Dr. Zaw Wai Soe, the National Unity Government (NUG) Union Minister for the Ministry of Education said that the NUG controls a powerful army.

The comment was made at a meeting with Myanmar communities in the United Kingdom (UK) at London’s South Bank University on 29 May.

'This is the very first time we've had a government with its own army', he said.

But, he did not say exactly how many People’s Defence Forces (PDF) forces were working for the NUG in Myanmar.

He also said at the meeting that the NUG had been working on a five-point strategy to overthrow the junta regime and that all the five points had been achieved. Unfortunately, he did not elaborate on what those five points were.

Before his meeting with the UK based Myanmar communities Dr Zaw Wai Soe met with Amanda Milling, a member of the UK parliament who works in the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth ' Development Office as Minister for Asia and the Middle East, on 25 May.

They discussed matters related to the uprising against the military coup in Myanmar humanitarian assistance and restoration of peace and democracy in Myanmar.

In a statement issued on 16 April 2022 the NUG said that one year after forming the PDFs there were 250 PDF groups across the country, making up over 100 PDF battalions and that 100 out of the 350 local independent guerilla groups not under NUG control have also been integrated into the NUG battalions.