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The history of Burma over the past fifty years since its independence in 1948 is the history of an increasingly militarized country. Burma's father of independence, Aung San, was a general and a war hero. (He was also the father of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi). For a long time, the Burmese military was a respected, almost revered institution. The military has also been the primary source of employment in Burma.

The military pervades Burma now because the illegal ruling regime, the State Peace and Development Council (formerly the State Law and Order Restoration Council, or SLORC), and the military are essentially one and the same. The leaders of the SPDC/SLORC are almost all generals; in fact, the inner circle is informally called "The Generals." They use the army, called the Tatmadaw, to maintain their power because they do not have popular support. The regime represses its own people politically, socially, economically, culturally, and commits a myriad of abuses against them constantly.

The Burmese army is itself a brutal institution. Soldiers are treated badly: They are starved, overworked, underpaid, beaten, psychologically abused, denied medical treatment, and sometimes killed by their own officers or peers. Given the depressed economic situation in Burma, where millions live in poverty and employment is scant, some say the military is a viable career option for men. However, this is a career only a general could love. All but the highest soldiers are regularly abused, which results in thousands of defections. The regime does not mention the defections, but everyone in Burma knows it to be the case. The moment the soldier gets the chance, he runs, even if his escape leads him into the hands of his enemy. Many of the defectors interviewed by ERI have found their "enemies" to be far friendlier than their own army.