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[🇧🇩-Land] Military Capability of Bangladesh
Saif
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en.prothomalo.com

Army chief urges soldiers to be ready to face any challenge

Army Chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed emphasizes the importance of readiness and modern training in facing 21st-century challenges. Read more about his call to the members of Bangladesh Army to be prepared for any obstacle that may arise.
en.prothomalo.com en.prothomalo.com

Army chief urges soldiers to be ready to face any challenge
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Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed on Monday urged the members of Bangladesh Army to be prepared for all times to face the challenges of 21st century obtaining epoch making modern training.

"We had infused our lives in the great Liberation War, when it was necessary for the country and its people and if needed we will do it again," he said.

The army chief was addressing at the 6th Core Reunion and the 42nd Annual Commander Conference-2023 of the Army Service Core at the ASC Center and School at Zahanabad Cantonment in Khulna as the chief guest, said an ISPR press release.

He also remembered the important role and contribution of the Bangladesh army during the Great Liberation War.

General Ahmed paid rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Freedom Fighters including Army men during Liberation War at the beginning of his speech.

Remembering the glorious heritage of ASC core of the Army and their active contribution in the infrastructural development of the country as well as service to the motherland when it was necessary, the Army top boss asked to enhance their total skills during their duty in and outside the country.

Stimulation has been created among the Army persons in presence of its Chief and conviction has been reiterated among each of the members (Core) for serving the motherland in future, the ISPR press Release added.
Besides, the Army Chief unveiled the foundation stone of the 50-Bed Combined Military Hospital at the Zahanabad Cantonment.

The army chief later paid homage at the monument 'Sangsaptok', at Zahanabad, built in Memory of the martyred and visited different military establishments.

Army high officials and media personnel, among others, were present at the event.
 
The following article has been extracted from the official army webpage. It's a good overview of Bangladesh army.

About Bangladesh Army - Bangladesh Army

HeadQuater of Bangladesh Army, All about Bangladesh Army
www.army.mil.bd www.army.mil.bd

About Bangladesh Army

General

Bangladesh Army emerged during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971. The mission of Bangladesh Army is to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bangladesh. In addition to its primary mission, the Bangladesh Army is also assisting the civilian government during times of national emergency.

Role of Bangladesh Army

Bangladesh Army intends to build a well trained and well-equipped deterrent land force to meet the traditional and non-traditional threats and challenges of 21st century. However, the roles of Bangladesh Army are:

· To defend sovereignty and territorial integrity.
· To plan and develop the mobilization of civil resources in support of land operations.

· To aid the civil administrations in maintenance of internal security and law and order situation, when assigned.

· To assist the civil administration in managing the disasters and natural calamities, when requested.

· To take part in nation development activities as and when asked for.
· To support United Nations Peacekeeping Operations.

· To take part in coalition operations with other nations if authorized by the parliament.


Achievement and Contribution

Achievement and contribution of Bangladesh Army has to be traced back through 5 broad categories of operational engagements. These are Internal Security Operations, Counter Insurgency Operations (CIO) in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), infrastructure and nation building activities, role in disaster management and UN peacekeeping operations.

Nation Building Activities and In Aid of Civil Power

Bangladesh Army has made commendable contributions in number of nation building activities assigned by government and could earn trust and confidence of common mass. It includes preparation of voter list with picture and National ID cards, Machine Readable Passport, construction of roads, flyover, underpass etc. So far, Bangladesh Army carried out good number of internal security operations in aid to the civil administration to bring back normalcy in life. Besides, in the wake of any disaster like flood, cyclone, earth-quake, building collapse and accidental fire incidents etc, Bangladesh Army provides the quickest support to the affected people.


Chittagong Hill Tracts Conflict

At the outbreak of the insurgency in CHT, the Government of Bangladesh deployed the army to fight CIO. In the process of fighting, many officers and men sacrificed their valuable lives for their utmost dedication and patriotism which led to exemplary counter insurgency conflict termination in South Asia. Due to remarkable contribution of Bangladesh Army in the field of maintenance of security and socio-economic development of CHT, long conflict of more than two decade ended with the signing of CHT Peace Accord in 1997 between the government and the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS). At present army is performing the role of post-CIO in order to support government machinery to perform its normal activities.

Contribution to UN Peacekeeping Operations

The Bangladesh is actively involved in a United Nations Peace Support Operations under Blue Helmets since 1988. By this time Bangladesh Army has completed 50 missions in 40 countries. At present 7,085 peacekeepers from Bangladesh Army are deployed in 10 Missions of 10 different countries. Besides establishing world peace, our peacekeepers are earning huge amount of foreign remittance that contributes towards maintaining and increasing the growth rate of our National economy. In search of world peace, our peacekeepers dive deep in fathomless darkness; and they sacrifice their valuable lives. Till now 124 Bangladeshi peacekeepers have embraced martyrdom and many of our peacekeepers were injured.

Conclusion

Bangladesh Army has come a long way since its transformation from a non-descript entity to a credible defence forces in this sub-continent. As an institution, the Army today is self-confident and self-contained, with tremendous potentials to sustain growth, expansion and modernization. Army as deterrent land force is capable to meet the traditional and non-traditional security threats of 21st century in order to maintain territorial integrity of Bangladesh.
 
www.thedailystar.net

Global Firepower Ranking 2023: Implications for Bangladesh

For a country to showcase its national strength, military capability and coercive endurance, power becomes an important denominator in international politics.
www.thedailystar.net www.thedailystar.net

Global Firepower Ranking 2023: Implications for Bangladesh

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For a country to showcase its national strength, military capability and coercive endurance, power becomes an important denominator in international politics. Despite the renewed focus on ideational power exercised by countries be it in international forums, ideology and diplomacy, military power remains the core tool of any country to advance its security image in international relations. Global Firepower (GFP) is an internationally recognised ranking system to understand the military rankings, status and development of countries. In its recent issue, the Global Firepower 2023 ranks Bangladesh as the first paramilitary power and 12th "Powers on the Rise" in the world, a milestone achievement for a South Asian country only after India and Pakistan.

However, what constitutes power itself, remains a contested definitional pursuit among scholars, academicians and practitioners in international relations. Joseph Nye, an influential scholar on American foreign policy, stated that power is not only about commanding others to do something rather it is also about persuading others to get what one wants. This suggests power can be both soft power or hard power, where soft power includes economic pursuit or diplomacy and hard power includes military strength, defence and warfare equipment. Such soft/hard-power distinction may not always be a useful analytical tool to understand a country's influence in global politics, but certainly understanding a country's military capabilities in numbers can provide a brief overview of a country's position in the global armament landscape.

Global Firepower (GFP) Index illustrates a country's conventional fighting capability measured by eight categorical groups such as financials, geography, manpower, airpower, land forces, naval forces, natural resources, and logistics. Under these categorical groups, the index uses over 60 factors to calculate the comparative military strength of each country – standardised by the perfect Power Index (PwrIndx) value of 0.0000. Currently, Global Firepower (GFP) comprises 145 nations in its list with an expanding range each year.

The USA, Russia and China top the first three positions of the 2023 GFP list with PwrIndx of 0.0712, 0.0714 and 0.0722, respectively. Comparatively, the USA excels in airpower, logistics and geography, whereas Russia excels in manpower, land power, naval power, natural resources and financials. Similarly, China excels in manpower, naval power, land power and financials over the USA. For South Asia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh tops the list with PwrIndx of 0.1025, 0.1694 and 0.5871 respectively. The ranks of India (4th), Pakistan (7th) and Bangladesh (40th) describe the stark power imbalance in the region.

In comparison, India and Pakistan both hold a stronger advantage over Bangladesh in almost all categories. However, one interesting finding is that Bangladesh, given its relatively small square land (143,998 km), shared border (4413 km), coastline (580 km) and waterways (8370 km), still holds the upper hand over India in its geographical position. The reason for this is that Bangladesh has significant shared borders and a critical coastline on the Bay of Bengal with strategic maritime advantage.

One of the main strengths of Bangladesh is its population counting over 165 million. This fact can be acutely observed in the manpower category of Bangladesh, where in all of the indicators (available manpower, paramilitary, fit-for-service, reaching military age annually, total military personnel, active personnel and air force/army/navy personnel) the country tops among the first 32. The country currently hosts the world's largest paramilitary force combining 6,800,000 personnel, making it first in the GFP list. Also, the country has one of the largest active military forces in the world with around 7 million personnel. This might be one of the finest examples of a country's security landscape bound with territorial limitation, that a heavy population can act as an asset if mobilised effectively.

Bangladesh's military modernisation has been facilitated by the increased defence expenditure of the government. Starting in 2009, Bangladesh Armed Forces has focused on modernising its core forces including the Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Air Forces often known as Force Goal 2030. The programme facilitated numerous upgradation programmes of tanks, tank missiles, light armoured vehicles, radar and aviation equipment, etc. Under this modernisation programme, Bangladesh currently stands 40th globally in terms of defence spending, amounting to USD 3.8 billion. In South Asia, the defence expenditure of Bangladesh ranks third only after India and Pakistan, which suggests in terms of strategic political calculation, the country is not limited only to soft power diplomacy.

However, the military landscape also suggests that Bangladesh is aptly equipped for conventional military warfare. On the contrary, the present global firepower landscape is increasingly shifting to the airspace and airborne military equipped with high-range missiles, advanced AI technology and data-enabled geo-precision. Adaptation to the global tech-military landscape will require heavy investment in military research and technology. Hence, Bangladesh needs to focus on increased R&D investment in the defence sector, instead of merely importing the logistics from other countries. This will enable the country to gather sufficient footing in the military research industry as well.

GFP 2023 signifies the fact that modern firepower capabilities depend not only on expenditure-reliant armed forces of a country's army, navy or air power, rather financialisation, logistics and geography also play a major role in determining a country's rank. Increased intra-state conflicts, growing polarisation, external allied pressure and existing security dilemmas all contributed to an increased securitisation and advancement of military power in recent decades. For South Asia, the implication will not only cover the uneasy tension between India and Pakistan, but also will extend to the other countries as well. Bangladesh's gradual climbing up in the ranks is the best example of this – that regional geopolitics has significant implications for a country's modernising military tendency.

Towkir Hossain is a Dhaka-based research analyst on international affairs
 

www.thedefensepost.com

US to Supply More Advanced Military Equipment to Bangladesh

The US government will provide the Bangladesh Armed Forces with more weapons and equipment to help defend its sovereignty.
www.thedefensepost.com www.thedefensepost.com

​

US to Supply More Advanced Military Equipment to Bangladesh​


The US government will provide the Bangladesh Armed Forces with more weapons and equipment to help defend its sovereignty, US Ambassador to Dhaka Peter Haas has announced.

Speaking at the Defence Services Command and Staff College last week, the American diplomat revealed that the South Asian nation will soon take delivery of more state-of-the-art drones and surface ships from Washington.

The new defense hardware will support UN peacekeeping and other missions in Bangladesh.

“Over the next year, we expect to deliver the highly capable Blackjack UAS [unmanned aerial system], 35-foot SAFE patrol boats, and additional Zodiac rigid hull boats,” Haas disclosed.

The announcement came just before the US expressed concern about recent reports of violence in Dhaka, saying the Bangladeshi government must investigate “thoroughly, transparently, and impartially.”

Bolstering Defense Ties​

According to Haas, the US is one of the major countries to help boost Bangladesh’s defense capabilities through foreign military aid.

The US military regularly works with Bangladesh to strengthen its defense readiness and fortify their partnership, he said.

He added that the US has five goals for its Asian ally, including supporting a peaceful and stable nation, promoting democracy and human rights, and providing humanitarian protection.

Among the equipment delivered by the US to Dhaka were frigates, mine-resistant armored vehicles, and four C-130B tactical transport aircraft.

“This past year, we also delivered small UAS … [and] provided special operations units with modern weapons, ammunition, body armor, advanced radio systems, and first aid equipment,” Haas explained.
 
A little old but good article on Bangladesh armed Forces.

Bangladesh Armed Forces: Challenges for the future

BANGLADESH armed forces have come a long way since the Liberation War in 1971. Starting as a small guerilla force composed of Bengali elements of Pakistan army who joined the Liberation War to form the core fighting force of the Mukti Bahini (Liberation Force), today it is a fairly large force...
www.thedailystar.net www.thedailystar.net

Bangladesh Armed Forces: Challenges for the future​

defence.jpg

BANGLADESH armed forces have come a long way since the Liberation War in 1971. Starting as a small guerilla force composed of Bengali elements of Pakistan army who joined the Liberation War to form the core fighting force of the Mukti Bahini (Liberation Force), today it is a fairly large force, well-trained and well-armed. The armed forces have developed over the last four decades as a well-organised force capable of not only performing the primary role of defending the country's frontier from external aggression and internal subversion, but also increasingly and successfully helping in the task of nation-building. Ours is a force preferred by the UN for its global peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions. They have been our ambassadors abroad, earning gratitude of millions of people in strife-torn, war-ravaged, disaster-stricken parts of the world. Today, as we prepare to celebrate Armed Forces Day, it would be pertinent to take stock of the current situation and prepare for the future.

Bangladesh, despite many urgent priorities, has been spending about 1.5% of its GDP on defence, which is one of the largest sectors of government spending. As a result, the Army has grown from a force of 3 brigades in the early 1970s to its current strength of 8 divisions. It is a well-equipped force with tanks, artillery and missiles. The Air Force grew from virtual zero to its current component of modern combat aircraft, attack helicopters, long-range transport aircraft and a whole range of air defence systems. Bangladesh Navy too grew from a few patrol boats to its present component of modern missile-armed fighting ships, maritime patrol aircraft and soon to join submarine. This will give the Navy a 3-dimentional capability -- in the air, on the surface and underwater. The armed forces, that used to be a “men only” organisation, is today recruiting women in increasing numbers, a great step forward in a society that remains bound by its age-old traditions. With all these investments, the nation can ask: “Are the forces capable of meeting the defence needs of the county -- for the present and in the future?”

Bangladesh military is primarily designed to fight a conventional battle against external aggression. Happily for us, that threat is minimal, at present and in near future. Our land and maritime boundaries with Myanmar are well-demarcated. We share over 4,000 km border with India, and that too is demarcated, except for few stretches totaling about 9 km that are considered disputed. There are other issues such as enclaves and adverse possessed land (APL) that are in the process of negotiated settlement. The issue of water sharing of the common rivers, which often strains India-Bangladesh relations, has no military solution. There is no dispute between the two countries that could erupt into military confrontation. Moreover, the substantial military capabilities that Bangladesh has attained act as deterrence to any external military adventurism.

Notwithstanding localised conflict, nations today seek peaceful dialogue to settle their differences. However, there have been new emerging threats that need military intervention, often beyond the border. These threats are lumped under non-traditional threats.

Non-traditional threats can be broadly put under two categories: manmade and natural. Manmade threats include terrorism, arms and drug smuggling, human trafficking, organised crime, money laundering, cybercrime etc. Natural threats include flood, cyclone and tidal surge, earthquake, global warming, deforestation, pollution, pandemics etc. These threats can often pose as existential crisis to the nation and may demand military assistance and intervention. Military forces are increasingly called upon to play their part in the non-traditional roles. As such, defence forces have to bring in necessary changes in their organisational structures and force planning to fit in their new roles. Bangladesh military is no exception.

Let us take the case of terrorism. In the highly globalised world, terrorism too is globalised. Terrorism has no frontier or nationality. Bangladesh military might have to fight terrorism not only inside Bangladesh but, when called upon by the international community, it might fight in distant land. In case of operations against international terrorist organisations, such as al-Qaeda, ISIL, Boko Haram or the Taliban, the fight can be bloody, fierce and long. Fighting these terrorist forces involves appropriate tactics and strategy, weapons and materiel, training and motivation. A well-coordinated multi-national force with a long term strategy along with appropriate tactics and technology is the answer. However, it is easier said than done. Bangladesh forces, when part of a multinational contingent, may find themselves operating along with forces that speak different languages, are equipped with different weapons and employ different tactics. These impediments have to be overcome to form a cohesive multi-national force.

Arms and drug smuggling too have attained international dimension and might see Bangladesh forces deployed overseas. There is a strong nexus in our part of the world between drug and arms smugglers of Myanmar, the Islamist militants in Bangladesh and Maoist insurgents in India. Those who are involved in arms and drug smuggling are often involved in human trafficking too. To support their illegal activities, they have to clandestinely collect and transfer funds through forged documents and bank accounts. Therefore, keeping a check on money laundering is a major task of the security forces. Military forces have a clear role in supporting all these counter-terrorism activities. In the case of natural disasters such as cyclone, earthquake etc. military forces are often deployed overseas.

Even fighting pandemics such as the on-going Ebola virus outbreak in Central Africa has shown that military forces are often the best option to enforce movement control across and within the country. The armed forces of Bangladesh will, therefore, have to be organised, equipped and trained to fight overseas in a variety of missions that are often far removed from conventional threat scenario for which they are primarily trained. This demands that the soldiers and officers have to be better educated, able to converse at least in English and preferably a third language, and have a good understanding of different cultures, religions and social norms. Now that women are taking over more active and visible role in the military, we need to train our forces to be more gender sensitive than ever before. Commanders at all levels have to be alert against any cases of sexual harassment. These are new challenges that need to be addressed.

Because most military operations are going to be multi-national efforts, UN or other international organisations are now focusing on how best military forces of different nations could operate under a joint umbrella to combat common threats, natural or manmade. In our region, we need to hold joint civil-military exercises under the umbrella of Saarc, Bimstec, Asean etc., where doctrines and interoperability could be tested and improved. Only through realistic multi-national training could we hope to achieve success when the real test comes.

Bangladesh military is an important partner in our quest for national progress. From building roads, bridges and dykes to training doctors, nurses, engineers and technicians -- the military is involved in the nation-building process. While concentrating on its primary mission of defense of the country, it is supplementing the national efforts to turn the huge youth population into highly productive manpower. In conclusion, it can be stated that in peace and in war, at present and into the future, Bangladesh armed forces remain relevant to the national goals and objectives.

The writer is the Registrar, East West University, Dhaka.
 
www.aa.com.tr

Bangladesh pursues balance in military modernization efforts

Despite past heavy reliance on China, South Asian nation now expanding defense ties with Russia, UK, India, Turkey, Germany - Anadolu Ajansı
www.aa.com.tr www.aa.com.tr

Bangladesh pursues balance in military modernization efforts​

Despite past heavy reliance on China, South Asian nation now expanding defense ties with Russia, UK, India, Turkey, Germany​

Md. Kamruzzaman |08.12.2021 - Update : 08.12.2021
​
Bangladesh pursues balance in military modernization efforts

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Bangladesh has been modernizing its armed forces by maintaining a balanced approach, overcoming its dependency on any single other country or the dominance of great powers, say officials as well as geopolitical analysts.

"For a long time, Bangladesh has been heavily reliant on China for military weaponry since its independence in 1971. However, the situation has changed, and Bangladesh is now purchasing military equipment from several countries," A L M Fazlur Rahman, a defense analyst and former director general of the Bangladesh Border Guard, told Anadolu Agency.

According to official sources, the country launched a megaproject in 2009, dubbed Forces Goal 2030, with the goal of modernizing its military forces by 2030.


In 2017, the overcrowded delta nation of nearly 170 million people revamped the initiative, focusing on modernizing and strengthening its army, navy, and air forces with cutting-edge technology.

Underlining that the project is "time-befitting," Rahman added: "Dhaka must have the fortitude to overcome the domination of any particular external force."

Over the last few decades, the country has greatly expanded its defense cooperation with Russia, the UK, India, Turkey, and even Germany, besides China, the sources say.

Despite diplomatic pressure by neighboring India, Bangladesh purchased two submarines from China in 2016 for the first time in its history.

In retaliation, India even provided Myanmar with a Russian-made Kilo-class submarine in October last year, Rahman pointed out.

The country also announced its purchase of five British-made naval ships in November this year.

Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen said the purchase would be used to monitor and protect the "huge sea boundaries from others who enter Bangladeshi maritime territories for fishing or other activities."

Boosting Turkey-Bangladesh defense ties

In recent years, the country has turned its eyes to its Muslim long-time ally Turkey for defense cooperation on a bigger scale.
Turkish Ambassador in Dhaka Mustafa Osman Turan recently said Ankara was prepared to offer Dhaka need-based defense support and military hardware without conditions, similar to what multi-launcher rockets have already delivered. He also said Turkey was open to cooperative ventures in shipbuilding, not only for the military but also for civilian purposes, as well.

Preferring not to be named as he is not authorized to talk to the media, an army official told Anadolu Agency that his country was impressed by Turkish competence in making drones and military tanks. "We hope to receive huge support from Turkey in modernizing our defense sector."

Both countries are also interested in boosting defense cooperation with combined training of their armed forces.

Last week, Adm. Adnan Ozbal, the head of the Turkish Navy, and his Bangladeshi counterpart Adm. M Shaheen Iqbal met in Dhaka for a courtesy call to discuss the topic while Ozbal was on a three-day official visit to Bangladesh.

The naval chiefs discussed an "increasing of different training activities for the development of professional skills and other bilateral issues," said a media statement issued by Bangladesh armed forces' mouthpiece, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

National defense policy

Bangladesh's original national defense policy had been issued in 1974 by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's founding leader, and was updated in 2018 by the government led by Rahman's daughter, Sheikh Hasina, who is now the country's fourth-term premier.

Hasina also said multiple times that the country's armed forces were being modernized to keep up with developed nations as part of a diplomatic policy of "friendship to all and malice to none."

"We have added the modern infantry gazette, state-of-the-art weapons, aircraft and helicopters, various modern engineering equipment, sky-destroying automatic SHORAD (Short-Range Air Defense), VSHORAD (Very Short-Range Air Defense), state-of-the-art Oerlikon air defense systems, etc., to the armed forces," state-run media quoted the prime minister as saying while addressing a military program in Dhaka last week.

Claiming that new naval and submarine bases were in development, she added that the country's naval forces had state-of-the-art corvettes, frigates, submarines, and maritime helicopters, as well as an elite operational unit known as SWADS (Special Warfare Diving and Salvage).

"State-of-the-art fighter jets, transport aircraft, helicopters, high-powered air-defense radar, and surface-to-air missiles have been included in the Air Force," Hasina stated.

After coming to power in 1996, Hasina and her successive government also bought eight Mig-29 jet fighters from Russia, despite criticism over cost and maintenance.

Geographical location in favor

ISPR Director Lt. Col. Abdullah Ibn Zaid told Anadolu Agency over the phone that the government is gradually modernizing its military forces in light of the country's defense policy of 1974.

"Our main purpose is to develop a modern defense force, which does not imply that we are showing strength," Zaid said, adding that the country is on track to achieve its 2030 goal of developing a modern defense system.

"I will not disclose details of our military hardware procurement from different countries," he said, adding: "But I can say we are modernizing our defense forces."

However, former army officer Fazlur Rahman told Anadolu Agency that Bangladesh's geographical location favors extending defense cooperation with two Asian giants at the same time -- China and India.

"Because we are sandwiched between two major Asian players, I frequently refer to Bangladesh as a middle kingdom. So, if we are capable of effectively managing these two powers, we can benefit from both countries, and it also applies to the defense sector," he argued.​
 

Army chief says force fully prepared to counter any enemy attack​

Forces Goals 2030 will ensure a higher position for the Bangladesh Army globally, says Gen SM Shafiuddin Ahmed
https://www.dhakatribune.com/301918

Army chief says force fully prepared to counter any enemy attack

Ali Asif Shawon
Publish : 03 Jan 2023, 11:17 PMUpdate : 03 Jan 2023, 11:17 PM

The Bangladesh Army will rise to a higher position in the world in the next seven years if the Forces Goal 2030 can be achieved within the timeframe, Army Chief General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed said on Tuesday.

“Bangladesh's defence policy was formulated according to foreign policy, which is why we are not an aggressive army,” he said. “But if someone is aggressive against us, we can give a proper response. We are always ready to serve the nation as per the government's instructions.”

Addressing reporters after observing the winter exercise of the Bangladesh Army at Savar Military Farm in the afternoon, Gen Shafiuddin said: “War policies are changing around the world with the advancement of modern technology. Hence, we are developing our army with the inclusion of modern technology and regular training on modern warfare doctrine.”

'Hard training, easy fighting'​


The Army chief explained that battlefield strategies and weapons were constantly changing worldwide. “For example, drones and missiles are being used randomly in the Russia-Ukraine war. Keeping these things in mind, necessary arrangements are being made for the army.”

Gen Shafiuddin said the army was giving more importance to training than at any time in the past; winter exercises have been completed two years in a row, which had never happened before.

He said they were giving the utmost importance to training, keeping in mind the concept of “hard training, easy fighting”.

“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also directed us to speed up training programs. The premier said not to give any concession regarding training,” he added.

Gen Shafiuddin said they always think about the local people so that crops are not harmed because of the training. The army also gives humanitarian aid to locals.

The army chief on Tuesday distributed warm clothes while a medical team gave free treatment to underprivileged people.
All soldiers will return to their respective barracks after the winter training on January 6.

“To boost the country's production, Bangladesh Army is also harvesting crops, cultivating fish and raising cattle in the barren fields of all cantonment areas to implement the prime minister's directives to cultivate every inch of land of the country,” he added.

Lieutenant General Ataul Hakim Sarwar Hasan, Chief of General Staff (CGS) of Bangladesh Army, Lieutenant General Mohammad Saiful Alam, Quartermaster General, Lieutenant General Ahmed Tabrez Shams, General Officer Commanding of the Army Training and Doctrine Command, Major General Md Jubayer Salehin, Engineer-in-Chief at the Bangladesh Army, and other high officials were present during the press conference.

Alamgir Hossain, general secretary of the Defense Journalist Association of Bangladesh (DJAB), made some remarks on the journalists' behalf. DJAB Joint General Secretary Tariqul Islam Masum, Executive Committee Member Ali Asif Shawon, and Member Kazi Shohag, among others, were also present.

Success in UN missions​

The army chief also spoke of the success of the Bangladesh Army in becoming the highest contributor to United Nations peacekeeping missions.

“This happened due to professionalism, honesty, dedication and rigorous training,” he said.

“The army personnel are separated for a certain time before they are sent to the UN missions. After that, another specialized training is provided just three months before their departure,” the top army official added.

About the ongoing winter exercise, Gen Shafiuddin said: “This year's training is almost successful in all aspects.”

Replying to a query, he said: “Before taking charge, I said that I would increase transparency in the army and I have done it.

Beside this, I have reduced the army's distance from the people and the media workers.”
https://www.dhakatribune.com/301918
 

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