Myanmar junta signs another deal to boost ties with United States

Myanmar’s military junta has entered into yet another agreement with a US lobbying firm in a bid to strengthen its diplomatic presence in the United States, Myanmar Now has learned. The deal, signed by the Myanmar embassy in Washington, D.C., and the McKeon Group, Inc., a Virginia-based government relations and advisory firm, took effect on August 1 and runs through January 31, 2026, according to a filing with the US Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Under the agreement, the regime will pay the firm a monthly retainer of US$60,000 for each of the six months of the contract period, totalling $360,000. It also allows reimbursement for certain operational expenses. The McKeon Group—headed by former Republican Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon—is contracted to advise the junta’s embassy on government relations, diplomatic outreach, and strategic communications in Washington, with a focus on the US Congress and the State Department. The move follows a parallel $3 million contract signed just a day earlier by Myanmar’s Ministry of Information with another Republican-linked lobbying firm, DCI Group AZ, LLC. Both agreements represent the junta’s most direct attempts since the 2021 coup to influence Washington policymakers and rebuild ties with the US after years of sanctions and international isolation. Myanmar Now has reached out to the McKeon Group to request further information about its contract with the regime, including the specific objectives that the firm has been tasked with. No reply had been received at the time of publication. Among the questions that were asked were why the firm agreed to represent Myanmar’s junta despite its record of human rights abuses, and whether it will be promoting the junta’s planned national election on December 28. The McKeon Group has a history of representing controversial foreign clients in Washington. McKeon is among a number of US-based lobbying firms employed by Saudi Arabia to protect and advance the kingdom’s interests during critical moments, including votes on arms sales and legislation related to the Yemen war. Activist group Justice For Myanmar criticised the McKeon Group for signing a contract with the junta, arguing it was enabled by a sanctions loophole created when the junta dissolved its executive body, the State Administration Council (SAC), on July 31 and replaced it with the State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC). The contract with the McKeon Group was signed the following day. “The illegal junta’s hiring of a second unscrupulous PR firm shows the urgency of closing sanctions loopholes created by its rebranding to SSPC,” said Yadanar Maung, spokesperson for Justice For Myanmar. “Governments must urgently sanction SSPC to block the junta’s attempts to circumvent sanctions, gain false legitimacy, and fund its international crimes.” The US sanctioned SAC on May 17, 2021, but has not yet sanctioned SSPC. A spokesperson for the State Department, when asked whether it would do so, said it is aware of the junta’s decision to dissolve SAC and create the replacement body but did not preview sanctions actions. “The United States continues to monitor developments closely and will take appropriate measures to address any attempts to circumvent sanctions,” the spokesperson said.

Myanmar junta signs another deal to boost ties with United States

The McKeon Group will be paid US$360,000 to advise the regime, in the second such agreement reached in less than a month

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