Bangladesh’s National Defence College delegation visits US, discusses regional security
Staff Correspondent 18 September, 2026, 12:27
A 24-member delegation of Bangladesh’s National Defence College visits the US. | Bangladesh Embassy in Washington photo
A 24-member delegation of Bangladesh’s National Defence College visited the US for one week and held discussions on bilateral relations, regional security, defence and military cooperation.
The delegation met a series of US officials and representatives of financial institutions during its visit from September 9 to 18, according to a statement from the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington.
Defence attaché Brig Gen Mohammad Monwar Hossain Khan and minister consular Mahbubur Rahman of the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, DC, welcomed the delegation at Dulles International Airport.
The delegation visited prominent governmental, military and international institutions, including the US Department of State, the Pentagon, the National Defense University, the World Bank-IMF and UN headquarters, and exchanged views with senior officials.
The visit was part of the training for the ‘National Defence Course 2026’ organised by the National Defence College.
Lieutenant General Md Faizur Rahman, commandant of the National Defence College, led the delegation.
As one of the key events of the tour, the delegation visited the US Department of State on September 11.
Paul Kapoor, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, welcomed the delegation and held an exchange of views with its members.
They discussed bilateral relations, regional security, defence and military cooperation, and matters of mutual interest.
On September 14, the delegation visited the Pentagon, where Rear Admiral Stephen Aldridge, deputy director of politico-military affairs (Asia), and Jay Wise, director for South Asia (Policy), welcomed them.
They discussed Bangladesh-US defence ties, military cooperation, the regional security environment, defence policy and future avenues of collaboration.
Following its visit to the Pentagon, the delegation visited the Embassy of Bangladesh in Washington, DC.
Bangladesh ambassador to the US Tareq Mohammad Ariful Islam briefed the delegation on the activities and operations of the embassy.
An interactive meeting was also held between the delegation and embassy officials.
On September 15, the delegation visited the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Neelkanth Mishra, executive director, and Md Abdur Rahman Khan, alternate executive director, received the delegation at the World Bank.
Officials from the World Bank Group and the IMF were present and briefed the delegation on the activities of their respective institutions.
They discussed Bangladesh’s economic development, its engagement with international financial institutions, development cooperation and the global economic situation.
Towards the end of their stay in Washington, DC, the delegation visited the National Defense University and the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies.
Ambassador Roxanne Cabral, senior vice president of NDU, and Ambassador John Desrocher, director of the NESA Center, welcomed them.
Delegation leader Lt Gen Md Faizur Rahman and senior directing staff Air Vice Marshal Md Shafiqul Islam held formal meetings with the leadership of NDU and the NESA Center.
Later, the delegation attended the ‘Speaker Series’ organised by the NESA Center, which covered strategic security, regional geopolitics, defence education, leadership development and contemporary international security affairs.
On September 16, the NDC delegation visited UN Headquarters in New York.
Brig Gen Yakhya Diop, chief of staff of the Office of Military Affairs within the Department of Peace Operations, provided a detailed briefing on UN peacekeeping operations across various field missions.
It then visited the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the UN in New York, where it was briefed on the mission’s role, as well as Bangladesh’s major contributions and challenges in UN peacekeeping missions.
Irene Khan, ambassador and permanent representative of Bangladesh to the UN, interacted with the delegation and highlighted key aspects of Bangladesh’s involvement in UN activities.
The delegation is scheduled to depart for Bangladesh on Friday.
Bangladesh Defense
