Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is located on the western portion of the Southeast Asian mainland. The country has been in crisis since a military coup in 2021 which saw the democratically elected government placed under arrest. The nation had previously been under military rule from 1962 to 2011. Myanmar is also accused of genocide against the Rohingya minority in northern Rakhine State, which saw 700,000 people flee across the border with Bangladesh between October 2006 and January 2007. The military junta own a vast web of companies that produce significant wealth in industries such as tobacco and beer production, jade and ruby mining, manufacturing, banking and transport. Meanwhile, the nation's economy is going backwards.
Myanmar's military size and capability is not completely known as the actual figure is regularly changing due to conflicts with resistance groups and the changing loyalty of militia groups. The junta's military is known as the Sit-Tat and may have had up to 400,000 members prior to the coup. Combat casualties from the coup so far could be as high as 20,000 troops with many more thought to have deserted. In 2013, Australia renewed Defence ties with Myanmar following its return to democratic rule. Since the 2021 coup, Australia has suspended all military cooperation with Myanmar, including the English language training program.