page_title: Myanmar Navy
section_title: 2010s
hierarchical_section_title: Myanmar Navy / History / 2010s
caption_attribution_description: ANDAMAN SEA (Nov. 18, 2012) Capt. Heidi Agle, deputy commodore of Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 11, explains the flight deck capabilities of the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) during a tour for Myanmar naval officers. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Mark R. Alvarez/Released) 121118-N-RU841-004 Join the conversation &lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/USNavy" rel="nofollow"&gt;www.facebook.com/USNavy&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/USNavy" rel="nofollow"&gt;www.twitter.com/USNavy&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="http://navylive.dodlive.mil" rel="nofollow"&gt;navylive.dodlive.mil&lt;/a&gt;
context_page_description: The Myanmar Navy is the naval warfare branch of the armed forces of Myanmar. With 19,000 personnel on duty, the navy operates more than 125 vessels. Prior to 1988, the navy was small, and its role in counter-insurgency operations was smaller than those of the army and the air force. The navy has since been expanded to take on a more active role in defense of Myanmar's territorial waters.
context_section_description: As part of international engagement of the US with the Myanmar's armed forces, the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) visited Myanmar in early 2013.
  The Myanmar Navy has held its annual 'Sea Shield' combined fleet exercise in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea since 2014. The annual manoeuvres usually involve live-fire exercises by several of the Myanmar Navy's strategic vessels. In 2017, Myanmar's Deputy Defence Minister announced the Myanmar Navy's ambition to acquire a submarine.
  When it comes to international navy exercise, Myanmar Navy participated in Indian and Myanmar Navy Exercise 2018, which was held in the Bay of Bengal. On the Myanmar side, vessels included the Kyan Sittha-class frigate UMS Sin Phyu Shin (F-14) and offshore patrol vessel UMS Inle and on the Indian side, vessels included anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kamorta, Shivalik (Project 17)-class frigate INS Sahyadri, and a Type 877EKM Kilo-class submarine, along with one helicopter and two advanced aircraft. In September 2019, Myanmar Navy's UMS Kyan Sittha participated in the first US-Asean Maritime Exercise (AUMX) to improve disaster management and maritime cooperation in the region.
  The Myanmar Navy have had better relationships with Navies in the region in the 2010s than in the previous decades. To promote goodwill between navies, the Myanmar Navy played host to many Navies from the region such as Royal Australian Navy, PLA Navy and Indian Navy. Likewise, Myanmar naval vessels have made their historic diplomatic visit to a number of countries in the region including Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore.
caption: Myanmar Navy officers tour USS Bonhomme Richard
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