The People's Defence Force is the armed wing of the National Unity Government (NUG) in Myanmar. The armed wing was formed by the NUG from youths and pro-democracy activists on 5 May 2021 in response to the coup d'état that occurred on 1 February 2021 that put the military junta and their armed wing, the Tatmadaw, in power. The military junta designated it as a terrorist organisation on 8 May 2021. In October 2021, the NUG's Ministry of Defence announced that it had formed a central committee to coordinate military operations across the country.