Procurement: 3D Printers Go To War
Ezoic
June 11, 2024: Myanmar (Burma) has been at war with itself since 2021 when northern tribal rebels and most Myanmar civilians rebelled against the military government. By the end of 2023 there was another unexpected uprising against the Myanmar military government. This began in the north, where tribal militias have been fighting the army for decades. That wore down the resolve and morale of the army. Many of the army generals were surprised at how suddenly and quickly the troops in the north lost their will to fight and either deserted or joined the rebels. These attitudes spread quickly. In the capital, Naypyidaw, radio and telephone calls from army units in the north grew increasingly desperate. Many of the calls were for air support, by armed helicopters or fixed wing aircraft. The Myanmar Air Force had few attack aircraft, and most were Chinese or Russian jet fighters, many with pilots who were now unwilling to carry out attacks on civilians, even if they were armed rebels. There was much anger over the many airstrikes the government had ordered against armed rebels and unarmed civilians. The military government was weakened by sanctions and was unable to pay the troops on time or at all. This was one reason over 15,000 soldiers deserted, many of them joining the rebels.
Many of these soldiers surrendered their weapons and walked off to find their way back to their families. The rebels knew that they would face a lot more soldiers as they marched south in more heavily populated areas. The rebels needed weapons for all the northern men volunteering. The solution turned out to be on the internet where inexpensive 3D printers could be purchased and used to manufacture the components needed for crude 9mm pistols. These enabled more rebels to rob or ambush police or individual soldiers and steal their weapons.
Using 3D printers to manufacture these crude pistols is a time consuming process but the persistent rebels turned out more and more of these weapons and slowly created so many armed rebels that the military government now expects to make a last stand in the towns and cities in southern Myanmar. This time there will be no negotiations with the military, which has proved to be untrustworthy and senior officers are determined to somehow survive this final campaign in the south. The soldiers these officers command continue to desert despite offers of higher pay and benefits. The officers have a well earned reputation of promising much and delivering little. This means they will have a difficult time gathering enough troops to defend the towns and cities in the south, where most of the population lives.
https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htproc/articles/2024061102520.aspx
