard their countries. It is the duty of all armed forces.

For the country which lost independence, Myanmar needs more defence capacity and power. The country lost independence as it lacked a modern Tatmadaw and had weak unity. It is found that all small countries which face the threats from superpowers have made preparations for their defence. The countries with weak defence prowess may face insults and threats.

For independence struggle, the Thirty Comrades led by General Aung San learned the military arts in Japan and then formed a modern Tatmadaw. The country regained independence as the Thirty Comrades struggled for independence by joining hands with the people. Since the independence period to date, the Tatmadaw has been steering the country’s situations. So servicemen always undergo training in order that the Tatmadaw becomes the skillful one.

In doing so, servicemen themselves are to do training to become healthy, fit, skillful and brave ones. Being skillful and harmonious coopera-tion play a crucial role in the joint military exercise of the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air). Chief of Armed Training Forces Lt-Gen Maung Maung Aye presented an emblem for the joint military exercise of the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air), to Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

Afterwards, the Senior General cordially greeted media and replied to their questions. As the second session of the joint military exercise of the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air), the beach landing exercise was held today.

(Blogger's Notes: Chittagong the famous coastal city of Bangladesh might be in the minds of Burmese military strategists when they planned this wargame as the name Chittagong was the Bengali adaptation of its former Burmese name Sit-Ta-Gaung meaning the head or the point of war in Burmese. Chittagong was a Burmese frontier town for centuries until British took it by force in early 19th century after the First Anglo-Burmese War. Taking Chittagong back by force is the dream of Burmese remembering the glorious days of mighty Burmese Empire.)