Officers Training School, Bahtoo


The Army Officers Training School, Bahtoo is an officer candidate school for the Myanmar Army located in Bahtoo Station, Shan State, Myanmar. The Commandant of the OTS is Brigadier General Myo Zaw Win. OTS trains army warrant officers and non-commissioned officers, and is one of the country's main institutions for training army officers, along with the Defence Services Academy. Coursework at OTS typically spans nine months, and graduating cadets receive army commissions. OTS cadets generally have more experience in civilian life than other counterparts.

History

The predecessor to the OTS was founded in Mingaladon Township, Rangoon by the Imperial Japanese Army on 20 August 1942, becoming the first military training school in the country. After achieving independence in 1948, Myanmar's military established OTS in Maymyo, near Mandalay. OTS was relocated to Bahtoo Station in Shan State, to make way for the Defence Services Academy, which would become the country's premier military academy. Since 1988, OTS has largely admitted cadets who have already earned undergraduate degrees. Political observers have noted long-standing power struggles between OTS and DSA. In 2016, 7% of the military-appointed delegates to the Amyotha Hluttaw, the upper house of Myanmar's national legislature were OTS graduates, while none of the military-appointed delegates to the Pyithu Hluttaw, the lower house of Myanmar's national legislature were OTS graduates.

Notable alumni