Fourth-Generation Generals Rise to the Heart of Power

All generals overseeing military operations now belong to the Tatmadaw’s fourth generation. Commanders younger in age and cohort are in charge, with potential implications for operations nationwide.

By ISP Admin | September 30, 2025

Photo – AFP

This Flash Update No. 1 (English Version) was published on September 30, 2025, as a translation of the original Burmese version published on September 26, 2025.

▪️Period

September 2025

▪️Stakeholders

Senior leadership in the regime

▪️Issue

On September 13, 2025, junta leader Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing removed six lieutenant generals and about ten major generals. He also reshuffled the positions of the Commanders of the Bureau of Special Operations (BSO) and filled other vacant posts (see the figures).

▪️Context

This marks another wave of reshuffling within the military’s senior leadership ahead of the elections planned by the State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC). Min Aung Hlaing continues to wield supreme authority, retiring many of his third-generation generals. Some have been dispatched to the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)—the military’s proxy political vehicle—to contest the polls. In their place, fourth-generation officers, primarily from DSA-35 and later cohorts, have been elevated. Led by Gen. Kyaw Swar Lin, a likely contender to lead the fourth generation, these younger cohorts now oversee critical areas of military command, operations, and logistics.

▪️Implications

The predisposition of the fourth generation remains uncertain. However, as ISP-Myanmar assessed in August 2025, the new generation will (1) show unflinching loyalty to survive under the third-generation leader, Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing to avoid being purged, sidelined, or worse, (2) rebuild and strengthen the armed forces, and (3) foster a spirit of Bamar nationalism to revive it (see ISP On Point No. 27). At present, all generals responsible for nationwide military operations are from the fourth generation. Relatively younger commanders now command military campaigns, a change that may influence operations across the country.

▪️Relevance

As ISP-Myanmar previously assessed, the role of the “fourth-generation Tatmadaw” within the military is becoming more pronounced. By studying the changes of the fourth-generation, strategies that could influence Naypyitaw’s power shift can also be identified.