During a gathering Wednesday to mark Armed Forces Day, General Min Aung Hlaing said the military should play a "leading role" as the country moves toward what he called "modern democracy.
For the first time, Burmese pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi attended the annual military parade in the capital, Naypyitaw, in a stunning display of the country's transformation.
The parade, which commemorates the army's 1945 uprising against Japanese military rule in World War Two, comes just two years after the generals handed power to a nominally civilian government, ending more than four decades of direct military rule.
President Thein Sein, a former general, has since led a series of political and economic reforms that culminated in the election of the formerly imprisoned Aung San Suu Kyi to parliament last year.
The Nobel Peace Prize-winning Aung San Suu Kyi has slowly warmed up to the military, which was created by her father - the revolutionary war hero Aung Sun. Earlier this year, she created headlines when she admitted she was "fond" of the institution.
But many in the opposition resent that the army maintains a strong political force and is guaranteed a quarter of the seats in parliament - factor that protects the country's pro-military constitution.
General Min Aung Hlaing said Wednesday a strong military was necessary to maintain national unity and protect independence.
"Our independence came from all Burmese people including every ethnic minority - therefore we have to protect it. The conflict that is going on now, the army never wants that to happen again. It is our duty to be responsible for all the people."
Burma's government has declared a state of emergency in four central states following deadly Buddhist-Muslim violence that erupted last week. Observers say the unrest threatens to unravel the country's political reforms.
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